Henry Bradley Plant Memorial Fountain - Tampa, FL - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

Description: A circular fountain basin with an allegorical sculpture representing ships and trains, symbols of transportation that was fueling development at the turn of the century, especially in Florida. In the center of the sculpture is a ship's stern topped by an eagle holding a treasure chest in its talons. Flanking the ship's stern are male and female sea nymphs. The male holds a locomotive and the female holds a ship. On each side, at the lower part of the piece, are fish that spout water into the fountain basin.

Remarks: The fountain was commissioned in 1900 by Mrs. Margaret Plant, widow of railroad and shipping magnet, Henry Bradley Plant. She had the fountain installed in front of the Tampa Bay Hotel, built by Henry Bradley Plant in 1891. The historic hotel later became the Henry B. Plant Museum of the University of Tampa. This statue is reportedly the oldest piece of public art in Tampa. Barnard designed the statue; Hotel staff prrobably designed the fountain. IAS files contain related articles from the Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times, and excerpts from the books "The Treasure City-Tampa," by Gary Mormino and Tony Pizzo and "Plant's Palace: Henry B. Plant and the Tampa Bay Hotel," by James Covington. For additional information see South Tampa News, Nov. 8, 1995.

Information from (visit link)

TITLE: Transportation, (sculpture) or Henry Bradley Plant Memorial Fountain, (sculpture). ARTIST(S): Barnard, George Grey, 1863-1938, sculptor. DATE: ca. 1899-1900. Commissioned 1900. Rededicated Oct. 30, 1995. MEDIUM: Sculpture: limestone; Base: cast concrete and stucco; Basin: cast concrete and stucco. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS FL000211 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: University of Tampa 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33606 DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: none

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date of your visit, your impressions of the sculpture, and at least ONE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH. Add any additional information you may have, particularly any personal observations about the condition of the sculpture.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   05/14/2024 TampaPix wrote comment for it 11/26/2015 veritas vita visited it 01/14/2009 debbado visited it 07/11/2007 ChapterhouseInc visited it

View all visits/logs