Old Tampa courthouse gets new life | News

TAMPA, Florida (AP) - The long-closed federal courthouse in downtown Tampa is getting a second life as a hotel.

The Tampa Tribune reports that a development company based in Memphis, Tenn., has taken possession of the crumbling courthouse and plans to turn it into a sparkling 130-room La Meridien hotel.

The company, Development Services Group, is leasing the building from the city of Tampa. The project should create more than 400 jobs during renovations and 100 permanent jobs after that.

The 106-year-old structure, which covers a complete block downtown, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It closed in 1997.