Tampa Bay History Center is Free for the 4th of July

Historical interpreter Ross Lamoreaux
discusses the Second Seminole War.

The History Center is celebrating Independence Day by offering free admission on the 4th of July courtesy of Bank of America.

For the third year in a row, the History Center will feature costumed reenactors representing several eras of American military history throughout their exhibit galleries. Costumed historical interpreters will depict Civil-War, Seminole War, Spanish American War, and WWII,-era soldiers, sailors and citizens. Interpreters will share hands-on displays of artifacts, uniforms, crafts and music.

4th of July Free Admission Day, Presented by Bank of America, will allow all visitors to enjoy free admission to the History Center's exhibit galleries, with extended hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Enjoy a cool beverage at the Columbia Cafe, explore the downtown Riverwalk, or bring a blanket and spread out in Cotanchobee Park to enjoy the Channelside fireworks, scheduled to begin at 9 p.m.
For more information, visit our website, http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/ or call (813) 228-0097 ext.0

Tampa Bay History Center Secures Fox News Channel as its Tenant for the Republican National Convention

Fox News has agreed to rent portions of the 60,000-square-foot History Center, which is located directly across the street from the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa’s Channelside District.

The network will broadcast live from the History Center during the four-day convention and the museum will be closed to the general public from Aug. 21st through Sept. 1st.

“This is a great opportunity for the History Center and a great way to highlight the history of our city and our region,” said C.J. Roberts, the Frank E. Duckwall President and CEO of the History Center.

The Republican National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 27-30.

A report in Sunday's Tampa Bay Times listed several of downtown Tampa's cultural attractions and their plans for the RNC. The Tampa Museum Art announced last month they would be hosting a party for Google, while the Straz Center for the Performing Arts will welcome The Daily Show With John Stewart.

The Tampa Bay History Center includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space focusing on 12,000 years of Florida history. The LEED-certified History Center also features a Museum Store, the Witt Research Center (a branch of the Hillsborough County Public Library System), a map gallery, an event hall and the Columbia Cafe. 


For more information, contact the Tampa Bay History Center at (813) 228-0097. or info@tampabayhistorycenter.org.

Tampa Bay History Center Receives Silver LEED® Certification

The Tampa Bay History Center has achieved LEED® Silver certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. It is the first Hillsborough County-owned building to attain the designation.

The 60,000 square-foot Tampa Bay History Center opened in 2009 at 801 Old Water Street in downtown Tampa. Constructed through a public-private partnership with Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and the Tampa Bay History Center Board of Trustees, it is situated along the two-mile Cotanchobee-Ft. Brooke Riverwalk, which connects several museums and cultural facilities.

The Tampa Bay History Center was built with regional and renewable materials, and more than 95 percent of construction debris was diverted from Florida landfills. Low-flow fixtures, water-efficient landscaping, low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, efficient lighting, and a highly efficient heating ventilation and cooling system are among a host of environmentally-conscious features that helped to achieve the LEED® Silver rating.

“We want to be stewards of not only our community’s past, but also our future,” said C.J. Roberts, the Frank E. Duckwall President and CEO of the Tampa Bay History Center. “The benefits have a positive environmental impact and have also resulted in significant savings in the building’s operating costs,” he said.

LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, LEED is a point-based system that allows building projects to earn LEED points for satisfying specific green building criteria.

“The LEED ® Silver certification is a tremendous accomplishment that reflects the hard work and great partnerships that have made the Tampa Bay History Center such a wonderful asset for our community” said Mike Merrill, Hillsborough County Administrator.

LEED points were awarded for:

• Use of designated recycling containers during construction, which diverted approx. 840 tons of construction refuse to recycling facilities.

• Proximity to public transportation, urban housing & other activity centers.

• Use of natural lighting.

• Targeted use of low VOC materials, especially paint, sealants, carpet and vinyl.

• 18% of construction materials were manufactured or produced within a 500 mile radius of the construction site.

• Office spaces are equipped with lighting motion-sensor switches.

• TBHC recycles all refuse by categories of food waste, cardboard and consolidated rubbish; i.e. glass / plastic / mixed metals.

LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design,
construction and operation of high performance green buildings. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2000, LEED is a point-based system that allows building projects to earn LEED points for satisfying specific green building criteria.

More information about the History Center’s LEED® certification can be found at www.tampabayhistorycenter/green.html.

History Center offers discounted admission for dad, begins final week for traveling exhibit Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs

The History Center will celebrate Father’s Day with free admission for dad with one paid admission on Sun., June 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Father’s Day marks the final week of Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America, on loan to the History Center from the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. The exhibition, which highlights the history of espionage and domestic terrorism in America from 1776 to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, closes on June 24.

As part of the Father’s Day festivities, the History Center will welcome author John Cinchett, who will sign copies of his new book, Vintage Tampa Storefronts and Scenes, in the Museum Store from 2 to 5 p.m. The book is Cinchett’s second collection featuring photos of landmark Tampa storefronts and the neon signage created by his father’s Cinchett Neon Sign Company from the 1940s through the 1960s.

Arts and crafts for children will also be available throughout the day.
Spies, Traitors and Saboteurs: Fear and Freedom in America is recommended for visitors 12 and older.
Call (813) 228-0097 or visit http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/ for more information.