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Once a hotel and later the headquarters of the Longshoreman's Association, this historic building is now home to a variety of offices. 

This building dates back to 1889, when it was home to the Seminole Hotel and Cherokee Bar. Being located only two blocks from the city's busy port, one can imagine the kind of boisterous atmosphere of this building's early years. In 1910, the building was renovated and expanded to include its current brick facade. Following this renovation, the building became home to a grocer on the first floor and the hotel rooms were converted to office spaces. 

Seminole Hotel, 1889-1910

This tour blends history, art, and architecture with sixteen landmarks from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Highlights include the Plant Hotel, City Hall, the Tampa Theatre, Rivergate Tower, Kiley Gardens, and the location of several historic buildings, including early structures that have been lost to time, such as Fort Brooke, which was established by the military in the 1820s. 

Downtown Tampa

The Tampa Bay Hotel hotel was built in 1891 by Henry B Plant. His goal was to draw tourists to visit Florida and the Tampa Bay Hotel was the first a chain of resorts that would be built for this purpose. The hotel operated until 1932. It was then signed over to the University of Tampa and has been a multitude of businesses since then. But in 2011, Blake Casper decided to start transforming the property into what is now known as the Oxford Exchange. The Oxford Exchange is a two-part building that consists of a bookstore, shop, and uniquely designed tea room (that serves food as well). Casper got his inspiration for the Oxford Exchange from many different places in London. Each room inside is uniquely designed; the designs, structures, and every material were carefully thought out. A list of the main places of inspiration from London is included below:<ul><li>The Wolseley on Piccadilly, London</li><li>The Shaw Library at the London School of Economics</li><li>Andrew Martin, UK</li><li>Sir John Soane’s Museum</li><li>The Dining Halls at Oxford University</li><li>Napoleon House</li><li>Athenaeum Club</li><li>The Garrick Club</li></ul>Casper's goal was to create a place with an environment that people could meet, socialize, work in solitude, or simply pass a few moments outside of their hectic lives. He wanted a place for people to come and sit and talk or relax alone without the distraction of technology. On the opening day, Casper stated, "It is kind of a social experiment. It really is, we put a great deal of import in making this space. When you come in, you feel different and I think that changes who we are," he said. "It changes our outlook. It changes how we interact with each other and, I think, it ultimately changes the discussion in a good way."

The Oxford Exchange in Tampa was originally The Tampa Bay Hotel when it was built in 1891, and has been home to many different companies since then. After visiting London, Blake Casper, a Tampa businessman, fell in love with the style, architecture, and feel to the shops there. He eventually opened The Oxford Exchange in 2012 to recreate that atmosphere. The food, events, and goods all replicate this atmosphere and feeling as well.

