Established in the early1970’s in the heart of Ybor City, the UPSTAIRS SOUTH became the center of the art movement in Ybor City. Roddy B. Reed, along with Rocky Kester and later, myself,  hosted monthly art exhibitions of sculpture, painting, ceramics, poetry, music and other creative endeavors.    From this modest space above RAUL VEGA’S store, a wave went out that encompassed most of the emerging art community in Tampa. A lot of great people came to exchange ideas and show the fruits of many a creative avatar. Speaking of great people.where the hell is Mary Lemley ?  Mary, if you are out there, show us a sign.......

Like all good things, civilisation reared its ugly head and smote the artists a terrible blow, turning Ybor into some weird-ass Florida tourist destination and the hallowed halls of the Upstairs South into a Neptunian bordello. A fire that never happened turned the building into what you see in the photo above.  The building has been listed in the National Registry of Historical Futility and plans are afoot to tear it down to make way for a Cuban Sandwich factory. I suppose the future creates its own past.

The UPSTAIRS SOUTH typifies what the modern world is all about.  If things are left alone long enough someone will discover it and the next thing you know the place is an Eden with turnstiles and an entrance fee.  So it goes. There are a lot of good stories about the place and I am content to let others tell them. As soon as my memory begins to deteriorate to an optimum level I just may create a few....

© 2001   G.Rexroad

Its all mine, I own it, you can’t reproduce it. 

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