Bayshore Royal Hotel billed itself as the first high-rise on Bayshore Blvd in the mid-1920s. The original structure was a 10-floor, 220-room apartment-hotel that, a year later, added a rooftop garden area for hosting social events. The “fireproof” rooms opened onto a sun balcony where guests could view the sunrise on Bayshore and Hillsborough Bay. The building was sold in 1930 and was renamed The Bayshore Colonial Hotel. Before the installation of the seawall and balustrade in the late 1930s, the new owners solicited developers to build and maintain a seaplane basin in front of the structure on Hillsborough Bay, hoping to draw wealthy private aviators. Those plans never came to fruition.

In 1972, the building was gutted and converted into 106 apartments, and in 1980, the building sold again for conversion to condominiums. Fearing it would block their waterfront view, in 2003 residents objected to and prevailed over a proposal to the Tampa Architectural Review Commission to build the 31-story Desoto Towers at Desoto and Bayshore. Their success was temporary, as Hyde Park House, a 22-story, 70-unit tower, broke ground in August of 2020 at that same corner. The cranes can be seen here. The new structure will partially obscure the once-breathtaking views from the historic Bayshore Royal sun porches. The cost to build the 10-story Bayshore Royal in the 1920s was approximately $1.5 million. The asking price for one 3-bedroom, 3 ½ bath condo in Hyde Park House in 2020 is nearly $3 million.

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