The first hospital was built in 1887. Tampa's first suburb, Tampa Heights was established by Henderson in 1889. The Hyde Park neighborhood was established on land owned by Obadiah H. Platt. Henry Plant decided to build a lavish resort near the Tampa terminus of his railroad. Plant bought fifteen acres on the west side of the Hillsborough River and in July 1888, the Tampa Bay Hotel's cornerstone was laid. Plant's selection of the Tampa Bay Hotel site was quite deliberate. He chose a large piece of land near his railroad depot, yet separate from the town. In the case of Tampa, the hotel would be such a boon that the city council readily agreed to several concessions to Plant, including low, fixed-rate taxes for his hotel and a promise that the city would build a bridge over the Hillsborough River at Lafayette Street (now Kennedy Boulevard) at the city's expense. Plant also brought the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad into town. Hillsborough High School, the area's oldest public high school opened in 1882. Hyde Park School, now Gorrie Elementary School, after mechanical cooling pioneer John Gorrie, was built in 1889. Tampa Business College was established in 1890, and telephones began operating that same year. In 1892, the courthouse was constructed, designed by Wood and built by Kendrick's nephew. Jesuit High School opened in 1899. Mainly because of Henry Plant's connections in the War Department, Tampa was chosen as an embarkation center for American forces heading to Cuba for the Spanish–American War. 30,000 troops, wearing thick wool uniforms in the oppressive heat, waited in Tampa for the order to ship out during the summer of 1898, filling the town to bursting. Among the troops were lieutenant Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. Those months were a great boon to Tampa's growing economy. It was the only time when Plant's Tampa Bay Hotel was full to capacity as army officers and newspaper correspondents sought out more comfortable quarters than a hot and dusty tent. The war was very popular in Ybor City. Many of the Cuban cigar workers had long pressed for "Cuba Libre" – a Cuba free of Spanish colonial rule. With the U.S. entering the war to fight against Spain, it seemed that their dreams would soon be realized. During the Spanish–American War, troops headed to battle in Cuba had to assemble far south of downtown at Port Tampa. In 1905, Stephen M. Sparkman, the first member of Congress from what was considered "South Florida", brought in federal money to dig deep-water channels from Port Tampa to Channelside, allowing for larger ships.