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The extravagant Tampa Bay Hotel cost developers over $2 million to construct and almost $500,000 to furnish when it was completed in 1891.
French architect Anton Fiehe actually handpicked each palm tree and crafted benches to mimic those in New York’s Central Park. The opulent 500-room hotel was replete with a casino, flower conservatory and music room with an orchestra, and the property’s 150 acres were home to bears, monkeys and peacocks.
Today, some of the building and its grounds are part of the University of Tampa, while the Henry B. Plant Museum and Plant Park are open to the public.
– Eve Lederman, The Tampa Bay 100