The landscape of Tampa, Florida is changing dramatically. The city recently built a new subdivision just steps from the arena where the Tampa Bay Lightning play. In particular, there is a first five-star hotel, as well as the very first French brasserie in the city. And its design is signed by none other than Montrealer Zébulon Perron.
A priori, nothing destined Zébulon Perron to sign projects in Tampa, Florida. But chance would have it otherwise. And this one sometimes gets it right, because the West Florida town is in a frenzy, to the point where the Time Magazine included it in its 50 destinations of 2023, alongside places like Barcelona, Budapest or Mexico City1.
This makes it a particularly interesting place to work, says Zébulon Perron, known here for his designs of countless restaurants and bars. However, the Florida city had not particularly impressed him during his first visit, about fifteen years ago. “Tampa didn’t impress me that much at the time; she had even left me rather indifferent, ”he says, joined on the phone.
PHOTO ULTIMA_GAINA, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
The new Water Street Tampa neighborhood unfolds along the waterfront.
But the situation is quite different today, he is the first to agree. The region is experiencing strong growth, both demographic and economic, and this effervescence is leading to a movement of freshness. “We feel that there is an appetite for novelty, emphasizes Zébulon Perron. In this context, having a real brasserie like in any good international city is a bit symbolic of the changing status of the city and its new stature. »
PHOTO FROM WATER STREET TAMPA FACEBOOK PAGE
With this brand new neighborhood, Tampa rises to the cities to visit in 2023, according to the Time Magazineamong others.
The Boulon brewery is located on the main street of Water Street Tampa, this neighborhood built at the cost of billions of dollars, which has as many residences, offices as businesses. “It’s in the heart of a new neighborhood by the water. It’s quite impressive and it already looks inhabited, because they planted mature trees. »
PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE FACEBOOK PAGE OF BOULON BRASSERIE AND BAKERY
The front of the brewery is located on Old Water Street.
The brewery sits in an enviable spot on Old Water Street, with a long frontage that faces the street. The shop is surmounted by a large Art Deco style sign, inspired by the Odeon in New York, specifies the designer, who has also been to the Big Apple recently: he has just signed the design of a new restaurant in Chelsea.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, PRESS ARCHIVES
For Zébulon Perron, one project leads to another: it was by chance visiting the Marcus, in Montreal, that the investors of the Boulon brewery decided to hire him.
A touch of Montreal
When investors approached him for this project, they had no idea how much they were hitting the bull’s eye by seeking out Zébulon Perron. However, they had simply been seduced by his Marcus project, the restaurant at the Four Seasons Montreal hotel, when they were passing through the metropolis. “They told me they wanted to make a French brasserie. I replied, “I’m in my element, I know exactly what to do!” »
There is therefore a good touch from here in this new Florida establishment, concedes Zébulon Perron. “We are really in the spirit of Luc Laporte, the architect of several Montreal brasseries, including L’Express, Leméac and Lux, at the time. »
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PHOTO PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN, PROVIDED BY ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON
Inside the brasserie, you feel transported elsewhere, to Paris or New York.
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PHOTO PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN, PROVIDED BY ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON
All the decorative lights were designed in collaboration with the Montreal studio Lambert & Fils.
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PHOTO PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN, PROVIDED BY ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON
The aesthetics of the premises was largely inspired by several Montreal establishments, including L’Express.
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PHOTO PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN, PROVIDED BY ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON
The business has a long street frontage. It overlooks the main thoroughfare of the new Water Street Tampa subdivision.
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PHOTO PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN, PROVIDED BY ATELIER ZÉBULON PERRON
A bit everywhere in the design, we find hexagonal and octagonal shapes, which are reminiscent of that of a bolt.
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The designers have opted for a fairly minimalist layout, without too many ornaments, but which has the elegance and warmth of those places where you come to have a drink and eat a coq au vin, fries or a crème brûlée. .
“It’s also a very symmetrical layout, since we have a large facade on the street,” continues Zébulon Perron. Moreover, all the decorative lights were designed in collaboration with the Montreal company Lambert & Fils.
To top it off, Quebecer Vincent Lecavalier, who was captain of the Lightning, is one of the investors in the project.
The start of an adventure?
The change of scenery seems total for customers.
When I was there, people told me that they felt somewhere else than in Tampa; in New York or Paris, for example. And that is perhaps the greatest compliment anyone can give me. The designs that work are the ones that, when you walk through the door, transport you somewhere else. Here in Montreal, L’Express does it so well.
Zebulon Perron
Besides, the Time Magazine mentions in his article the Water Street district, as well as the brasserie and its delicious dish of snails… highlighting the work of Montreal designers by the band, but without writing their name!
It continues to bubble in Tampa, since a new restaurant of the same investors, Next Level Brands, opened its doors a few days ago, the Union New American. They again entrusted the design to Zébulon Perron’s workshop. And according to him, it’s not over: “I think this is the beginning, not the end, of our presence there,” he predicts.