The Hillsborough Planning Commission honored the 7th Avenue Historic Archway Light project with the Award of Outstanding Contribution and the Jan Abell Award in the Historic Preservation category. In addition, the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce honored the project with their Business Impact Award at their 57th Annual Gala.
7th Avenue in Ybor City, Florida, serves as the main thoroughfare through the vibrant heart of the historic city, earning a National Historic Landmark District designation from the National Park Service. To commemorate the city’s centennial anniversary, temporary decorative lighted archways were fabricated by a local artist and displayed along the roadway. These temporary archways remained for nearly 30 years and had fallen into a state of disrepair and in desperate need of replacement.
For many years, Tampa Electric Company, Ybor City Development Corporation, Barrio Latino Commission, and the city of Tampa had discussed a desire to upgrade the lighting and archways along the approximately one-mile stretch of roadway, but the project faced several delays in its initiation. KCI was then tasked with providing turn-key engineering design and construction services to replace the lighted archways, reigniting the community’s passion for the display, and utilizing a more environmentally sustainable technology to install the permanent structures to be enjoyed for years to come.
