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.
Gasparilla Inn and Club. . 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.
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.)
Location. 26° 45.17′ N, 82° 15.714′ W. Marker is in Boca Grande, Florida, in Lee County. Marker 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.
2. Gasparilla Inn & Club Marker looking north on Railroad Ave.
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, October 1, 2018
3. Gasparilla Inn & Club behind foliage
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 251 times since then and 12 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.