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St. Benedict the moor Historic Site Marker
Project Name:       St. Benedict the Moor Historic Site Marker/ Public Art
Project Location:    Ybor City National Historic Landmark District, Tampa, FL
Client:  Janus Research for Florida Department of Transportation, District VII
Project dates:  2000-current
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Img34.png Project Information: 
Central to the homes relocated north of I-4 in the Tampa Interstate Study Project is the St. Benedict the Moor School site, a site of historic significance to the African-American community. The Sisters of St. Joseph (SSJ) of St. Augustine started the St. Benedict the Moor School in 1903. St. Benedict’s students were mostly Afro-Cuban children of workers in the cigar industry of Ybor City and West Tampa. In an era governed by racial segregation, educating black children was prohibited by a 1913 Florida legislature that forbid individuals of one race teaching another. Defiantly, the SSJ challenged this law and continued to teach the student-body. The 1913 law was eventually declared unconstitutional on May 20, 1916. The School was transferred to the Allegany Franciscans in 1944, and the school continued to serve the community until it was permanently closed in 1952 due to severe fire damage and was demolished in 2001.

In order to recognize the significant history of the site and the lives of those who were forever changed by the events that occurred at the school, USDOT/ FDOT worked in conjunction with the City of Tampa to create a commemorative art piece installed at the corner of East Columbus Drive and North 20th Street. The work consists of an original poem by City of Tampa Poet Laureate James E. Tokley, Sr.engraved in a granite ribbon over 130' long embedded in the sidewalk. A commemorative granite marker is located at one end of the poem telling the history of the site.  This poem is in recognition of the vital role that St. Benedict the Moor School and the SSJ played in the enrichment of the African American community for over 40 years.

Preservation Resource, Inc. Responsibilities: 

  • Plan the poem granite inlay sidewalk layout
  • Design the marker pedestal in conjunction with granite fabricator and Janus Research
  • Coordinate installation of granite inlay and marker pedestal

Links:

City of Tampa Public Art "Saga of St. Benedict School"

Spotlight Tampa video "Saga of St.Benedicts"
    


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