Oxford Exchange

When Henry B. Plant brought the railroad to Tampa in 1884, he opened the door for many businesses to locate and flourish here. The railroad was at the center of the city's economy. From downtown, it ran to Port Tampa City where one could board a Plant Line steamship to Mobile, Jamaica, Cuba, or Bermuda.&nbsp; Investors were leery of building a hotel of the magnitude Plant envisioned, so Plant decided he would build it himself.The Tampa Bay Hotel opened in 1891 amid wide fanfare and celebration. The newspapers of the day described it as "brightly illuminated, filled with sumptuous decorations, thrilling music and graced with turrets, domes and minarets towering heavenward and glistening in the sun."&nbsp;This was "Plant's Palace." A spur of the rail line brought the train up to the west front entrance of the Hotel so guests could disembark and walk directly into the lobby.The Tampa Bay Hotel cost approximately $2,500,000 to build and $500,000 to furnish. Advertised as absolutely fireproof, due to the steel rails for reinforcement and concrete construction, it consisted of 511 rooms.&nbsp; Some accommodations were suites of three to seven rooms that provided a degree of luxury never before seen in Tampa. Most of the rooms had private baths and all had electricity and telephones.&nbsp;More on the Plant Museum/Tampa Bay Hotel by Clio author Daniel Newcomer:Back in 1880, Tampa Bay had a population of 720, whereas the entire downtown area was little more than an orange grove and the small community mostly survived on fishing and other endeavors. However, the calm and slow life of Tampa, marked by little contact with the outside world, was forever changed by the arrival of the railroad. Henry B. Plant, one of the most famous railroad men of the country, and at Tampa, Plant saw the terminus of his southern Florida railroad and the home of his line of steamships heading to Havana, Cuba.&nbsp;The first railroad arrived in Tampa in 1884, and in connection with his development of Port Tampa and his rail and steamship lines, Plant opened up trade throughout the state and into the Caribbean. In about 10 years, Tampa’s population grew from 720 to 15,000, and business and markets bloomed, especially that of the fishing industry. Nearby Ybor City also became one of the world’s leading cigar manufacturers.To encourage further tourism to the area and to accommodate the winter guests arriving in Tampa, Plant began building hotels along his rail lines. The Tampa Bay Hotel was to become his premier hotel in his chain of resorts, and even today, the building of the Tampa Bay Hotel is symbolic as the first pioneering effort into Florida’s resort business.&nbsp;Plant brought John A. Wood, a relatively unknown architect at the time from New York, to Tampa Bay to help develop the plans for his luxury resort. Built between 1888 and 1891, the Tampa Bay Hotel cost around $2 million (equivalent to about $52 million today) to construct.The completed hotel reflected Plant’s taste, and he was known for his eclectic styles. There were Crescent moon-topped, shining Byzantine minarets, circled by cantilever balconies. Each floor was graced with long, gothic windows and red woodwork. Keyhole arches and decorative verandas lined the building. The Hotel was over 900-feet long and contained over 500 rooms, most of which had their own baths, electricity, and telephones, all of which were luxury items at the time.&nbsp;While traveling Europe following the Paris Expo of 1889, Plant and his wife went on a shopping spree, spending an additional $500,000 to furnish the hotel with French furniture, cabinets from palaces in Spain, mirrors from Venice, redlined carpet from England, and so forth. Plant spared no expense in building a kingdom unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Florida’s first elevator was even featured in the lobby.&nbsp;On February 5th, 1891, the hotel officially opened with a massive party of 2,000 guests. The&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;called the hotel one of the grandest in the country, and Florida was touted by other newspapers as an exotic destination. The first season saw more than 4,000 guests, including much of America’s elite.&nbsp;<h4>The Spanish-American War</h4>Although the Tampa Bay Hotel met significant acclaim for its extravagance and beauty, it was actually the Spanish-American war that brought the Hotel into the international spotlight. Using his influence, Plant went to Washington D.C. to make Tampa, as well as the hotel, the center of operations for the war.&nbsp;Tampa soon became the official port of embarkation. At the outset of the war in 1898, Tampa was flooded with soldiers and all the necessary provisions, and the Tampa Bay Hotel was at the center of it all. Although soldiers (of which included Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders)&nbsp;camped out on the Hotel grounds as well as other parts of the city, the Tampa Bay Hotel housed army officers planning the war campaign. Also, the Hotel housed news correspondents, mercenaries, foreign military observers, and famous guests such as Clara Barton (founder of the Red Cross) and former Freedmen’s Bureau chief Oliver O. Howard.After the war, the hotel continued to prosper, but in 1899, Henry B. Plant died of a heart attack at 79 years of age. Unfortunately, Plant’s heirs had little interest in the hotel, and tourism began to wane. The Hotel sold to the city of Tampa in 1905 for a mere $125,000. However, the city embraced the hotel and Plant Park. The exposition hall at the Hotel was a social and meeting center for the city. Babe Ruth signed his first baseball contract at the Hotel, and in 1919, he hit his longest home run at nearby Plant Field.1&nbsp;

Plant Hall was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Hotel, which was a 500+ room resort hotel opened in 1891 by Henry B. Plant near the terminus of his rail line. The museum's exhibits focus on Gilded Age tourism, the elite lifestyle of the hotel's guests,and the building's use during the Spanish-American War. In 1972 it became a National Historic Landmark. 

