Safety Harbor Historical Site: The Hotel Frances

Safety Harbor Historical Site: The Hotel Frances. . This building was constructed in 1914 by J.D. McElveen, who named it the Hotel Frances after his first daughter, Frances Viola. His wife, Helen Campbell, was the daughter of George W. Campbell, the city's first mayor (1917-1919)., The Hotel Frances was one of the few buildings to survive the fire that decimated the downtown area of Safety Harbor on September 2, 1917, just months after the city was incorporated. The entire block east of the hotel on Main Street was destroyed. Mules were used to help people haul out their belongings., The original hotel had a wooden walkway leading to another building that served as the kitchen and washroom. The building endured the destructive 1921 hurricane, but the barn and kitchen did not. Afterward, a new kitchen, pantry, dining room, and six upstairs bedrooms were added. After the Depression, it was renamed "The Safety Harbor Hotel." Both upper and lower level rooms were accessed by open-air hallways., This building has continued to serve different purposes throughout its history, including a restaurant, a boarding house, rental apartments, and shops.