University of Tampa - Moroccan Yearbook (Tampa, FL)

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The Way We Were For several weeks during the Spanish American War, Theo- dore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders stayed at the University of Tampa. It wasn't a university then. It was one of the most lavish hotels in American history built by railroad and steamboat mag- nate Henry Bradley Plant in 1890 at the immodest cost of $3,500,000. If Teddy and his men could board a time capsule and return to the fabulous Florida resort today, they would stare in disbe- lief at college students raising beer steins in the Rathskeller where once crowned heads of Europe gathered for a nightcap. For the Rough Riders, a stroll along the second and third floor corridors would be an awesome experience. A series of 26 eth- nic theme classrooms furnished by University of Tampa patrons has replaced the elegant hotel suites of the past. Adding to the visitors’ bewilderment, march- ing band music often booms from the serene ballroom where aristocratic ladies in hoopskirts once dipped and swirled to sedate Viennese waltzes. Probably the most disarming revelation to a sightseer from the past is that Plant Hall, a: Tampa Bay Hotel has beer renamed, has remained func tional throughout most of her 81 years while keeping much of he original physical splendor intacl The Moorish influence of th decor has been preserved ir restoration of the lobby, ball room, Swed Corridor, Haze Ward Lounge (old hotel dininc room), Dome Room and even ir the ornately carved, wood-pan eled elevator, most of whict was done within the past si; years The Rathskeller recently has been refurbished to resem ble an old-fashioned English

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i History In connection with the Bicentennial year, countless numbers of people will renew the past to bring personal meaning to 1976. America’s 200th Anniversary will indeed instill a variety of emotions in each individual. In commemoration of the Bicentennial, we would like to reminisce with all of you about the legend of the Tampa Bay Hotel, developing later into the University of Tampa. In doing so. we promise you will be enlightened with an absorbing trip into the past. 17

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!. A view of the Tampa Bay Hotel from across the Hillsborough. Notice the railroad :ars in the foreground where Curtis Hixon hall now stands. 2. and 3. The Rathskeller. ast and present. pub. Outside the building, thirteen skyscraper Moorish minarets get regular coats of silver paint to keep them gleaming in the sunlight, indicating the heart of Tampa to travelers for miles around. When UT President B. D. Owens officially designated the University as Tampa's Landmark of Learning five years ago, administrators agreed the landmark should be visible 24 hours a day. The community has responded by contributing funds for lighting six of the larger minarets. Another historic landmark of the UT campus is the DeSoto Oak, which according to legend was the site of Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto’s treaty with the Indians. The DeSoto Oak was recently admitted to the prestigious Live Oak Society. Because of Plant Hall's colorful history, the building itself has been named to the National Registry of Historic Places. 19