Boca Grande in Lee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Gasparilla Inn & Club

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 1, 2018

1. Gasparilla Inn & Club Marker

Inscription. The Gasparilla Inn, built by the Boca Grande Land Company, subsidiary of a national phosphate company that was an early major island land holder, opened in 1911. Under the leadership of company principal, Peter Bradley (1850-1933), the hotel provided an upscale winter destination for wealthy guests. Tampa architect Frances Kennard (1865-c. 1938) assisted in the hotel’s 1912 enlargement and again in 1915 when its size doubled. The grounds were landscaped by the nationally known landscape firm, the Olmsted Brothers, and included a bath house, band shell, greenhouse, tennis courts, golf course and staff dormitories. A New York firm decorated the interior with furnishings purchased in Philadelphia. The Inn drew wealthy fishermen and industry tycoons such as J.P. Morgan and Henry DuPont who enjoyed the Inn’s seclusion and impeccable service. In 1930, Florida land baron Barron Collier (1873-1939) purchased the hotel, adding a grand new entrance, an 18-hole golf course and several cottages. By the 1960s, the Inn’s condition had declined. Longtime Gasparilla Island resident and champion, Bayard Sharp (1913-2002), purchased the property, restored it and added modern amenities to ensure that the Inn’s traditions would continue.

Erected 2007 by The Sharp Family, The Boca Grande Historical Society and the

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Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-611.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1911.

Location. 26° 45.17′ N, 82° 15.714′ W. Marker is in Boca Grande, Florida, in Lee County. It is on Railroad Avenue 0.1 miles south of 7th Street East, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Boca Grande FL 33921, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pioneer Hole (approx. 0.2 miles away); The First Baptist Church of Boca Grande (approx. 0.2 miles away); Boca Grande United Methodist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Boca Grande Lighthouse (approx. 2½ miles away); Placida Bunk House (approx. 12½ miles away); Town of McCall (approx. 12½ miles away); The Cookie House (approx. 12.7 miles away); New Point Comfort (approx. 13½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Boca Grande.

Also see . . . Gasparilla Inn Historic District. (Submitted on January 6, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)

Gasparilla Inn & Club Marker looking north on Railroad Ave. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 1, 2018

2. Gasparilla Inn & Club Marker looking north on Railroad Ave.

Gasparilla Inn & Club behind foliage image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, October 1, 2018

3. Gasparilla Inn & Club behind foliage

<i>Tennis Court and Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande, Fla.</i> image. Click for full size.

Postcard published by the Detroit Publishing Company (image courtesy of the New York Public Library), circa 1915

4. Tennis Court and Gasparilla Inn, Boca Grande, Fla.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 537 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 6, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 4. submitted on January 8, 2019. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.