Grand Central Avenue, as the street was originally named, was the main artery for heavy westbound traffic emptying from downtown Tampa and points eastward during rush hour through the first half of the 20th century.

President John F. Kennedy visited Tampa on November 18, 1963, and his motorcade traveled about five miles down Grand Central Avenue through the center of the business district.

The following year, Grand Central Avenue was renamed in Kennedy's honor by the unanimous vote of Tampa City Council.

At the time, live remotes from multiple locations were a rarity for local stations and so that part of the motorcade was all of his visit that many Tampa Bay area residents could witness by television.

[citation needed] About the same time that Grand Central Avenue was renamed, a group of Tampa community activists headed by Robert Florio (the local Democratic Party Chairman) pooled resources to commission a life-sized statue of the slain President by a prominent Italian artist.