Temple Terrace in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 1, 2015

1. Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall Marker-Side 1

Inscription. (side 1)
The Temple Terraces Country Club was built on the site of the 1910 hunting lodge of world renowned Chicago socialite and businesswoman Bertha Honore Plamer's 19,000 acre "Riverhills Ranch." It opened in 1922 as the centerpiece of the master planned golf course and citrus community known first as Temple Terrace Estates. Designed by distinguished architect M. Leo Elliot in the Spanish Mission style, the building was one of his favorite designs. An elegant entrance featured a glass and wrought iron awning with marble steps and vestibule. The clubhouse became a popular social center for Tampa area society. City of Temple Terrace founder and attorney Cody Fowler wrote that it "was quite an elegant place. The clubhouse was really a hotel, and a large number of guests were also citrus grove and lot owners. In winter, the hotel was filled with wealthy northern gentlemen and their spouses who enjoyed playing golf and tending citrus in the sunny south." By 1926, with the advent of the Great Depression, the building fell into disrepair and became vacant. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) In

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1932, the city foreclosed on the hotel and it was sold to the Florida Fundamental Bible Institute. When the school moved to Pinellas County in 1943, the building and campus was purchased by Sherman K. Smith who sold it, on December of 1944, to the newly-formed Florida Christian College, now Florida College. At the time of the purchase, the once lovely hotel and grounds were severely deteriorated. The institution opened in September 1946 with grades 10-12, and the first two years of college. From the earliest days of the college, Sutton Hall served as a residence hall for women and its lobby was a place for special events. The kitchen and dining room served as the college's cafeteria until 1998. Hinely Hall was built in 1998 to replace the original enclosed dance pavilion and loggia. The circle drive to the north of the building was enhanced in 2012 by the addition of the "Florida College Society Circle" with gazebo, walkway, and landscaping. The building acquired the name Sutton Hall in honor of Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Sutton, the parents of Mrs. C.G. McGehee whose husband was a charter member of the college's board of directors.

Erected 2015

Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall Marker-Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, March 1, 2015

2. Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall Marker-Side 2

by Temple Terrace Preservation Society, Florida College, City of Temple Terrace, Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Sports.

Location. 28° 2.174′ N, 82° 23.001′ W. Marker is in Temple Terrace, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is at the intersection of North Glen Arven Avenue and North Riverhills Drive, on the left when traveling south on North Glen Arven Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 119 N Glen Arven Ave, Tampa FL 33617, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is 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 2

Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall Marker with Sutton Hall behind image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 6, 2015

3. Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall Marker with Sutton Hall behind

miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Reverend Billy Graham (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer (approx. 0.2 miles away); Temple Terrace Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Temple Terrace POW and MIA Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); War Correspondents Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Largest Orange Grove in the World (approx. 1.1 miles away); Spanish Exploration of Temple Terrace (approx. 1.1 miles away); Morrisound Recording (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Temple Terrace.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Reverend Billy Graham (was about 400 feet away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,481 times since then and 77 times this year. Last updated on March 29, 2016, by Glenn Sheffield of Tampa, Florida. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 19, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.