Customers arrived at the Valencia Garden Restaurant near campus on Wednesday only to find the entrance chained shut. On Thursday, President Ronald Vaughn announced in a Global Message that the university and another company had bought the property.
The property extends from Kennedy Boulevard on the south, Brevard Avenue on the east, North A Street on the north and North Boulevard on the west.
The university acquired approximately 57,760 square feet of the eastern portion of the tract, totaling approximately 130,000 square feet.
Eventually, the title for the property which the undisclosed purchasing partner holds will become UT’s.
The Global Message did not specify how UT would use the property but that it would address academic and other space needs currently and in the future.
“Development would be consistent with University design and use standards that have already taken place on campus and along the Kennedy Boulevard corridor,” the message said.
The Valencia Garden Restaurant has been the scene for many Tampa politicians and business people since it opened in 1927.
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