The Spanish American War of 1898 was a brief but significant conflict that saw the United States take on the Spanish Empire. During this time, the army established seven camps in the Tampa Bay area and converted the Tampa Bay Hotel into a residence for officers. These officers used the hotel to devise their strategies against the Spanish forces. Notable visitors to the hotel during this time included Sarah Bernhardt, Clara Barton, Stephen Crane, the Queen of the United Kingdom, the Prince of Wales, Winston Churchill and Ignacy Paderewski. The Tampa Bay Hotel was equipped with the first elevator installed in Florida, and it is still operational today.
The hotel has six minarets, four domes and three domes that extend over five floors, all adorned with ornate Victorian gingerbread. In addition to serving as a residence for officers during the war, it also served as a place of entertainment for guests. Single-character performances were held to transport visitors to the past and talk about their experiences at the hotel. In the months before the invasion of Cuba, Henry Plant exchanged letters with Secretary of War Russell Alger requesting defense of Tampa in case of war. After the explosion of the battleship Maine in Havana Bay on February 15th and subsequent declaration of war by Congress and President McKinley on April 28th, Tampa became a point of embarkation for U.
S. troops. On July 1st 1898, Theodore Roosevelt and his comrades in arms intervened in the Battle of Loma de San Juan, largely possible thanks to Roosevelt's work as a writer. The Great Depression severely restricted tourism and caused the Tampa Bay Hotel to close its doors in 1930. In August 1933, Tampa Junior College was granted permission to move to the hotel and use its rooms as classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices.
This college eventually became the University of Tampa and has been headquartered at the hotel ever since. Today, Plant Museum participates in Tampa's celebration of Fourth Friday by promoting cultural spaces offering free entertainment on its Veranda from 5pm to 7pm from January to October. Music in the Museum is a live classical music show for violin, harp or guitar that takes place on the third Thursday of every month at 11am to commemorate live music that was part of both the Tampa Bay Hotel and its guests. The Tampa Bay Hotel is an iconic landmark that played an important role in American history during the Spanish American War. It served as a residence for officers who were strategizing against Spanish forces and also provided entertainment for guests. The hotel has been preserved over time and is still operational today.
It is now home to Plant Museum which hosts events such as Fourth Friday and Music in the Museum.