Henry B. Plant Museum/Tampa Bay Hotel

Harry Wolf based the design of the building on the Fibonacci sequence, which is a mathematical pattern beginning with 0 and 1 and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. The grid-like placement of the towers 1,800 floor-to-ceiling windows reflects the sequence. They are also separated by horizontal concrete bands, which make them appear to be two separate windows. The tower is adjacent to the Kiley Plaza, which was designed by landscape architect Dan Kiley, who also used the Fibonacci sequence to create the plaza. Rivergate Tower is now sometimes referred to as the Sykes Building, as its principle tenant is now Sykes Enterprises. North Carolina National Bank was acquired by Nations Bank.The building's value declined significantly from that original $130 million price tag, being sold for $49.5 million in 2000. After that owner defaulted on loans in 2011, the building was acquired for only $22 million. In 2014, the building was sold for nearly $60 million, demonstrating the rebound of the real estate market. It was renovated and redesigned in the 2017 and now features modern amenities including state-of-the-art conference centers, a grab-and-go lounge, a fitness center, dry cleaners, a car wash, and a valet.

Built from 1986 to 1988 and opening as the headquarters of the North Carolina National Bank, this 454-foot tower is one of the tallest limestone buildings in the world. Architect Harry C. Wolf intended the building's shape to symbolize a lighthouse. However, critics believed that the building resembled a silo or beer can and as a result, it is commonly referred to as the "Beer Can Building." Despite this nickname, the tower remains a Tampa landmark and a fixture of the city's skyline. Wolf was awarded the National Honor Award in 1993 from the American Institute of Architects for the tower. He also designed the adjacent pair of six-story buildings collectively known as "The Cube," which housed the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts from 2006 to 2023.

Rivergate Tower

Kiley Gardens was built in 1988 at the same time that the tower and pavilions were built. Initially it was called NationsBank Plaza. As noted above, Kiley used math to design it. Specifically, he used the Fibonacci sequence which is a pattern that begins at zero and continues where each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. The public can access the plaza via steps on the north and east sides, and on the riverwalk on the west side. Originally, the area along Ashley Drive in front of one of the pavilions featured shallow pools and a 400-foot plexiglass bottomed canal (people could walk under it). This area is now used for parking. Water also used to flow in circular basins and channels.By the late 1990s, water leakage had damaged the plaza and substructure. The work to repair the site started in 2006 using plans developed by landscape architect Ron Sill. During the reconstruction process, the sabal palm trees and crepe myrtle trees were removed. It is hoped that they can be replanted and other improvements, such as restoring the water fountains, can be made as well. An organization called the Friends of Kiley Garden is working towards raising funds to fully restore the plaza.

Kiley Gardens is an open plaza that occupies the roof of a parking garage and creates a public green space adjacent to Rivergate Tower. It was the work of landscape architect Dan Kiley, who designed the courtroom where the Nuremberg Trials were held. Kiley is one of two landscape architects in the United State to have been honored with the National Medal of Arts. He used mathematical formulas to create a checkerboard of grass and concrete that comes as close as possible to mirroring the size and proportion of the window patterns of the adjacent 33-story tall Rivergate Tower and six-story pavilions.

Kiley Gardens

Curtis Hixon Hall was located in downtown Tampa. During its twenty-eight&nbsp;years of operating, it held indoor sporting events, concerts, gathering place for those located in the city of Tampa. It was named after mayor Curtis Hixon, who was in office from 1943 until his passing in 1956.&nbsp;The first concert, the 1950s Rock and Roll&nbsp;Revival, was held in 1970s. The hall could hold up to 7,600 people for each of its events. Following the completion of newer facilities in this area in the 1980s, fewer events were held at Curtis Hixon Hall. This park where the convention center once stood is now part of the Tampa Riverwalk which included Glazer Children’s Museum, Tampa Museum of Art, and Curtis Hixon’s Waterfront Park. Although the Curtis Hixon Hall no longer exists its location still serves its original purpose: to bring the people of the city of Tampa together. Many events (both large city events and small personal events) are held on the property.&nbsp;

Curtis Hixon Hall served as a sports arena, convention center, concert venue, and events center in downtown Tampa, Florida from 1965 to 1993. It was used to bring the people of Tampa together prior to the completion of newer facilities that led to the demolition of Curtis Nixon Hall. The park where the convention center was located was redesigned in 2010 and is now home to what is called The Tampa Riverwalk.

