Henry B. Plant Museum
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Tampa Bay Hotel
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| Location | 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, Florida  United States
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| Coordinates | 27°56′43.7″N 82°27′50.45″W / 27.945472°N 82.4640139°WCoordinates: 27°56′43.7″N 82°27′50.45″W / 27.945472°N 82.4640139°W |
| Area | 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) |
| Built | 1888–1891 |
| Architect | John A. Wood |
| Architectural style | Moorish Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 72000322 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 5, 1972 |
| Designated NHL | May 11, 1976 |
The Henry B. Plant Museum is located in the south wing of Plant Hall on the University of Tampa’s campus, at 401 West Kennedy Boulevard. Plant Hall was formerly known as the Tampa Bay Hotel, which was a 511 room resort hotel opened on February 5, 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. It was designed by architect J.A. Wood who also created the old Hillsborough County Courthouse and the Oglethorpe Hotel.
The museum is open to the public every day except Monday and major holidays. During the Christmas holiday season, the museum hosts the annual Victorian Christmas Stroll.
The entire building (under the title of Tampa Bay Hotel) is a U.S. National Historic Landmark, designated as such on December 5, 1972. On April 18, 2012, the AIA's Florida Chapter placed the building on its list of Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places.
The Tampa Bay Hotel was built by railroad magnate Henry B. Plant between 1888 and 1891. The construction cost over 3 million dollars. It was considered the premier hotel of the eight that Mr. Plant built to anchor his rail line. The hotel itself covers 6 acres (24,000 m2) and is a quarter-mile long. It was equipped with the first elevator ever installed in Florida. The elevator is still working today, making it one of the oldest continually operational elevators in the nation. The 511 rooms and suites were the first in Florida to have electric lights and telephones. Most rooms also included private bathrooms, complete with a full-size tub. The price for a room ranged from $5.00 to $15.00 a night at a time when the average hotel in Tampa charged $1.25 to $2.00. The poured-concrete, steel-reinforced structure of the building was advertised as fireproof.
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