The Gilded Age in Tampa Bay: When Florida Learned to Dream Big

Name: The Gilded Age in Tampa Bay: When Florida Learned to Dream Big
Start: 2026-03-02T18:30:00-05:00
Location: 120 Central Park Dr, Largo, FL, United States, Florida 33771

Mon, 02 Mar, 2026 at 06:30 pm UTC-05:00

120 Central Park Dr, Largo, FL, United States, Florida 33771 | Largo

Publisher/HostLargo Public Library

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The Gilded Age in Tampa Bay: When Florida Learned to Dream Big

Inspired by the renewed public fascination of the era through HBO’s The Gilded Age, Dr. Greg Thompson will explore how Florida, once seen as remote and undeveloped, became a playground for ambition, architecture, and luxury at the turn of the 20th century. Learn about figures such as Henry B. Plant, who built the grand Tampa Bay Hotel (now the University of Tampa), and John Ringling, whose Venetian-style mansion in Sarasota embodied America’s new appetite for status, art, and leisure.