The alluring Tampa Bay Hotel

I'm not sure when I first saw the dazzling silver minarets of the the University of Tampa, but I knew immediately that I wanted a closer look. And even though the grand Victorian/Moorish masterpiece is just over an hour away from my doorstep, it took me an excruciatingly long time to finally get there. Located on the west side of the Hillsborough River, across from Tampa's downtown, the University of Tampa originated as the Tampa Bay Hotel built by Florida railroad baron Henry Plant.


My first experience with a Plant property was stumbling across the Pico Hotel in Sanford. While incredibly interesting, the Pico can't hold a candle to the the opulent Tampa Bay Hotel. Opened in 1891, the Tampa Bay Hotel was Plant's response to Henry Flagler's brilliant Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine. Tropical Splendor: An Architectural History of Florida describes the building's unique features this way:
"It had thirteen silver minarets, each topped with a crescent moon representing a month on the Islamic lunar calendar. Horeseshoe arches of wood with carved curlicues amid elaborate filigree work graced the wide piazza. Keyhole windows also abounded in this fanciful structure, modeled in part on the Alhambra Place in Granada Spain. It took two years to build...It cost over two million dollars to construct and another half-million to furnish."


Some other facts about the hotel's history include:
• 452 freight car loads of bricks were used in the building's construction
• The interior was decorated with 80 freight cars worth of period furnishing picked out by Plant and his wife in Europe
• Designed by architect J.A. Wood, the hotel was the most modern of its day with electric lighting, private baths, telephones and elevators
• Guest paid between $75 and $15 to stay in the hotel
• The hotel served as headquarters for the Spanish-American War in 1898, at which time one of its most famous occupants was Teddy Roosevelt
• In its 40 years operating as a hotel guests included Thomas Edison, Winston Churchill, Stephen Crane and Grover Cleveland among others
• After Plant's death in 1899 the hotel was sold to the City of Tampa for a mere $125,000
• The hotel closed in 1930 and remained shuttered for three years until Tampa Bay Junior College began using the space in 1933


In addition to housing the University of Tampa, the hotel currently is home to the Henry B. Plant Museum. Rooms are decorated with period furnishings, and they were decked out for the holidays when we visited. The museum has a wonderful video on the life of the hotel and also offers a well-stocked gift shop. After a leisurely stroll through the museum, we wandered through some of the public spaces of the University and reveled in the opulence of the interior's decor. In my honest opinion, the building and the grounds are some of the grandest in Florida. I cannot imagine why I took so long to get there. If you are interested in history or architecture, this is a must-see.

Historic images from the State Archives of Florida

The Safety Dance

Safety Harbor, a small Florida town located on the west side of Tampa Bay, has a familiar history. its location was originally home to indigenous people known as the Tocobaga Indians. The first European to set foot there was said to be Panifilo de Narvaez in 1528, followed shortly thereafter by De Soto in 1539. The first European to settle there was Frenchman Odette Philippe, who was also the first person to grow grapefruit in the Sunshine State and may have been responsible for launching Tampa's cigar-making industry as well.

My history with the sleepy little city near Clearwater began in 1999 when I attended a party to celebrate the end of the millennium at a fantastic house owned by local artists. When I returned almost ten years later, I discovered very little had changed (rare by Florida standards.) Although there is a new large commercial project at the end of Main Street by the spa, the town retains its old Florida charm and has a funky energy that really appeals to me. Main Street is lined with mom and pop restaurants and interesting shops, surrounded by modest houses on oak draped streets. My wife and I have friends who own a home there and are making the transition from a life in Orlando to living in Safety Harbor full time. After my latest visit, I can fully understand why.

Yard of the "Whimzy" or ""Bowling Ball" house, decked out for the year 2000

Original log cabin

Detail of Post Office mural

Philippe Park

Historical images from the State Archives of Florida

Historic Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island is a seven mile long piece of paradise just west of Bradenton Florida. Unless you are there at the time of year when snowbirds clog the island's roads and accommodations, then its more like hell. I was last there at Thanksgiving before the island was totally taken over by Midwesterners, and had very enjoyable stay.

The island was named after the queen of Spain by none other than Ponce de Leon and was first homesteaded by George Emerson Bean in 1892. His son, George Wilhelm Bean, partnered with Charles Roser to develop the island. Today almost every inch is developed and the property has become extremely pricey ( a small mid-century 2/1 would go for a million dollars before the collapse of the real estate market.)

My association with Anna Maria goes back a number of years, as relatives from Michigan have wintered there for many years. Just two and a half hours from Orlando, I'm always delighted to see how different the flora and fauna is from my home in the state's interior. Wild Parrots squawk loudly from enormous palms and Banyan and Ficus trees thrive in the climate. And despite the concentration of vacation homes and northerners, the place does have that delightful "island vibe" that one has to experience to understand. A 2005 New York Times piece about the island was entitled "Perfecting the Fine Art of Doing Nothing."

Vintage postcards from the State Archives of Florida

There are some wonderful mid-century structures on the island

The keepers of Anna Maria history have a small museum in a 1920s ice house. The quaint space has some great artifacts and the property includes the City Jail and a small cottage that originally sat at the end of the city pier until it fell into the bay in 1926. The jail has long been a photo op, and the museum was stocked with great ephemera and minutiae like the fact that after filming a movie on AMI, Esther Williams fell in love with the island and bought a house here.

Although I don't have a house here, I fell in love with the place a long time ago too.

1920's Ice House, now a museum

Example of kitschy museum display, this one featuring classic Floridiana

A pristine Anna Maria Island Beach

"Where Healing Waters Flow"

Black Friday was one of the best days of the year for me. It started in Anna Maria Island (future post), continued at the St. Pete Shuffle and ended at the historic Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. I don't think I've ever stayed at a spa before, but the rates were very affordable and the location is within walking distance of my friends' home. And did I mention that its historic?

According to the history published by the spa, the site contains five springs discovered by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1539. Reportedly De Soto thought he had discovered the famed Fountain of Youth and named the site Espiritu Santo Springs, or "Spring of the Holy Spirit."

Seminole War veteran William J. Bailey was the first American to own the springs in 1855 and by the start of the next century Safety Harbor was known as the "Health Giving City". In the 1920s James Tucker developed the springs further building the Safety Harbor Sanitorium, two pavilions and a hotel on the site. The five springs became categorized by the ailments they reportedly healed; they were the Beauty Springs (for healing skin problems), the Stomach Springs (for internal digestive issues), The Kidney Springs, the Liver Springs and the Pure Water Springs (delicious drinking water that was bottled.)

The first swimming pool for the spring water was built in the thirties under the direction of new owner Dr. Alben Jansik. Famous guests during this period included Houdini and drugstore barons F.W. Grant and Russ Kresge. A series of other owners further developed the property into a resort and full service spa in the mid-20th century. In 1964 it was recognized as a historical landmark by the US Department of the Interior.

As historical properties goes, this property seems very contemporary as the interior has undergone extensive renovation through the years. The lobby is very plush and when we checked in a loud rock band played from a club on the floor beneath us. The octagonal room that at one point had a spring directly beneath it, is now a fancy banquet room, complete with a hand painted mural overhead. Adjacent to that the History Hall with several large displays depicting the sites glorious past.

Our room was very comfortable and although we didn't have the opportunity to take advantage of the any of the Spa functions, I would like to try out some of the facilities on a future visit. On the day we were there, they offered spinning, water aerobics and Pilates classes plus Qi' Gong, T'ai Chi and Energy Medicine. There is a $16 resort amenity fee included in the cost of the room, but even with that additional expense I still thought the room rate was reasonable.