The Colonnade Closes To Make Room For Development

TAMPA, FL — A longstanding Tampa landmark is no more. The Colonnade Restaurant on Bayshore Boulevard served its last meals Tuesday.

The eatery, which boasted some of the best views of Hillsborough Bay, has been sold to make way for development, several media outlets have reported. Baston-Cook Development Co. and Ascentia Development Group reportedly have plans to use the property to create a waterfront condominium complex.

The Colonnade, 3401 Bayshore Blvd., opened its doors in 1935. Since then, the family owned venture became known for serving up fresh seafood and other fare. Famed for its large windows that provided an iconic view of the Bay, the establishment also served as the site for many banquets, family gatherings and special occasions through the years.

Richard Mullins of Tucker/Hall public relations, the restaurant’s spokesman, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

The Colonnade's owners did issue a statement:

“The Whiteside family would like to express our deep gratitude to our staff as well as our local customers we have served over the past 80 years,” a statement from Jack “Smokey” Whiteside and Richard “Dicky” Whiteside, published in The Tampa Tribune, stated. The members of the restaurant’s founding family further said selling was hard, but it “we felt the time had arrived to move on.”

How soon passersby might notice construction activity remains unclear. The proposed development is reportedly still in the planning phases.

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