Seminole Heights: bungalows, the historic district and your options

A neighborhood of bungalows

Seminole Heights lies north of downtown Tampa, along Florida Avenue and the Hillsborough River, and is usually described as three neighborhoods: Old Seminole Heights, South Seminole Heights and Southeast Seminole Heights. Its early growth came in the 1910s and 1920s, and the bungalow, with its low roof, deep front porch and tapered columns, is the house most people picture here. Later decades added frame cottages and block homes.

Is your house in the historic district?

The City of Tampa designated the Seminole Heights local historic district in 1995. It covers a large part of Old Seminole Heights, roughly between Hanna Avenue to the north, Osborne Avenue to the south, Florida Avenue and the I-275 area, plus a section east of the interstate between Henry and Hillsborough Avenues. The exact boundary is on the city's historic district map, and you should check your address there.

Inside the district, demolishing a building generally needs approval through the city's historic preservation review. Contributing historic homes are protected, and approval may not be given. Separately, Hampton Terrace, also in Old Seminole Heights, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Our page on historic districts and teardowns explains the difference between national listing and local designation. We are not attorneys, and the city has the final say.

What that means for you as a seller

If your house is a contributing building inside the district, we are not going to tell you it will be torn down. In many cases it can't be. What we can do:

• Buy it to be renovated. An older bungalow that needs everything still has value to a buyer who will restore it within the district's rules. We may buy it for that purpose and say so up front.
• Point you elsewhere. If your home is in good shape, listing it with an agent who knows the district may get you more. We will tell you that.

If your house is outside the district, or is a non-contributing building, a land-value purchase may be possible. That depends on zoning, lot size and the city's tree rules.

South and Southeast Seminole Heights

Much of South Seminole Heights and Southeast Seminole Heights is outside the local historic district, though not all, and boundaries matter block by block. These areas have a mix of bungalows, frame cottages and postwar block homes, many on narrow lots, and some long-time owners hold two lots under one house. Builders have been active in parts of greater Seminole Heights, and some older homes that fall outside the district are worth more as land. We look at each address on its own. If you have a small house on two lots, that is worth checking.

How we work

Tampa Teardown is run by 131 Cash Home Buyers, a St. Petersburg company that has bought more than 140 houses around Tampa Bay. We do one walkthrough and give you a written cash offer. No repairs, no commissions, and no clean-out: take what you want and leave the rest. We pay the normal closing costs and close at a licensed Florida title company. You choose the date, whether that is two weeks out or after the holidays when family can help you move.

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General information, not legal, tax or zoning advice. Every lot is different; local rules decide what can be built. Updated November 2026.