Tampa Bay Rays pitcher in action

You can't blame me if the artist didn't capture a strong likeness of him. I only took a photograph of the mural. The uniform looks sharp, the arm's back just right, the teeth are extremely sharp (and white) and there's a determined look in the eyes. It's got to be a winning pitch.

MONOCHROME: Why did the sea gull miss the taxi?

The gull probably missed the Tampa River Taxi because he was eyeing some fresh fish swimming by and wasn't even at the right dock. Bird-brain. Maybe he thought the boat was filled with anglers and by just standing tall and looking good they'd toss him a bite, slow and let him hop aboard. Whatever his excuse, he's reduced to watching them leisurely cruise by and head up the Hillsborough River. It's more likely he imagined it was the African Queen motoring by and he'd already seen the movie and wanted no part of the squabbling that lay ahead. (He might have been eaten in the exchange...or fed into the engine for fuel!)

Visit the world of incredible photographic artistry recorded in black, white and grays at Monochrome Maniacs!

No Points for Second Place

The Rutgers University crew team, 2008, left their tag on the wall just under Kiley Gardens in Tampa's downtown. The artwork left by the teams is intended more for opposing college and university rowing teams then for us so they may at times be somewhat cryptic. RU is Rutgers, but No Points for Second Place is pretty clear, even to the passengers on this passing boat on the river. Many of these I just cannot figure out but I don't think they care; that's not the point. Like it or not, the effort that went into completing this red, white and blue design, and careful lettering, had to have been a well-orchestrated team effort...how do the teams always end up with a right-brain artist crewing with them that can create these mural? And, I always ask, when do they do them that no one ever sees them at work?

Skywatch Friday: Season 4, Episode 7

I actually had to wait several hours this afternoon for an actual sky to appear. Although dark and threatening storm clouds would have been great, it was a gray blank canvas. It was dark, totally overcast, and raining off and on for hours. After the storm and gray clouds moved away, giant white clouds began to fill the sky and the blue reappeared. It's a glorious evening in Tampa. This scene is of Marjorie Yacht Basin on Davis Islands.


Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show.

Law and a Box Truck: Tampa's Second Empire Architecture

I recently posted two examples of architectural styles that can be found in the Hyde Park Historic District. Prairie School style, made famous by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, was selected for the Leiman House on South Newport, built in 1916. Just down the street toward Hillsborough Bay is the Morrison House, a late 19th-century Italianate Revival design, the oldest home in the district, built in 1879. Both are real architectural treasures in the district. This house, boldly emblazoned on the side of a box truck, is the Hutchinson House, listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Built by Currie Hutchinson in 1908, it is an excellent example of Second Empire Revival style architecture. Renovated in 1976, it has served several owners and uses over its lifetime and at one time was even a fraternity house for students of the nearby University of Tampa. It was sold for office use and today is home to a law firm. The truck sits in their parking lot, right up close to the busy intersection of Platt Street and Plant Avenue. Theirs is not the only law firm in Tampa to utilize big box trucks for rolling (or stationary) billboards, but this is the only one that put a piece of Tampa's architectural history and heritage to work as a marketing tool. The house might as well be walking up and down the street dangling sandwich boards from its brick fireplaces and shouting the name of the firm to passing motorists.

It seems like an odd way to recognize and celebrate the architectural jewel that serves as one's offices, but I guess some in the legal profession need more then just reputation and referrals. And if the box truck doesn't work, they could always buy a 16-wheeled semi and emblazon it with the house and Second Empire furniture. Yep, that's probably the next tactical step in the marketing plan. I took a photo of the house itself so you can compare the two. The house must have been a real eye-stopper in it heyday. If you like the period mansard roof, then the design is spectacular. (Yes, the version of the house on the side of the truck does has every light on and the landscaping is a bit better.)

Your Empty Bench Awaits

It cannot get any more inviting then this bench sirring empty alongside this peaceful stretch of the Hillsborough River. Up a ways for the office towers, traffic and seawalls of the downtown area, this spot is quiet and relaxing. It really is as nice here as it appears. The afternoon air is a bit hot (and humid) but an rain shower might come to cool things off. Maybe.

Railroad bridge or work of great modern art?

