Old Hillsborough County Courthouse, Tampa, Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

The Old Hillsborough County Courthouse stands on North Pierce Street in downtown Tampa, Florida, at the heart of the county's civic district. It belongs to the long story of how Hillsborough County housed its courts and government, a story that once included one of the most exotic-looking public buildings in the city.

The story behind it

In 1892 Hillsborough County built a new courthouse designed by the architect John A. Wood. Wood gave it Moorish touches and domes, much like the ones he used for the Tampa Bay Hotel across the Hillsborough River. That hotel survives today as part of the University of Tampa, and its silver domes are still a landmark of the skyline.

The domed courthouse served the county for decades, and old photographs show its towers rising over the downtown streets. The domes are long gone, and the courthouse district has been rebuilt more than once as Tampa grew. Standing here, it is worth picturing a more ornate roofline than the one you see now.

What to look for

• Study the roofline and imagine the Moorish domes that the county's 1892 courthouse once wore, then compare them with the domes of the old Tampa Bay Hotel across the river.
• Notice how the building sits on a grid of wide downtown streets, a reminder that this was always a place built for public business.
• Look at the surrounding civic buildings and the open space of Courthouse Square nearby, which show how the government district has changed over time.
• Glance west toward the river and the skyline beyond, and you can see why Wood's designs once stood out so strongly in a young city.

Tips for your visit

• Plan on 10 to 15 minutes for the exterior and the surrounding square, longer if you combine it with a walk around downtown.
• Courthouses are working buildings, so check current opening hours and security rules before you plan to go inside.
• Morning or late afternoon light is gentler for photographs and cooler for walking in Tampa's heat.
• The Hillsborough River and the Riverwalk are a short walk away, so this stop fits easily into a wider stroll through downtown.

See it on a quest

The Oz Escape in Tampa brings you to this spot on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look at the street harder than you would on your own. One ticket covers the whole group.

Ghost Hunt in Tampa is a spooky-themed walk that passes the courthouse as part of a route through the surrounding streets. You move from place to place at your own pace, hear the story of each stop and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.