Tampa’s City Hall building was erected in 1915 for $235,000. Described as some as a layer cake, the eight-story building had an eclectic design mixing Renaissance, Beaux Arts, and commercial styles.  Capped by a clock tower, it was the tallest structure in downtown for a short time. It has been renovated several times, including in 2017, when it underwent a $16-million facelift and update.

The most interesting part of the history of the building is probably the clock. Legend has it that in the early 20th century, many municipalities had a town center clock to set local watches and coordinate city businesses. Daughter of a prominent Tampa doctor, socialite Hortense Oppenheimer thought it best to have a proper timekeeper in the new city hall, built without a clock. She started a fund-raising campaign and collected enough money to have the W.H. Beckwith Jewelry Company install the four-faced Roman numeral timepiece. Ever since, the clock has affectionately been known as Hortense. Tampa City Hall was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

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