The Henry eases, but doesn’t solve, University of Tampa's housing shortage
TAMPA, Fla. - Move-in day comes as a relief for many students at the University of Tampa who were unsure if they would find a place to live.
"With the overcapacity situation, it was very hard," shared freshman Skylar Young-Sottilotto. "But luckily we were able to get this apartment just in time."
The apartment is at The Henry, a 23-story private dorm with hotel-like amenities. The monthly rent starts at more than $1,200 per person for a four-person suite, but many will pay what it takes to attend the University of Tampa.
A university spokesperson says The Henry meets some of the rising demand for student housing. Last May, university officials said there was a mistake in emails to parents that appeared to guarantee housing to students. Many parents and students were upset.
"If we knew it wasn’t guaranteed we could have chosen another university," one parent told FOX 13 on May 21.
University officials later said the University of Tampa hadn’t guaranteed housing in more than a decade.
The Henry, at Ashley Drive and Tyler Street, is owned by a private company, not the university. However, The Henry appears on the university’s list of preferred housing. It boasts such amenities as a 24/7 workout facility, an infinity pool, in-unit washers and dryers, and private and semi-private bathrooms.
A university spokesman says it eases but does not solve the housing shortage.
"It’s difficult," said Scott Drake, parent of an incoming freshman. "It’s hard to find a place."
Drake says his son Jack was lucky to find a spot at The Henry.
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The University of Tampa says it is starting to place incoming freshmen into campus housing at the Barrymore Hotel after many were told on-campus housing was full, which left families scrambling to find a place to live before the fall semester begins on August 23.
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University officials have said they want to make the University of Tampa a world-class, metropolitan university. The Henry, which stands across the Hillsborough River from the university in downtown Tampa, may be a step in that direction.
"To again, make that urban core in downtown where individuals can live, work, play, and study at the University of Tampa," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a U.T. Alumnus.
Mayor Castor joked about leaky roofs when she attended in the 1970s. Now, decades later, The Henry takes college life in Tampa to new heights.
A university spokesman says there are currently no plans to build more student housing on campus. But, he says more off-campus housing is coming in the North Howard/North Hyde Park area.
The Henry is named for Henry B. Plant, the railroad magnate who helped open Florida’s west coast to tourism and industry.
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