Curtis Hixon Hall (1965 to 1993)

The Tampa Museum of art was created in 1979 by the Tampa Museum Federation. The museum first opened beside the convention center at the convergence of the Hillsborough River and the Garrison Channel. In 2008 the original building was torn down to make way for the current facility, which was constructed in 2010. The 66,000 square-foot structure with its aluminum siding was designed by Stanley Saitowitz, the Principal of Natoma Architects Inc. in San Francisco. The building itself is a work of art with a display of LED lights along the outer walls of the building, an exhibit that is called Sky (Tampa).The museum has an enormous collection of ancient and modern art. Paintings and sculptures dating from the Ancient Roman world and the art studios of today fill the interior of the museum, along with a strong collection of photography from the 1980s. Other than art collections, the museum also has a rental facility, a cafe, and gift shop. As of 2023, the museum has plans to renovate and expand the building.

Founded in the 1970s, the Tampa Museum of Art, located in downtown Tampa Bay, features primarily ancient Greco-Roman, modern, and contemporary art. It hosts traveling exhibitions and offers changing exhibits of its permanent collection and educational programs throughout the year for people of all ages. The museum has been accredited by the American Association of Museums and is also designated as a Major Cultural Institution by Florida.

Tampa Museum of Art

The Glazer Children's Museum was created in 1986&nbsp;as part of an effort to bring a playful and&nbsp;informal type of&nbsp;education to the children of the Tampa Bay area. &nbsp;It was then called the Children's Museum of Tampa and&nbsp;first opened in the Floriland Mall, a shopping center that is now defunct, but soon expanded and had to move to another location. &nbsp;It set up shop again in a series of small buildings that had been built to serve as a small play village to teach children about safety. &nbsp;The new museum was called Kid City, and it stayed there until 2007, when it moved a third time and its name was changed to the Glazer Children's Museum. &nbsp; The children's museum now sits at its location in downtown Tampa, encouraging children to explore and learn creatively. &nbsp;There are several exhibits that children can have fun with. &nbsp;They can pretend to be boat captains on a small replica of a cruise ship, learn about the human body in a play hospital, take care of stuffed animals in a vet clinic, and eat snacks from different&nbsp;cultures in the "My House Your House" exhibit. &nbsp;Along with all of the exhibits, the museum also hosts many educational programs, including a movie night and an interactive thing on the science of ice cream.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Glazer Children's Museum is one largest children's museums in Florida and serves about two hundred thousand visitors every year.  It features over one hundred and fifty interactive activities focused on science, weather, art, communication & more for children under the age of twelve.  It also offers many educational programs and special events.  

Glazer Children's Museum

The Floridian Palace would reign as Tampa's tallest building for 40 years until Franklin Exchange building was completed in 1966. During WW2, the hotel's bar became the prime stop for airmen encamped in the nearby old Florida State Fairgrounds racetrack. Not only did airmen frequent the bar, but their B-17s daily flew over the hotel during take off/landing from Drew Field. Due to the rowdiness of the airmen, the bar was nicknamed, "The Surefire." Elvis Presley was guest in 1955 during his concert at the&nbsp;Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. Around the time the Franklin Exchange building was completed, the hotel began to decline as tourists sought more "modern" hotels. Soon it was closed down to all but long term renters. By the 1980s the only "residents" of the hotel transients. By 1989 another attempt was to reopen the hotel, yet the new mangers could not keep up with fire code standards, so the hotel was closed again.&nbsp; Until 2005 ownership of the hotel changed hands repeatedly, one being a Japanese company,&nbsp; Akio Ogawa and Sity International Inc. This company spent a lot of time and money to restore it, such efforts leading the hotel to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.&nbsp;Antonios Markopoulos bought the hotel for $6 million in 2005 and for the next 7 years restored the hotel and reopened in 2012.&nbsp; The current hotel maintains many original features of the hotel. The hotel had 400 small rooms during the 1940s. The rooms were expanded during the renovations into 213 larger rooms including 15 suites and 3 penthouse suites.The famous Crystal Dining Room has been restored and expanded across the west side of the lobby, connecting into the lobby bar, which was originally a ladies' lounge. The Dining Room, in addition to featuring traditional continental cuisine, also includes a wide selection of Mediterranean dishes, in homage to the hotel's Greek owner.The Sapphire Lounge on the first floor has likewise been restored, and a ballroom, housed in the former post office immediately adjacent to the Floridan, has been added, with plans to add a pool and spa in the future.

Originally called the "Hotel Floridian" and the "Floridian Hotel," this 1927 hotel was made by the collective genius of Tampa's own G.A. Miller and Francis J. Kennard, whose work can be seen all over Tampa today. With 19 floors, 316 rooms and elegant bar, this hotel cost $1.9 million to construct. Over the years, the hotel has changed hands and recently went through an extensive renovation. It reopened in 2012. It's famous sign was restored to its rightful place.  

Floridan Palace Hotel

Kress was on operation until the 1960s when the Genesco Inc. corporation bought out Kress and slowly liquidated Kress stores. This one in particular closed in 1981. In 1983 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places list. However, that designation has not saved the building from many plans that included demolishing it or renovating it as another store. By 1996 it was altogether abandoned and left to deteriorate. In 2006 until now, efforts were relaunched to figure out what to do with it. Since about 2010 though, it was been restored to most of its original state and rented out for many functions, including the 2012 Republican Convention. As of last year the buildings owner has out it on the market.&nbsp; Despite its uncertain future, the building still draws people over as it did almost a hundred years ago with its architecture and and colorful designs and eye catching roofline.&nbsp;

This S. H. Kress and Co. Building was one of a handful constructed in the state of Florida. This "five and dime" store was completed in 1929, but located elsewhere, as well as being the third building to serve the Kress empire. The first building was constructed in 1900 and located on Franklin Street. In 1927, Kress had a second store constructed in 1927 located on Florida Avenue. In 1929, that building was demolished and third and final building was completed that same year in the location it sits at today on another section of Franklin street. Abandoned by 1996, plans were made to demolish the building and its neighbors for condominiums, but was canceled. It is now back on the market for sale.  

S. H. Kress and Co. Building (Tampa, Florida)

The theatre was built in 1926 and was designed by renowned theater architect, John Eberson, who designed more than 500 theaters and earned the nickname "Opera House John." Paramount Studios financed the construction of the theatre. At the time, it was common for movie studios to provide such funding due to the monopoly they held on movie production. The theatre's biggest selling points when it opened, along with its fabulous and magical design, were the Wurlitzer pipe organ and the low ticket price (25 cents).In the 1950s, the invention of the television dealt a hard blow to the theatre, as audiences could now get film entertainment within their own homes. The mass movement of people to Tampa's suburbs in the 1960s also harmed many city businesses, including the theatre, and in 1973 it closed its the doors. The theatre faced the possibility of being demolished, but the people of Tampa rallied and convinced the city to buy it, therefore saving the old building. It reopened in 1977 and has been entertaining the citizens of Tampa ever since.The theater now hosts regular showings of popular new movies, as well as various film festivals showcasing modern and classic films. Performances by musicians and bands from a wide variety of genres also grace the theatre's stage. The theatre offers a 90-minute tour, known as the Balcony-To-Backstage Tour, of its facility on various dates throughout the year. The tour covers much of the theatre's history, as well as information on the architecture, pipe organ, and resident ghost stories. Bands and individuals that have performed at the theatre include, but not limited to: Glam Metal Band, Sleeze Beez, Arlo Guthrie and Old Crow Medicine Show.

Tampa Theatre is an opulent landmark of the movie palace area. Built in the 1920s, the exterior looks nondescript as any department store, save for the glowing marquee sign out front. However, the interior was designed in the "atmospheric" style, making the theatre elegant and enchanting. Surrounding the screen is a facade which, with its statues, balconies, and stucco roofing, was made to resemble an Italian courtyard. The ceiling above the seating area is done to look like a starry blue sky. The theatre is now on the National Register of Historic Places and offers guided tours of the balcony and stage.