The Cass Street Bridge, 500 feet in length and built in 1926 at a cost of $400,000, was added as a river crossing to relieve some traffic on the Lafayette, later named, Kennedy Street Bridge. It connected Tampa’s main downtown with West Tampa. It is closed for 8-months for structural repairs and should reopen in October. (After state inspection it was found to be “structurally deficient.”) The railroad bridge, which is shown in the open position, sits beside the Cass Street Bridge; it was constructed in 1915. The bridge allowed railcars to travel south from Tampa’s downtown area, across the Hillsborough River, to Port Tampa. The street and bridge were named for General Lewis Cass. As interesting as a railroad bridge may be, the man who the street was named for is far more interesting if you love history. Until I took this shot I had no idea who Cass was. Born in 1782, during our struggle for independence from England, Cass served as a military officer, governor of the Michigan territory, United States Senator representing the state of Michigan, Secretary of War under President Andrew Jackson, and Ambassador to France. My guess is the street was named for him because of his post as secretary of war and the Indian Removal policy that was a major issue at that time. He ran for president on the Democrat party ticket in 1848, but lost the election to Zachary Taylor. From 1857 until 1860, when Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, he served as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan. He died in 1866.

The bridge, named for such an accomplished politician and statesman, has acquired a brilliant, unusual and un-statesmanlike patina. I think much of the color and decoration has been added over the years by our illustrious university and college crew teams who row up and down this stretch of the river in their skulls. I featured the Laurel Street Bridge on June 23 that showcased some of their wild and extremely colorful and creative crew art. The Laurel Street and Cass Street Bridges, and this railroad bridge, are all listed as Historic Bridges of the United States.

This bridge is called the ACL Bridge because it was built to carry the trains of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad. For bridge engineering fans out there, it is a “truss bascule” design; as we less educated should know, that refers to the large, weighted portion raised up on the right side (that looks to be a very large canvas and amazing work of modern art.) These giant weights act as a counterweight to the bridge span and continuously balance it as it is raised to allow boats to go through. (Bascule is French for seesaw and balance.) According to the bridge design sites, this is the most common type of movable bridge. The Laurel Street Bridge, just up the river from Cass Street, is also a bascule design.

If any of you are movie fans, and are real good at your trivia, the 2004 movie “The Punisher” was filmed in Tampa. It starred John Travolta, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Roy Scheider and Thomas Jane as the Punisher. Part of the car chase scenes were filmed on the Cass Street Bridge.

As construction of the new Tampa Museum of Art nears completion, it’s fitting that a modern masterpiece – the sides of the counterweights for the bridge - might be within a few yards of the blank exhibit walls of the new museum. I wonder if they have contemplated featuring them in a show. It could be quite a blockbuster. (Or at least it would certainly be talked about.)

Tampa' Downtown from the banks of the Hillsborough River

This is the view of Tampa's downtown looking south across the Hillsborough River from Plant Park toward the Kennedy Street Bridge (originally the Lafayette Street Bridge).

Monochrome Weekly: Shrouded in Moss

A canopy of ancient oaks entangled with moss silently shroud the crumbling walls and stones of Oaklawn Cemetery, Tampa's oldest burial ground.

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Homes of Tampa's Hyde Park: Leiman House in the Prairie School Style of Architecture

Hilda, one of my loyal followers, has a wonderful blog, My Manila, all about her spectacular country, the Philippines. (You must visit her!) She read my post yesterday at Tampa Florida Photo about Tampa's Hyde Park neighborhood, a U.S. National Historic District. I showed a night view of the fountain and shopping district, Hyde Park Village, and mentioned some of the nice restaurants nearby. Hilda suggested showing some of the homes that I mentioned, that include a wide variety of architectural styles. The 860 acre district includes 1,695 structures built between 1879-1933. The oldest and best preserved of Tampa's early neighborhoods, it is a fascinating and even eclectic mix of homes, shops, schools, churches and even apartment buildings.

It's tough to decide, but I think this is my favorite of all of the homes. The Henry Leiman House - many of the homes retain the names of either their first owners or the name that is most closely associated with ownership - is an outstanding example of the Prairie School style of architecture made famous by Frank Lloyd Wright. The home was built in 1916 and was designed by architect M. Leo Elliott. Located at 716 South Newport Avenue, at the corner with West Inman Avenue, it is an imposing structure incorporating all of the elements most closely associated with the Prairie School. Wright's style was said to be a " horizontal extension of the prairie, an integration of building and site, with cantilevered eaves and terraces with planters flowed into open spaces centered about massive fireplaces. Horizontal bands of windows, contrasting horizontal trim, low roof pitch, and geometric details were distinctive features."

Mr. Leiman, who entertained often in the home, was the owner of Tampa Cigar Box Company, a necessary and very lucrative enterprise when Tampa's factories were making tens of millions of cigars each year and shipping them in boxes throughout the world. He cultivated and used trees from his own acreage in Ybor City and on the Hillsborough River to manufacture the boxes. The house shows just how well Mr. Leiman could afford to live. The house is two stories, stucco over frame construction, with almost 6,000 square feet of space. Walls cover and enclose the raised front terrace patio. The closeup above left shows the main entrance into the terrace and a trompe l'oeil mural on the wall. (Note the fountain and the dog peeking out at guests who enter.)


Over the next several days I will post more homes here and at Tampa Florida Photo. (I hope the skies will cooperate and go back to their typical blinding clear blue.) My next post at TFP will feature the Morrison House, built in 1879, the oldest house in Hyde Park.

Go to Tampa Florida Photo HERE to see the oldest home in Hyde Park, the Morrison Home.

Skywatch Friday #58

Nope, the rain never came. Looking at these dark and ominous clouds, it seemed like a sure bet that we were in for a real heavy downpour.

The scene is of Old Water Street in Tampa's downtown. When Tampa was first laid out and platted by John Jackson in 1847, this street was named Water Street. It was the southernmost street in small town Tampa and ran along the water, today’s Garrison Channel. Over the years, from our city’s earliest days, as Tampa grew from a small military outpost, Fort Brooke, to the present day, many different businesses have occupied this land. Because of its location, cargo shipping terminals, grain processing plants, warehouses and docks crowded up against the waterfront for most of those years. By the 1990s, it sat pretty much vacant and forgotten, rusting buildings and decaying docks the only reminder that thriving businesses once operated here. Just across from Water Street was the fast developing and now successful Harbour Island, itself once empty and weed-filled, strewn with falling-down warehouses and grain elevators. But not anymore. What a great place to live, whether it’s in an apartment, condominium or one of the gated sections of beautiful luxury homes, all surrounded by water and sitting just across the bridges within walking distance of downtown's businesses, museums and entertainment.

To the immediate right in this photo, between the street and the water, lies Contanchobe-Fort Brooke Park, a part of the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department. Contanchobe, the name given this area by the natives who inhabited this part of Florida for thousands of years, means "where the water meets the land.” Today, this area is known as Channelside. Where there was once a waterfront that was all but ignored can now be found a rapidly expanding urban center of life and activity. Down the left side of the street run the TECO Line electric streetcars connecting this point with Ybor City. On the left in the photo, shrouded by the menacing storm clouds is the home of the aptly name Tampa Bay Lightning. The building, originally named the Ice Palace when it opened in 1996, sits between Channelside Drive, which it faces, and Old Water Street. The street was renamed Ice Palace Drive by the city in ’96 and then, as part of a marketing agreement in 2002 with the St. Petersburg Times, which acquired the naming rights to the Ice Palace, it was again renamed and became the St. Pete Times Forum Drive. (That’s an exhausting and almost comical story about city street naming, isn’t it. And this story is about just one street in Tampa…and a very short one at that, just a quarter mile long.) To be fair and give you a more complete picture, the St. Pete Times Forum is a very successful venue. Along with the Lightning hockey team which calls the Forum home, and 2004 Stanley Cup Championship, other entertainment events held in the Forum include music concerts, NBA exhibition games, University of South Florida basketball and NCAA Tournament games, tennis, professional wrestling, boxing, figure skating, circuses and rodeos.

