Henry B. Plant Museum / Plant Hall (Tampa, Florida)

 hotel, museum, Moorish Revival (architecture), NRHP - National Register of Historic Places, 1891_construction, U.S. National Historic Landmark

Railroad magnate Henry B. Plant built his grand Tampa Bay Hotel in the Moorish Revival style beginning in 1888 at a cost of over $2.5 million. The hotel, famous then as now for its multiple minarets, went on to host thousands of fashionable Victorian-era travelers and celebrities and helped to put the city of Tampa on the map. It also served as a base of operations for the US Military during the Spanish-American War, hosting Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. In 1972, the Tampa Bay Hotel building (the hotel itself closed in 1930) was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Today, the building is part of the University of Tampa and houses the Henry B. Plant Museum. Known as Plant Hall, it serves as UT's main academic and administrative building. Colleges located in Plant Hall include The College of Arts and Letters, The College of Social Sciences, Mathematics, and Education and, The College of Natural and Health Sciences as well as the Evening College and School For Continuing Studies. Other facilities located in Plant Hall include The Fletcher Lounge, The Grand Salon, Music Room, and UT's Post Office.