HORTENSE THE BEAUTIFUL

 

Dr. Oppenheimer and his daughters, C. Hortense, Irma, Olive, Dorothy & Carmen, at their home in 1919
Upon the completion of Tampa City Hall, Willis Powell, editor of the Clearwater Sun, reminded Tampa's citizens of Miss Oppenheimer's dedication to what was no longer a lost cause. Newspapers championed the idea, and the clock was dedicated to Hortense Oppenheimer, "the girl who wanted to buy a city clock."

The ornamental heads were fashioned from a Seminole Indian maiden with braided hair.		 Hortense Oppenheimer Ford became a fixture in Tampa social and cultural circles. She and her sisters, Irma, Olive, Dorothy and Carmen, were long involved in the cultural affairs of Tampa, including the Friday Morning Musicale which was established by Dr. Oppenheimer. Hortense promoted the Tampa Civic Musical Association, a group that brought singers and orchestras to the city's Municipal Auditorium, later McKay Auditorium on the campus of the University of Tampa.

The clock has remained to this day, "Hortense" or "Hortense the Beautiful."

 

 

Tampa's old City Hall building was designed by architects M. Leo Elliott and B. C. Bonfoey, and built by McGucken and Hyer, Contractors. Its style has been described as Eclectic and includes Doric columns, terra cotta details, a balustrade around the main block and a seven-story tower (two of which are the bell and clock tower) that extends above the three-story main portion. It was built on land that had been occupied by an 1842 frame home, which Imboden Stalnaker purchased in 1914. (He moved it to 3210 8th Ave. to save it from destruction.)
 
Structural drawings for Tampa City Hall were provided by H. G. Perring Engineering Company, Consulting Engineers of Jacksonville, Florida and were completed on March 12, 1914. A 1915 construction photograph provided by B. C. Bonfoey appeared in the June 28, 1972 Tampa Tribune Newspaper. The Tribune billed City Hall on the downtown horizon as "Tampa's City Hall Layer Cake."

The structural system of the building is poured in place concrete post and beam on concrete bell footings. Floor slabs are hollow structural clay tiles with concrete infill. Masonry and stone are used as facing materials.

Right:  The cornerstone was laid in January 1915 with Masonic ceremonies (people standing on 2nd floor) featuring Mrs. Maria Moore Post, widow of Madison Post (third Mayor of Tampa) as the principal speaker.

 

 

 

The $235,000.00 building was occupied in late 1915. The first three floors of the building had a twin building immediately to the south, completed in 1916.  This annex served as the new Police Station / Jailhouse and replaced the original old two-story red brick building which served as Police, Fire and City Office Headquarters.

 

Left:  City Hall and the Police Station/Jailhouse, 1917

 

 

Creakiness of this Old Annex became evident in the late 40's and all through the 50's. In 1957 a shower of plaster cascaded from the first floor ceiling but no one was hurt. In July of 1962 the adjoining three-story annex, Police Station Jailhouse and Stable were voted by City Council to be demolished. It was razed in the Sixties to accommodate a Mayor/City Councilman Parlking Lot.

The Police Station, 1921

 

The 1905 City Hall at 315 Lafayette and annex at 300 Florida Ave. was the original building that served as the Tampa city offices, Police and Fire station.  It was razed to build the new Police station in 1916.

 

In 1910, Donald Brenham McKay was elected mayor and served in this capacity for fourteen years. However, he despised the mayor-commissioner system and resigned after three months. He was elected in 1910 for a two-year term; re-elected in 1912 and 1916 for four-year terms. During his years as mayor, McKay implemented a huge expansion of public works projects – streets were paved, sidewalks built and sewer systems constructed throughout the city. In addition, construction on City Hall was completed (1915), the Lafayette Street (Kennedy Boulevard) Bridge was completed, Tampa’s first public library opened (1917), brick fire stations were built as were the main buildings for the South Florida Fairgrounds.

 

Old City Hall Interior (1981 photos)

Tampa City Hall was designed to accommodate 35,000 square feet of City office functions, on 10 floors (the top two being the bell and clock tower), with the basic plan revealing a central core that includes a single monumental central stair, an elevator, and toilet rooms. The perimeter of each floor is reserved for office space. The building was designed with no central heating or cooling system but rather, utilized passive energy techniques such as operable windows, ceiling fans at each bay, operable transoms, high ceilings, and venetian blinds.

 

Upper floor staircase landing

 

 

The first floor has a main hall which connects the main entry at the north to Kennedy Boulevard and what was an internal connection to the south at the Police Station. A secondary entry is located to the east at Florida Avenue. The last remaining hand-operated elevator in the City serves the main hall with an open core monumental stair immediately opposite the elevator. The main hall and stairs have marble wainscots and marble treads at the stairs. 

 

The walls typically are painted plaster with oak wood base moulds, chair rails, picture rails and plaster cove moldings at the plaster ceilings, Vinyl tile typically and ceramic tile at baths make up original floor materials. The stairs used mosaic tiles at stair landings. Beyond the third floor, the exposed stairs become metal treads and stringers, metal newel posts, metal balustrades, oak handrails and are typical at the stairs.
                                First Floor Corridor

 

     
                                                               3rd Floor Corridor

Only one stair exists within the building. Doors are oak panel with custom brass hardware wearing the seal of the City on the mounting plates at the handles. The second and third floors of the building have record vaults with metal doors. The ninth floor Is used for Otis Elevator Equipment. It was determined that an elevator was not built into the building until 1927, some 12 years after the building's original construction.

 

 

 

The 1915 cornerstone is engraved at the northeast corner of the first floor as well as a bronze building plaque at the north facade. A seal of the City is cast in stone over the main entry doors at the north facade. A benchmark indicates that the building Is 19.511 feet above sea level.


An ornamental copper dome constructed from a square base crowns the building. A 27 foot high flagpole with brass ball tops the dome.

 

Most info on this page comes from a 1981 report prepared by S. Keith Bailey, AIA, for the Dept. of the Interior, Historic American Buildings survey. See this pdf for an extremely detailed description of the building, inside and outside.

Also, "A Guide to Historic Tampa" by Steve Rajtar

City Hall Clock Keeps Ticking as Time Goes By 
Dr. Louis Oppenheimer, the Sunland Tribune, vol. 3, no. 1, Nov. 1977.

Present-day photos from Exploring Florida

Interior Photos from Historic Map Works

 


See photo and read about Henry E. Snow

The City Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings in 1974.

City Hall Annex at Franklin & Jackson St. was added in 1978 and the new City Hall Plaza was completed in 1979 connecting the two buildings on the site.

Suggested reading, Dr. Louis Oppenheimer (type "Louis Oppenheimer" without quotes, in the simple search field.)


Dr. Oppenheimer as he dressed every Sunday on his way to town.

City Hall is getting a makeover, see this ABC Action News feature from July 12, 2012 which includes a video

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