St Pete Beach - Focus On Don Cesar Beach Resort & Spa

The Don Cesar represents an historic landmark right on the beach at the south end of St Pete Beach... it was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and became a founding member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America in 1989.

Its history began in 1924 when Thomas Rowe purchased 80 acres of land in St. Petersburg, Florida for $100,000 to begin his dream of building a "pink castle". The architecture combines both Mediterranean and Moorish styles modeled after different hotels and developments in Palm Beach, Coral Gables and Boca Raton. Arched openings, red clay tile multiple roofs, balconies, stucco over hollow tile and tower like upper stories were some of the elements that they borrowed. The original six-story hotel with 110 rooms and baths was later expanded to 220 rooms and 220 baths and cost over $1.25 million (300% over budget).

Rowe's "Pink Lady" opened on January 16, 1928, with an extravagant party attended by the elite of Tampa and St. Petersburg, and soon became a favorite destination of the "Great Gatsby Era". Although the Don Cesar made it through the Great Depression, things changed when Thomas Rowe died suddenly without a will. The "Don" was left to his estranged wife and began to fall into despair until the United States entered into World War II. Bought out by the Army for $450,000, it was converted into a military hospital in 1942 and then a convalescent center. At the end of the war, the Don Cesar was ordered closed and was converted into a Veterans Administration Regional Office by the end of 1945.

In 1967, the VA began to move out and by spring 1969, the once grand hotel was vacant. Plans to tear down the graffiti covered hotel was met with fierce opposition from local residents! Fortunately, in March 1972 the Don Ce-Sar was sold to C.L.Pyatt and William Bowman Jr., a Holiday Inn franchise owner, and was renovated and reopened in November 1973.

From that time, after receiving its historic recognition, the Don Cesar has undergone a variety of renovations. Managed by Loews Hotels, the addition of a 4000 sq ft spa and full Beach Club resulted in a name change to The Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa. Definitely worth a visit to enjoy The Maritana Grille (the Don CeSar's signature Four Diamond restaurant) and simply breathe in a sense of lingering history in this beautiful hotel that has undergone so much history within its walls!

** Facts thanks to Wikipedia