Sitting in the MacDill Avenue waiting room invoked a bit of irony as I pondered how many people actually look forward to a dentist visit. Surely the exception, I was eager, yet relaxed in a chair where many before had likely squirmed in anticipation of a scheduled root canal or soon-to-be identified cavity.
“The doctor is ready for you,” was called out gently from (what my perspective seemed) a floating, yet pleasant face and neck hovering inches above the receptionist’s counter-top.
The announcement sparked a second flash of irony, which faded as I mimicked the man in blue scrubs who had stepped into the doorway; smile on his face and greeting hand extended.
After a shake and exchange of niceties, we took a short walk – bypassing the drills and spit cups – finally sitting down at opposite sides of a modest desk in an office more suited for paper pushing than tarter scrapings.
For the appointment I made was not one of necessity, but one of leisure. And I did not sit before Dr. Castellano, I sat with Sebastian, third-generation resident of Tampa’s Urban Corridor (UC).
Riverside Heights
Sebastian looks as if he’s your average, everyday Joe. Medium height, medium build and medium–gray curly hair. He’s as quick to discuss biting Tampa politics as he is to weave a yarn about the benign, such as the quirks he encountered while attempting to repair the family lawnmower; a machine that’s crossed generations and has been with the family for 30 years.
He uses the heirloom to cut his own yard at his home in Tampa’s Riverside Heights, a quaint, picturesque neighborhood within the UC that is lined with red brick streets, canopied by sprawling oaks and dotted with tranquil parks.
As its name suggests, Riverside Heights rests on the bank of the mighty Hillsborough River. Its borders meander north to Columbus Drive, east to North Boulevard and south to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“We still call it Buffalo,” said Sebastian, hinting at the difficulty long-time Tampanians have encountered while trying to get used to the avenue’s 1989 name change to MLK.
Within these borders are 1,400 charming homes, many of which are over 50 years old. But conceding to the power of the area’s history and cosmetic allure, Sebastian offered an additional reason for living in the UC.
“It’s a perfect location and it’s close to everything Tampa has to offer,” he said. “We’re in the center of Tampa – a 10 minute drive from everywhere.”
But his big house on the river was not always considered close to everywhere; nor was he the first Castellano to reside in it.
Back in 1957, when Tampa’s population was a measly 124,681 and the University of South Florida (USF) was just one year old, Paul and Rose Castellano settled on the little riverfront plot of land in what was then a suburb of Tampa. On it, the couple had a modest 1,500 sq-ft ranch-style home built.
Rose was a social worker for the Tampa Housing Authority, while Paul owned and operated Paul’s Auto Alignment at 1205 E. Jackson St. in Tampa’s downtown area. (It’s still there today and operated by Sebastian’s brother, Nelson.)
Over the years, the Castellanos expanded their house and their household. By the time the couple had given birth to their two sons and two daughters, JoAnna and Paula, the four bedroom, three bathroom estate had doubled in size.
The Next Generation(s)
Sebastian reflected on a happy childhood. A time where he played with friends, went to church and swung a little league baseball bat at Ken Suarez Clearfield Field. He progressively went to school at St. Lawrence Catholic, B.C. Graham Elementary, George Washington Junior High; finally attending Tampa Catholic High, where – together with three schoolmates – he forged a band that he still performs with today (see Leader of the Plaque).
“But it was after high school when I met Lisa,” Sebastian said as he fondly spoke of his wife of 21 years. “Well, I should say re-met. The first time we actually met was in class at St. Lawrence.”
Sebastian eventually married his kindergarten classmate, a Tampa-native, raised in the Westshore area. After attending USF, Sebastian and his new bride moved to Milwaukee so that he could pursue his DDS degree from Marquette University.
Upon graduating in 1990, the couple quickly moved back to the city they loved and in with Sebastian’s parents at his childhood home. Soon after, he opened a practice in a rented space at 304 S. MacDill Ave., a building that was and is owned by his cousin Nelson D. Castellano, MD.
Today, Sebastian owns an office building right next door at 302 S. MacDill Ave. – the same place I sat that late Monday for our face-to-face. Although we were south of Kennedy Boulevard, he revealed that due to his family’s connections, most of his patients live in the UC.
“Success in the dental business is largely dependent on word-of-mouth referrals,” he said. “We’ve been here since my great grandparents moved from Sicily to Ybor City over a century ago, where they took jobs in the cigar industry. So luckily, the Tampa Castellanos are pretty well-known.”
Sebastian and Lisa are now filling the shoes of their ancestors and continuing the 100-year Castellano legacy with children of their own: Anna (14) and Vincent (11).
“And in 2005 we remodeled the house, just to bring it up-to-date,” he said. “We plan on living there another 50 years and hope one of our children, once grown, will do the same.”
Looking Back. Looking Forward.
Sebastian exuded true compassion for his neighborhood, as well as his neighbors (including his brother and sister, Paula, who both live within five blocks of him). He made a point to then explain how many other people nestled in the homes along the area’s brick streets are similar to his family; the second generations to live there.
“[Riverside Heights] families don’t leave,” he said. “This shows their confidence in the neighborhood and that they enjoy their location and its amenities.”
Even so, Sebastian can remember back in the 1980s when there was reason to feel otherwise. That was a decade when drugs and prostitution plagued the area.
Thankfully, those days are far in the past and Riverside Heights, along with downtown Tampa and the entire UC, has undergone a surge of revitalization; spurred by people sharing a love of Tampa’s history and desire to escape suburbia.
“But our business districts could use some additional help,” he admitted. “They are viewed as the gateways into our neighborhoods, but often lack aesthetic appeal.”
He pointed out that many UC businesses appear dilapidated, while their owners have gotten free passes from the local government. Citations and fines levied for code violations (i.e., disrepair, improper maintenance, etc.) are often ignored by these owners and unenforced by Tampa.
“The lack of action from both sides discourages commerce, as our main roads can appear uninviting,” he said solemnly. “People visiting the UC rarely notice that a quick turn down any side street will reveal beautiful, well cared for homes.”
And in these homes are over 90,000 people ready and willing to spend money to support local, community-serving business; just as they have newly opened Bungalow Bistro of Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights’ Café Hey.
Sebastian hopes to see a reduction in bureaucratic road blocks and an increase in financial incentives for new UC businesses. He’d also like the city to put an emphasis on the history of neighborhoods surrounding downtown, as well as their proximity to it. Last but not least, he encourages the development and implementation of a realistic mass transit solution (which has been called “inevitable” by Tampa’s top traffic engineers).
He then tipped his hat to the momentum created by ongoing revitalization efforts, asserting confidence that Tampa City Council will soon increase its support of the UC’s renaissance.
The shift in the private-sector is already in progress, as indicated by Sangria’s Tapas Bar’s and Acropolis Taverna’s moves to join in the success of Starbuck’s Hillsborough Avenue location. The chain coffeehouse, which opened in 2006, now serves locals 24-hours a day and is reported to be one of the most profitable locations in the country.
And a boost from the City Council may be on the horizon; especially if Tampa Councilwoman Mary Mulhern is successful in her neighborhood-backed endeavor to two-way the business-crippling one-way sections of Tampa Street and Florida Avenue, the area’s major traffic thoroughfares.
“These are exciting times for the neighborhoods where four generations of my family have lived,” said Sebastian with bright eyes and knowing grin. “And as great as these areas have been to the Castellanos, the best times lie ahead — for all of us.”