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The Pirate Water Taxi docks in front of Armature Works' front lawn

Year 2: A Look Ahead for Armature Works

Armature Works was Tampa's surprise star of 2018, bringing over a million guests and breathing new life in to the sleepy neighborhood of Tampa Heights in just its first year. But the minds behind the development say that was only the start — just wait until year two.

Derek Herscovici by Derek Herscovici
April 17, 2019
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There was a reason things were kept under wraps. Where some would rush to share their excitement with the public, the vision the team behind Armature Works had was constantly evolving. Every concept was tested and vetted to the last detail. When the doors to the mixed-use venue finally opened, walking through its halls gave every impression of a singular experience — a bold declaration of Tampa’s future.

From left to right: Taryn Bruck (co-owner of Armature Works), Chas Bruck (co-owner of Armature Works, principal of SoHo Capital), Adam Harden (co-owner of Armature Works, principal of SoHo Capital)

“We never fully, truly ‘announced’ our project because we wanted to make sure, whatever we put out there, it was solid and set in stone,” says Taryn Bruck, co-owner and designer of Armature Works. “We went through many, many revisions after researching other markets and had a lot of people reach out to us once the word
got out, but we were very specific.”

The courtyard at Armature Works

Bruck, along with husband and SoHo Capital principal Chas Bruck, shared a vision of how a mixed-use building could serve as the cornerstone for what ultimately will encompass an entire quadrant of Tampa Heights. The building was a monumental undertaking in its own right, but as the epicenter for the property’s future, it constitutes only the first half of phase one.

By April 2019, when the Tampa Riverwalk will be extended to the bridge at North Boulevard, the property will feature a riverside pavilion bar with a 90-foot pier and kayak rentals, in addition to the new rooftop bar M.Bird, Bruck says. Taken with Armature Works and The Pearl apartment building next door, the developments will be a major step toward creating the live-work-play neighborhood the team has envisioned since day one.

The Bar at Armature Works

“We want to be a community-driven area. That’s always what we had talked about in creating this space,” Bruck says.

First built in 1910 to maintain Old Tampa’s trolley cars, the Armature Works had been shuttered for decades when the Brucks and SoHo Capital Principal Adam Harden began acquiring parcels of land around Tampa Heights, eventually amassing 43 acres along the Hillsborough River shoreline.

A small grocery area inside Armature Works sells produce, local coffees, condiments and more

When renovating the building, Bruck says the team was highly selective of every last detail, from using the original hardwood floors to determining where certain vendors’ stalls would be located, but the end product is an awe-inspiring look at modern Tampa’s potential.

The community’s response was equally staggering. In just one year, Armature Works has counted more than a million visitors, hosting over 100,000 people at 500 private events, 97 weddings and 135 marketing events — nearly half of which took place in a span of four months.

Seating inside the Heights Public Market encourages communal dining

“What continues to impress me the most is the constant reception that we’re getting from people,” says Armature Works president Frank Scalfaro. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday morning or a Friday night, I’m amazed by the diversity and that there’s always different groups of people out here.”

Scalfaro says he has a “Disney mentality” when it comes to running the facility; it’s kept immaculate, clean, safe and operating seamlessly. Maintaining services at a first-class rate is a 24-hour job, but he uses every opportunity to examine ways of improving.

“I love walking around and seeing people experiencing such an incredible variety of food options, kids playing checkers on the front lawn, music playing in the courtyard, and a bride walking to get married in the Theater. I think it’s all incredibly motivating,” Scalfaro says.

Sharing resources while adapting to the frenetic pace of Armature Works has been a challenge for vendors, but for Swami Juice co-owner Kim Dionisio, the camaraderie has more than made up for it.

Zukku Sushi at the Heights Public Market

“This has given us a chance to trade notes on what distributors we’re using, or sharing produce deliveries. That’s been key,” Dionisio says. “We’re all looking at ways to funnel our businesses into certain directions, so we’re all benefiting from it.”

As phase one closes and phase two begins, upkeep will involve more than the facility and its surrounding property.

Of the 43 acres currently being developed by SoHo Capital, Armature Works occupies a mere fraction of it, just over 3 acres in itself. The rest is slated to become an altogether new district of Tampa Heights, with plans  in the works to soon outfit the neighborhood with two hotels, an office park and a grocery store.

“The second phase is already being started,” says Bruck. “We know what we’re building around it — an office village, a hotel — but we’re [also] building the infrastructure that Armature will help sustain and activate while everything else is being built around it.”

The Armature Works team recycled as much of the building’s original materials as possible — but they had a century’s worth of dust and dirt to dig through first. Parts of the original roof are still in use, while the rest was converted to floorboards. The exterior brick is all original; the floor was raised about 18 inches to accommodate modern piping.

Taken with the rest of Downtown Tampa’s revitalization, the developments centering around Armature Works promise to redefine the future not only for the neighborhood, but for Tampa as a whole.

WHAT’S AT ARMATURE WORKS

Bay3
11,000 square feet of coworking space

Event Spaces
More than 35,000 square feet of space in eight locations

Steelbach
Full-service Southern-inspired chophouse with Florida-raised grass-fed beef

Oak & Ola
Full-service EuroAmerican restaurant with seasonal cuisine

Heights Public Market
Food hall with more than a dozen vendors:

Ichicoro Imoto
Ramen bowls

Union by Commune + Co.
Coffee, tea, draft beer and wine

BAR at Armature
Craft cocktails, wine and beer

A.W. Mercantile
General store with locally made goods

Butcher and Barbeque (BnB)
Barbecue, sandwiches

Graze 1910
Breakfast and brunch all day

Ava
Wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas

Swami Juice
Cold-pressed juices and acai bowls

Inside the Box
Sandwiches and salads with house-roasted meats

Cru Cellars
Wine bar with small plates

Astro Ice Cream
Design-your-own ice cream treats

Zukku Sushi
Sushi rolls and burritos and poke bowls

Hemingway’s
Modern Cuban cuisine

Empamamas
Empanadas and tacos

Soul Food Street Kitchen
Southern soul food

Tags: adam hardenarmature workschas bruckdowntown tampaheights public marketKim Dionisiosoho capitalswami juicetampa heightstaryn bruck
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