Pass-a-Grille Beach in St Pete Beach in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Reitano’s Keystone Hotel

Photographed by Delaney Shaw, October 9, 2026

1. Reitano’s Keystone Hotel Marker

Inscription. Bruno Reitano was born in Italy in 1884. He emigrated to the United States in the early twentieth century and began a successful business career in Pittsburg and Baltimore. His doctor encouraged him to go to Florida and soak in the Gulf of Mexico to treat his arthritis. When Reitano saw Pass-A-Grille Beach, he relocated with his wife and three daughters and built the Keystone Hotel, naming it after the place he first experienced success in America: Pennsylvania, the "Keystone State." Reitano completed construction of the concrete block hotel in 1945. His craftsmanship and attention to detail are evident in the hardwood floors he laid that still grace a handful of rooms. The Keystone has been a family - owned hotel, operated by the Reitano family, including Bruno, his wife, daughters, and particularly his youngest daughter, Mary Falkenstein. After Bruno Reitano passed away in 1964, his daughter, Mary, managed the property for over 50 years. After Mary's death in 2020, her daughter, Mary Jo, took over the hotel, continuing the family tradition of hospitality.
A Florida heritage site sponsored in memory of Bruno Reitano and Mary Falkenstein

Erected 2024

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by Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1257.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Immigration • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.

Location. 27° 41.291′ N, 82° 44.269′ W. Marker is in St Pete Beach, Florida, in Pinellas County. It is in Pass-a-Grille Beach. It is at the intersection of Gulf Way and 8th Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Gulf Way. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 801 Gulf Way, Saint Petersburg FL 33706, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

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 4 miles of this marker, measured

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as the crow flies: "Pass-A-Grille" (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Merry Pier (about 500 feet away); Zephaniah Phillips' Homestead Site (about 600 feet away); The Don Ce Sar Hotel (approx. 1½ miles away); Tierra Verde Mound (approx. 1½ miles away); Gulfport Casino (approx. 3.9 miles away); Steven Jay Robin (approx. 4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 4 miles away).

Also see . . . Keystone Motel. (Submitted on October 14, 2026.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 12, 2026, by Delaney Shaw of Seneca, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 9 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on October 12, 2026, by Delaney Shaw of Seneca, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?