While we don’t have an official rainbow row in Swan City, we do have plenty of colorful buildings. Join us for a brief tour of some of Lakeland’s best + brightest.

Clonts Building, 228 E. Pine St. | Photo via the LALtoday team

You’re looking at one of Lakeland’s first retail spaces, the Clonts Building. Built in 1903, the iconic building, known for its signature tower, has been home to a variety of businesses over nearly 120 years.

Pilot Bank Center, 439 S. Florida Ave. | Photo via the LALtoday team

Built in 2007, the Pilot Bank Center is a 3-story, 30,000-sqft office building on South Florida Avenue. Its bright pink + red exterior gives Lakelanders traveling north into Dixieland their first glimpse of many colorful buildings.

NOBAY, 270 E. Bay St. | Photo via the LALtoday team

One of downtown Lakeland’s newest builds is NOBAY, which houses residential + commercial spaces. Known for its industrial look and signature orange pops of color, NOBAY has become a focal point for Lakelanders.

Ruthven Building, 41 Lake Morton Dr. | Photo via the LALtoday team

Originally built for $15,000 in 1913 as the “Colonial Apartments,” this building was the first apartment building in Lakeland. It would later become a Florida Southern College dormitory, then a hotel known as “The Lakeshore Hotel.” Now, it’s recognized as The Ruthven Building, a collection of private offices.

Fun fact: if we made a “rainbow row” prior to the building’s remodel, it would’ve been an example of an orangey-pink structure. Check out the original coloring here.

Joe G. Tedder Tax Collector Building, 930 E. Parker St. | Photo via @twothirdsrochambeau

Can you name a more photogenic green building in the 863? The iconic Tax Collector building, known for its Art Deco facade and neon lights, was built in 1953 as a Publix supermarket. Later on, the Straughn-Trout architecture firm aided the Tax Collector’s Office in raising $1.8 million in construction funding from county + city funds to give the building new life, reminiscent of its former glory.

La Imperial Bakery, 830 E. Main St. | Photo via the LALtoday team

Built in 1958, this family-owned Puerto Rican cafe is a breakfast + lunch staple. The scratch kitchen boasts “comfort food with a Puerto Rican twist” and is most well known for its pastries and sandwiches.

Did we miss one of your favorite colorful buildings? Tell us about it.

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