Nothing like heading home after a long, long day! Sorry, I have nothing too exciting or interesting to post today, but I will point out that the far building in this picture is theFloridan Hotel.
The hotel was constructed and opened in 1927, with 19 floors and more than 300 rooms, costing $1.9 million to build by The Francis J. Kennard company. At the time the Floridan was the tallest building in Florida.
The hotel was a popular nightspot during World War II catering to servicemen who were training at nearby Drew Field to fly B-17s over Europe. Many of the service men at that time were housed in makeshift barracks located underneath the bleachers at the fair grounds racetrack a few blocks away. Even stars such as Elvis Presley stayed at the hotel in 1955 after a concert at the Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. (My second-cousin had her picture taken with him at that concert)
The hotel began to decline in patronage in the early 1960’s as more modern “motels” were built along the highways that skirted the city. By the 1980’s the once grand and luxurious hotel had become a residence for transients renting rooms by the day, the week or month. The Floridan Hotel finally closed its doors in 1987. The Hotel was purchased in 2005 by former hotel owner and real-estate investor Antonios Markopoulos, who plans on restoring it to its former glory. The Floridan's original sign was recently restored and placed on the hotels roof top, painted bright red. The hotel is undergoing extensive renovations in anticipation of the 2009 Super Bowl.
On March 12, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
No comments:
Post a Comment