The History of Tampa’s Plant Hall

Photo Credit: ut.edu

The University of Tampa (UT) is home to one of the oldest and most iconic Tampa treasures, Plant Hall. Plant hall was erected between 1888 and 1891 and was originally named the Tampa Bay Hotel. This hotel was a high-class resort for visitors from all over the world.

“The rooms that once hosted Teddy Roosevelt, the Queen of England, Booker T. Washington, Stephen Crane and Babe Ruth (who signed his first baseball contract in the hotel’s grand dining room) are now classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices–the heart of The University of Tampa and a landscape for state-of-the-art student learning environments.”

The Tampa Bay Hotel was constructed with unique Moorish designed minarets and was a huge technological and constructive advancement for its time. It has some of the first ever curved glass windows, as well as the first ever elevator in the state of Florida. The Tampa Bay Hotel is a historical landmark, housing its own museum and certificates.

“Local historians credit its builder, railroad and shipping magnate Henry B. Plant, with the transformation of Tampa from a sleepy fishing village to what would become a vibrant city of the 21st century.”

In 1931, The Tampa Bay Hotel was transformed into The University of Tampa, and the campus of the university has since grown tremendously.

Being a student at The University of Tampa, and a native of the area, I know that Plant Hall is an ICON in the area. This is a symbol of Tampa, where it came from, and where it is today.

At this time, the hundreds of rooms from the former Tampa Bay Hotel are now classrooms and offices for UT and its growing campus. Some of my favorite memories about having classes in Plant Hall is the fact that some, if not all rooms have a beautiful fireplace in them.

Plant Hall is the name of the building now that it is an official university facility. But it still holds all of the magic of the past, as it is kept up frequently. Plant Hall is iconic not only for Tampa residents, but for science, history, and individuals around the world.