Tampa Theatre

The former courthouse occupies an entire city block and was originally U-shaped before the east addition was built in 1931. Its Beaux-Arts design with Greek Revival elements makes it an impressive landmark befitting its civic functions. The main entrance features a large portico with four fluted Corinthian columns supporting an entablature etched with the words "United States of America." Other features include a balustrade along the perimeter of the roof, pilasters, and a rusticated marble band on the first floor. Inside, the hotel developers kept many of the building's original features including gold elevator doors, a post office desk, crown molding and terrazzo marble, a witness stand, wood paneling, hand-painted ceilings, and a gold eagle in the former courtroom.The 1931 addition completely occupies all space within the property lines at the rear of the building. In 1984 the property was converted for use as a federal courthouse and was occupied by the courts until 1998. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the building was transferred to the City of Tampa through the Historic Surplus Property Program in 2003. A developer entered into a long-term lease arrangement with the city and rehabilitated the property using historic tax credits. The hotel has served as a major catalyst for redevelopment in Tampa’s downtown core.

Constructed between 1902 and 1905, the former Tampa Federal Courthouse was designed under the guidance of James Knox Taylor, the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Department of Treasury. A Beaux Arts-style building reflecting the classic roots of early twentieth century architecture, the structure was originally built to house the post office and customs house for the growing city and port of Tampa. The building was transferred to the City of Tampa through the Historic Surplus Property Program in 2003. A developer entered into a long-term lease arrangement with the city and rehabilitated the property using historic tax credits. It opened as the Le Méridien Tampa hotel in 2014.

Tampa Federal Courthouse (Le Méridien Tampa Hotel)

Tampa has a long Catholic history that started when the Spanish arrived in the Tampa Bay area, but the first Catholic parish was not established in Hillsborough County until the 19th century. In 1859, a small church, named St. Louis Parish after King Louis IX of France, was built in the spot that the Sacred Heart Church stands today. The little church's early days were quite rough. A yellow fever epidemic in the late 1880s killed three pastors in one year, along with a good portion of the population of Tampa. After that the Jesuits, who had first introduced Catholicism to Florida's shore as missionaries in the 16th century, assumed control of the church. In 1905, due to the economic boom that Tampa was experiencing, the little St. Louis Parish church was demolished to make way for the much larger, granite and marble structure known as Sacred Heart Church.The Sacred Heart Church is now under the care of the Franciscan Order, who took over the church in 2005. The Romanesque-style architecture of the church's exterior is exquisite in and of itself, but the granite arches, oak pews, and seventy beautiful stained glass windows of the interior turn it into a marvel, blending religion with art. The church continues to serve the religious needs of the community as it did when it was built in the 1900s. Mass still occurs within its walls, as well baptisms, the eucharist, and other sacraments. They also have youth and adult groups, and a choir. There is also a gift shop inside the church, and historical tours are led by period-costumed volunteer docents during the holiday season.

This Romanesque church edifice was completed in 1905 for Tampa's Sacred Heart congregation. The congregation dates back to the 1850s and this location has been home to the church since the creation of a small frame church in 1859. That frame church was expanded in 1883. Following the arrival of the railroad a decade later, the city of Tampa was growing rapidly and the church's leadership began plans to build this grand structure with a ceremonial ground-breaking in 1898. Historical tours of the city of Tampa often include Sacred Heart Church.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Rev. R. A. Simpson established St. Andrew's in August 1871 under the direction of Bishop John Freeman Young, who became bishop of Florida around early 1868 and visited the Tampa area shortly thereafter. At that time, he presided over the first Episcopalian service in Tampa and it was held in the former Fort Brooke hospital. Apparently, many people attended and for most of them this was their first service. Bishop Young baptized one of them and confirmed five others. Rev. Simpson served as a missionary for two years and during that time presided over 11 funerals and baptized 22 people. St. Andrew's remained a small congregation but membership did rise from 6 to 12 people.It wasn't until 1876 that the congregation was able to purchase a building on Marion Street to be its first house of worship. As noted above, it later built the first St. Andrew's church in 1883. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style and was expanded in the coming years. In the early 1890s, St. Andrew's added the north transept, tower and study. It installed four bells in the tower as well. St. Andrew's construction occurred during a period of growth in Tampa, which accelerated after 1885. That year, Spanish-born cigar manufacture Vicente Martinex-Ybor moved his operations from Key West and Cuba to Tampa. He also persuaded other cigar makers to do the same. This brought an influx of immigrants to Tampa, most of whom were Catholic. They settled on land that Martinez-Ybor had purchased and they created a community near downtown called Ybor City. By 1887, the population in Tampa grew to 5,000 residents. Construction of the present St. Andrew's Church began in 1904. When it was finished in 1907, the congregation had grown to 285 members. During the Great Depression, the church suffered mightily. It accrued tens of thousands in debt and owed thousands more in interest payments, and the congregation decreased by 169 people. However, through hard work the congregation raised enough funds to keep the church afloat. During the next couple of decades, St. Andrew's recovered and grew once more. By 1962, the congregation grew to 1,000 members. As of 2023, there are 1,162 members.

