Floridan Palace Hotel

The Floridan Palace Hotel,[2][3] formerly known as the Hotel Floridan or Floridan Hotel, is a historic hotel in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is located at 905 North Florida Avenue in the north end of the downtown core. It was designed by prominent Tampa architects G.A. Miller and Francis J. Kennard and built in 1926, opening in early 1927. On March 12, 1996, the Floridan was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

This article is about the hotel in Tampa. For the hotel in Tallahassee, see Hotel Floridan.

Floridan Hotel
Front of the Florida Palace Hotel
Location905 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, Florida
Coordinates27°57′6″N 82°26′54″W
Arealess than one acre
Built1926-1927
ArchitectG.A. Miller and Francis J. Kennard
NRHP reference No.96000315[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 12, 1996

History

Construction on the hotel began in 1926 by Francis J. Kennard & Son, Architects and the Floridan Hotel officially opened in 1927 with 19 floors and 316 rooms, at a cost of $1.9 million to build. At the time the Floridan was the tallest building in Tampa and would remain the tallest building in until 1966 when the Franklin Exchange Building was completed.

The hotel's bar, the Sapphire Room, was a popular nightspot during World War II for 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 old Florida State Fairgrounds racetrack a few blocks away. The bar's wild reputation at the time earned it the nickname "The Surefire Room".[4]

The hotel began to decline in patronage in the early 1960s as more modern "motels" were built along the highways that skirted the city. In 1966, the hotel closed to commercial and tourist guests and remained open to long term renters only. By the 1980s, the once grand and luxurious hotel had become a residence for transients renting rooms by the week or month. The Floridan Hotel finally closed its doors in 1989 after the new ownership failed to bring the building up to new firecodes. After seven years of restoration, the hotel opened again to the public on July 30, 2012, as the Floridan Palace Hotel.

Restoration
Floridan Hotel in 2012

The hotel had bounced through several ownership groups from 1987 until 2005. Most prominent among these was Akio Ogawa and Sity International Inc. who purchased the Hotel at foreclosure in 1989. This purchase is noteworthy because it was the work of Ogawa that had the building added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 12, 1996. He would sell the hotel in 1997 to Capital LLC.

The Hotel was purchased in April 2005 by hotelier and real-estate investor Tony Markopoulos for $6 million.[5] An extensive cleaning and restoration of the building's interior and exterior began in August 2005[6] and ended July 2012. A grand opening ceremony was held on July 28 of that year and opened to the public on July 30.

The Floridan's rooftop sign

The Floridan's original sign, which was found in a rooftop storage room during the cleaning of the building in 2005, and had adorned the buildings roof for decades, was restored and placed on the hotel's rooftop once more in late summer 2008.[7][8]

Features
The Crystal Dining Room at the Floridan Palace Hotel

The current hotel maintains many original features of the hotel. The hotel had 400 small rooms during the 1940s. The rooms were expanded during the renovations into 213 larger rooms including 15 suites and 3 penthouse suites.[9]

The famous Crystal Dining Room has been restored and expanded across the west side of the lobby, connecting into the lobby bar, which was originally a ladies' lounge. The Dining Room, in addition to featuring traditional continental cuisine, also includes a wide selection of Mediterranean dishes, in homage to the hotel's Greek owner.

The Sapphire Lounge on the first floor has likewise been restored, and a ballroom, housed in the former post office immediately adjacent to the Floridan, has been added, with plans to add a pool and spa in the future.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Mullins, Richard (July 19, 2012). "Renovated Floridan Hotel plans opening ceremony". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  3. George, Justin (July 20, 2012). "Historic Floridan to re-open". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  4. Daniel Ruth (July 24, 2008). "For Her, The Floridan Never Closed". TBO.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  5. McNamara, Ellen (February 12, 2011). "Floridan Hotel will soon be the palace it once was". WFTS-TV/ABC Action News. Scripps TV Station Group. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  6. Huettel, Steve (August 12, 2005). "Citytimes: New owner to restore old hotel's faded glory". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  7. M. Lisa Shasteen, attorney for Markopoulos and hotel spokesperson throughout the acquisition and renovation process 813-220-3000
  8. Richard Mullins (October 17, 2008). "Tampa Floridan Hotel Renovation Costing 'Millions, Millions'". TBO.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2012.
  9. Shaw, Rob (July 28, 2012). "Floridan Palace Hotel ready to take a bow". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
Records
Preceded by
Tampa City Hall		 Tallest Building in Tampa
1926—1966
62m		 Succeeded by
Franklin Exchange Building
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