The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 105 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 8,037 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 60 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.
When visiting campus, or perhaps taking a tour, the Henry B. Plant Museum is not to be missed. The 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel, now a National Historic Landmark, is home to the University and the Henry B. Plant Museum. During the 1880s, Henry Bradley Plant was building an empire of railroads, steamships and hotels. The museum transports you through educational exhibits and events to the late Victorian period, the beginning of Florida’s tourist industry, and the early years of the City. Learn the significance of the hotel during the early stages of the Spanish American War and how Tampa was thrust into the world arena in the summer of 1898.
At the entrance to the park is the “Henry Bradley Plant Memorial Fountain,” commissioned by Margaret Plant in 1899 after her husband’s death. The fountain title is Transportation, and reflects Mr. Plant’s system of trains and ships with carved representations of each on the sculpture. The fountain was carved from solid stone and is the oldest public art in the city of Tampa.
Interesting Fact: Seagrasses grow in shallow waters generally less than 6 feet deep in Tampa Bay. Unlike marsh grasses, seagrasses grow on the bay bottom and spend all or part of the time completely submerged under water. They are a critical barometer of the bay’s health because they require relatively clean water to flourish.
