Davis Islands · Tampa
Davis Islands houses, designed for the bay around them.
D. P. Davis built the islands from the bay in the 1920s, in Mediterranean Revival. A century later they hold original villas, mid-century houses and new waterfront homes. We design all of them in full.
Twenty-one listed buildings, not a district.
The Mediterranean Revival buildings of Davis Islands were listed on the National Register in 1989 as a group of twenty-one individual buildings, not as a district. Davis Islands is not one of Tampa’s local historic districts. Most owners have more freedom than they assume.
We check whether your address is one of the listed buildings or a local landmark before anything is drawn. Either way, the original language of the islands, with its arches, plaster and tile, is a strong place to start a design.
Plaster and stone · Material study
The flood rule comes before the floor plan.
Helene pushed surge across Davis Islands in September 2024, and many houses spent the following year in repair. The City of Tampa measures substantial improvement against 50% of the structure’s market value, land excluded, and has sent substantial-damage letters to homes in the flood hazard area.
So the design starts with the flood zone, the structure value and any letter you received. Below the flood elevation we specify finishes that recover from water; above it, the house can be as warm as any.
A second floor has one more check.
Davis Islands sits beside Peter O. Knight Airport, and the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s height zoning requires a permit for structures within its zones. For an addition or a second storey, we check the height limits for your parcel before the massing is drawn.
The work
Drawn first. Then built.
Primary bath · Completed
Kitchen · Design
Bedroom · Furnishings
Detail
Primary bath · Design
One core service, two ways to begin.
Full-Service Interior Design is our core service, for projects that need a developed design and the studio alongside you. Design Day and the Design Consultation are for decisions and direction. It all starts with a twenty-minute introductory call.
Is Davis Islands a historic district?
No. Twenty-one Mediterranean Revival buildings on the islands were listed individually on the National Register in 1989, and Davis Islands is not one of Tampa’s four local historic districts.
Is Tampa’s flood threshold 49% or 50%?
The City of Tampa uses 50% of the structure’s market value, land excluded.
Can I add a second floor near the airport?
Possibly. The Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s height zoning for Peter O. Knight Airport requires a permit for structures within its zones. We check your parcel before an addition is designed.
Where do we start?
With a twenty-minute introductory call to understand the project. From there we recommend Full-Service Interior Design, a Design Day or a Design Consultation, whichever fits.