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church was completed in 1907 and replaced the congregation's wood frame church which had stood at this location since 1883. The design of this church incorporated some of the features of the previous church, as local architects Michael J. Miller and Francis J. Kennard found ways to blend the original church's stained glass windows and interior features with the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture they used in building this structure. Saint Andrew's was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church

Prior to the construction of the building, this was the location of a home owned by pioneer merchant Imboden Stalnaker that was built in 1842. He bought it in 1914 but it soon came under threat of demolition to make way for the new city hall. Stalnaker used the proceeds of the property sale to move the house to 3210 8th Ave where it remains today; it is the oldest home in Tampa. The city hired noted architecture firm Bonfoey and Elliot, which designed other buildings in downtown Tampa including the YMCA and the Masonic Temple. City Hall is considered the firm's finest work. It has been likened to a layer cake given its distinctive design.The clock in the central tower, which was named "Hortense the Beautiful," was not part of the original design. Funding for the clock was made possible by a donation drive led by daughter of a prominent doctor, who formed a group called "Ye Town Criers" to raise money for it. They did not collect enough but a local jewelry company donated the rest of the money.

Constructed in 1915 and expanded to include an annex in 1916, this ten-story building features a central tower composed of seven stories that extend from the three-story base. The structure features an eclectic design incorporating elements of the Renaissance Revival, Beaux-Arts, and Commercial architectural styles. The entrance is flanked by Doric columns, while the poured concrete structure is covered by masonry, stone, and terra cotta exterior features. City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Tampa City Hall

The fort's origins dates to the signing of the Treaty of Moultrie Creek between the federal government and the Seminole Indians (the United States had acquired Florida from Spain in 1821 as part of the Adams-Onís Treaty). The Seminoles agreed to relocate to a four-million acre reservation in central Florida and come under the protection of the government, which promised to provide the Seminoles with livestock, farming tools, enough food for a year, crop seeds, and an annual payment of $5,000 for 20 years. The Seminoles also agreed to the government to build roads in the reservation and capture escaped slaves. Fort Brooke was established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River. At the time, the bay region was often visited by pirates, runaway slaves, and smugglers. There were also Spanish settlers who lived in camps called "fishing ranchos." Secretary of War John C. Calhoun ordered the construction of the fort under the direction of Colonel James Gadsen. Colonel Gadsen saw the fort as a necessary show of power to the Native Americans as well as a place to stage troops and demonstrate the commitment of the United States to maintaining control of the area after the purchase of Florida from Spain. In late 1823, the army deployed troops to the area and construction of the fort began.Fort Brooke was one of the frontline defenses of Tampa and the western Florida coast during the three Seminole Wars, of which the fort was attacked by the Seminoles on at least one occasion. Fort Brooke is most famous for the Battle of Fort Brooke, which took place in October of 1863. Two Union ships attacked the fort not to capture it but instead to tie up Confederate defenders while Union landed troops at at Ballast Point and captured other ships located upriver from the fort. A year later Union forces captured both the fort and Tampa. As Tampa languished during the post-war years, so too did the fort. The fort was decommissioned in 1883.

Built in 1823-1824, Fort Brooke was established to secure American control of the region, which had previously been inhabited by Seminole Indians. The site is now occupied by the city's convention center and arena district. A historical marker commemorating the fort stands adjacent to the center's parking garage.

Fort Brooke, 1823-1883

One of the oldest buildings in an area where most of the original structures have been replaced, this building was designed to last. The owner sold heavy equipment to owners and operators of sailing vessels, so he designed a structure with load bearing brick and granite slab foundations. The building was later the home of the Canon Music Company, who valued the building design as a purveyor of pianos. The building is now home to Hattricks Bar and Grill. 

Downtown Tampa

Seminole Hotel, 1889-1910

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