Looking east, straight ahead in the photo, is the new Tampa Bay History Center, which opened in January of this year. Because of the street’s history and the significance of the opening of the museum, the street was renamed – I’m sure for the very last time – Old Water Street. So, we’re all the way back to 1847. And the looming storm clouds in the sky that probably don’t look any different than they did when Native-American tribes, the Seminoles and the Miccosukee, lived, hunted and fished from this spot for hundreds of years and soldiers of the C.S.A., Confederate defenders, kept watch in the 1860s for approaching U.S. Naval ships and Union troops during the Civil War. Same pounding rain and sticky hot weather. Except on this day, it didn’t rain a drop. Not even a drizzle.

Visit Skywatch Friday to see the beauty and wonders of the world's most magnificent skies. It's always an amazing show.

What does the monkey say to the frog?

I'm pretty sure these ceramic garden stools are wondering what they are doing sharing an antique settee in what had been, many years ago, a hotel room. The frog is sporting an Alice in Wonderland-look in his scrunched top hat, while his primate companion is proudly wearing what appears to be a bellhop's cap. Both are perfectly attired for their original roles. They served as sturdy, yet low, stools for the walkways and gardens which filled 150 acres of land around the original Tampa Bay Hotel on the banks of the Hillsborough River.

If you've followed my Tampa blogs, read my posts and seen some of my photos of the city, you've noticed that I am a great fan of our marvelous Tampa Bay Hotel. I have featured shots of the incredible Moorish-style minarets that sit atop the building silhouetted against a Tampa sunset. And closeups of them in black and white. The photographic possibilities of the outside of the huge building are endless. From Victorian filigree to massive, leaded-glass doors, an entire class in photographing architectural and historic subjects could be based here. I especially like some of the ceramic garden stools, the ones that are as fun and elaborate of these two creatures. They were placed all throughout the grounds and I understand they provided a place for proper ladies of the Victorian era to stop and rest as they wandered the garden paths.

The hotel was built and furnished for roughly $3 million dollars in 1891, and ceased operating as a hotel altogether in 1932. But in the intervening years it has come to have a life that the first owner could never have imagined. Today, it is restored and expertly maintained and operates as both a museum and as part of the University of Tampa. The Henry B. Plant Museum, named for the man who had the vision, and the wealth from his railroad empire, to build the lavish resort hotel, first opened as the Tampa Municipal Museum in 1933. Today, the original hotel building, a quarter mile long and sitting on just a part of the hotel's original 150 acres of tropical landscaping, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The museum, which became the Henry B. Plant Museum in 1974, is accredited by the American Association of Museums.

When it opened over a century ago, the hotel and grounds included 21 buildings incorporating a golf course, bowling alley, casino and an indoor heated swimming pool. Photographs of the casino show a large, Oriental-style building right on the riverfront. Sadly, it is long gone. There were even tennis courts. During its operating period, the hotel housed hundreds of well known celebrities. When the Spanish American War broke out with Spain, the United States Army used the hotel as its headquarters. Colonel Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, now so closely associated with Tampa's history, had a suite of rooms and trained his men on the hotel property. (Soldiers preparing to embark for Cuba lived in tents nearby and were transported by train to Port Tampa where they boarded ships. The history of the city and the hotel during the war is extremely interesting and is well documented. Writers and newspapermen of the day came from all over the country and even some foreign countries to cover the war. (Visit the University of South Florida's Special Collections for digitized copies of The Sunland Tribune, HERE. A good article from the journal about how the media of the day covered the military and the war can be found in the 1998 edition.) Other hotel guests included Sarah Bernhardt, Clara Barton, Stephen Crane and the Prince of Wales. Babe Ruth even stayed here and signed his first baseball contract in the main dining room, Fletcher Lounge. The Writing and Reading Room, click on it at left, is the most historic and authentic of the rooms in the museum. It looks almost exactly at it did in the 1890s. Gentlemen would gather here to smoke Tampa's fine handrolled cigars, read newspapers and complete their correspondence home or to offices in Northern cities. During the Spanish American War, I imagine generals and their staffs would meet here to discuss plans and strategy. While the military minds enjoyed their privacy, ladies could have been out in the gardens trying to decide upon which of the stools, the frog or the monkey, to rest upon. Wow, times have really changed. But, the hotel looks just the same.

Click HERE to visit the Henry B. Plant Museum website.