Don CeSar , do not be confused as The Loews Don CeSar (previous management), is a hotel located in St. Pete Beach, Florida, in the United States. Developed by Thomas Rowe and opened in 1928, it became famous as a Gulf playground for Americans spoiled rich at the top of the Jazz Era and still serves as a popular retreat spot for the rich and famous today. This hotel was designed by Henry H. Dupont. Don CeSar is a member of Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Video The Don CeSar
Construction
In 1924, Thomas Rowe bought a land of 80 hectares (320,000 m 2 ) at St. Petersburg, Florida for $ 100,000 to start his dream of building a "pink castle". He hired Indianapolis architect Henry Dupont to design the hotel and Carlton Beard as a contractor. To ensure the hotel's stability on sand shifts and avoid the high costs to accumulate so many poles, Beard designed a floating concrete pad and a pyramid footing. To this day there are no obvious signs of settling in the hotel. The architecture is a blend of Mediterranean and Moorish styles that mimic the hotels and developments that Rowe and Beard see in Palm Beach, Coral Gables, and Boca Raton. Curved arches, red clay roof tiles, balconies, stucco over hollow tiles and towers like upstairs are some of the elements they borrow. The original design is called for a $ 450,000 multi-storey hotel with 110 rooms and bathrooms. It was later expanded to 220 rooms and 220 baths and the cost soared to $ 1.25 million, 300% over budget. Rowe named it Don Ce-Sar after Don CÃÆ'Ã… © sar de Bazan, opera hero William Vincent Wallace Maritana .
Maps The Don CeSar
Opening
Rowe " Pink Lady " opened on January 16, 1928, with a lavish party attended by the elite of Tampa and St. Louis. Petersburg. The hotel quickly became a favorite venue for the rich and famous people of the Jazz Era including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clarence Darrow, Al Capone, Lou Gehrig, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Pink Palace continues to attract rich and famous people throughout the Great Depression, in part thanks to a deal made with New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert to put his team during spring training for three years.
However, after Rowe's sudden death without a will, "The Don" was handed over to his estranged wife and began falling into disrepair until the United States entered World War II and the hotel was bought by the Army for $ 450,000. It was converted into a military hospital and reopened in December 1942. In February 1944, Don Ce-Sar became the US Air Force's recovery center. In June 1945, Don Ce-Sar was ordered to close and empty in September of that year. It was changed to Veterans Administration Area Office at the end of 1945.
Rebirth
In November 1967, the Veterans Administration began to move from Don Ce-Sar. In the spring of 1969, the once grand hotel was empty. The Public Service Administration plans to tear down a hotel covered in graffiti, but this is greeted with fierce opposition from the locals. In March 1972 Don Ce-Sar was sold to C.L. Pyatt and William Bowman Jr.., the owner of the Holiday Inn franchise. Don CeSar (now spelled without hyphens) reopened on November 23, 1973. Some renovations from 1985 to 2001 have been updated and added to the hotel, including 4,000 square feet (370 m 2 ) spa, , and a second outdoor pool. After the addition of a beach club and a full-service spa, the hotel's official name is changed to The Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa .
Don CeSar was appointed National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and became a founding member of the National Trust Historic Hotels of America in 1989.
Restaurants
The Maritana Grille is Don CeSar's Four Diamond restaurant. Guests are surrounded by 1,500 gallons (5,700 liters) of saltwater aquarium and contain some native Florida fish, as well as lion fish and hippo tangs, while eating in New American cuisine. Grille Maritana was selected by Epicurean Rendezvous magazine as one of the "Top 100 Restaurants in Florida."
In the kitchen corner of The Maritana Grille, which is separated from the roasting and prep area near the window, there is a triangular-shaped table known as the Chef's Table where small dinner parties can watch their food prepared by executive chefs from a unique menu.
Sea Porch Cafà ©  is located on the beach and offers Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner in a relaxed, garden-like atmosphere.
In popular culture
- Don Cesar is displayed in two colorful pages in the 1982 edition of National Geographic .
- The Don CeSar Hotel in St Petersburg Beach, Fla, is said to be haunted by the unmanned ghost of its original owner, Thomas Rowe {see "Don CeSar Hotel in St Petersburg Beach" under 'Florida' in the Wikipedia article "Haunted Locations" }
- The two-hour ghost tour of Don CeSar is offered by a local tour company.
- The two most haunted rooms in Don Cesar are rooms 318 and 264 as reported by many guests.
- Part of the 1984 crime movie Once Upon a Time in America was filmed at Don Cesar.
- Comedian Ron White talks about his visit to Don Cesar in the movie Blue Collar Comedy Tour: One for the Road .
- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers recorded a music video at Don Cesar in 1985.
- The Robert Altman movie Health is mostly filmed at the hotel.
- Don Cesar has a long list of famous guests and has hosted every president since Gerald Ford (excluding Ronald Reagan) and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
- Thunder in Heaven a pilot movie was filmed around Don CeSar during April 1993.
- The 1999 film Forever Mine , starring Ray Liotta, was filmed at Don Cesar.
- The Don Cesar is one of the flagship hotels on "Big Night Out" episode of Emeril's Florida, a 2013 series starring Emeril Lagasse.
- The 2016 Bryan Cranston Movie The Infiltrator was filmed partly on the roof balcony of Don CeSar in spring 2015.
References
External links
- Official website
- Florida Office of Culture and History Office
- List of Pinellas Regencies
- Don Ce Sar Resort and Spa
- American Historic Buildings Survey (HABS) No.Ã, FL-324, "Don ce Sar Hotel, 3400 Gulf Boulevard, Saint Petersburg, Pinellas County, FL", 2 photos, 2 transparency colors, 2 pages photo caption
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments