The Altamonte Hotel

The Altamonte Hotel. . Side 1 , Each winter for 70 years the social life of Altamonte Springs shifted to this Hotel. A 3 story wooden hotel was erected on this site in 1882/1883 just two years after the railroad from Sanford to Orlando was built., The Altamonte Land, Hotel and Navigation Company acquired 1,200 acres of land, extending from the railroad station more than a mile west, with the intent of creating a "Little Boston" for northern residents who wished to winter in a more salubrious climate., The hotel with accommodations for 150 guests was located on the northern end of Lake Orienta. Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee, a Bostonian, designed the hotel. Joseph M. Lewis, also of Boston, was the contractor and it opened in February of 1883.(Continued on other side). Side 2 (Continued from other side). Until the Jacksonville/Sanford railroad connection was made in 1886, guests had to travel from Jacksonville to Sanford by steamboat. At the Altamonte station guests boarded a donkey-drawn tram to reach the Hotel. The donkey's name was "Dixie Flyer." Noted for its fine dining fare, guests used Lake Orienta for many events including fishing contests, pleasure boating and rowing regattas. Other activities offered by the hotel included golf, tennis, bowling, horseback riding, swimming, hunting, concerts and plays., Over the years improvements were added to the hotel. After world war one an annex was added and later enlarged. At a gala New Year's Eve party in 1900, gas lights were first lit; telephone service came in 1917 and electric lights in 1923., In 1901 the hotel was purchased by George Bates. He and his son, Everett operated it from 1912-1913 season (Dec. 1 to April) until it was destroyed in a fire in the summer of 1953.