Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) January 12, 2006
In celebration of its 79 years in the heart of downtown Clearwater, the Fort Harrison Hotel will be open daily for tours of the historic building. Starting on Monday, the 23rd of January and continuing through until Sunday, the 12th of February, the hotel will be open from 11am until 4 pm for tours. The Hibiscus Restaurant will also be open to the public for lunch from 12:00 1:30 during this time, including a gourmet brunch buffet on Sundays.
The hotel itself was built during an expansive era for the United States. In 1925, the year construction started on the hotel, F. Scott Fitzgerald just completed writing The Great Gatsby, the first female state governor was elected; school teacher John T. Scopes was arrested for teaching about evolution and Sweet Georgia Brown was at the top of the hit parade.
The Fort Harrisons developer, Ed Haley decided to creating a building that would leave a lasting mark on the landscape of Clearwater. As the Clearwater Sun reported in December of 1929:
Thus a history in a nutshell actual instances would require a volume. But there is one thing that Ed Haley did for Clearwater that should not go unmentioned: he gambled more than a million dollars of his own money on his town. During the boom, when living accommodations were at a premium, some of his friends took him in a corner and said Listen, the city is swamped. What we need is a great big commercial hotel.
All right, said Ed Haley. So he went out and gathered the available funds, arranged with a hotel financing concern for a loan of additional, and built the Fort Harrison. It was ahead of its time, but now is coming into its own and will stand as a monument to a citizens enterprise and civic pride.
Though the Florida land boom went bust before the hotel could be completed, Mr. Haley arranged for the necessary financing to see the hotel through to completion. And when it opened with a gala New Years Eve party on Dec 31st, 1926, guests came from all over the Eastern United States to see in the New Year.
Guest staying at the hotel could avail themselves of Turkish Baths, a barber, a beauty shop, the finest music performed by the hotels own orchestra and palm gardens and terraces. A double room would only set you back $ 10 to $ 16 a night and your meals were all created by Chef Benjamin King, a veteran of New England resorts such as the Mount Kineo House and the Marshall House.
Only open for the Winter Season, the management of the Fort Harrison would spend the rest of the year at resorts up North.
Ed Haley sold the hotel to R. E. Olds in the 1930s. (The same Mr. Olds who created the Oldsmobile and Oldsmar). Mr. Olds sold one of his greyhound racing tracks to pay for the hotel. Mr. Haley went onto other ventures, including Moon Lake Lodge and Dude Ranch in Port Richey Florida.
Though time has rolled on, the hotel with its elegant ballroom and lush gardens is still a landmark on the skyline of Clearwater.
The Church of Scientology purchased the Fort Harrison in 1975, and this property now serves as the center of the Churchs international religious retreat. Thousands of Scientologists from all over the world come to the Fort Harrison each year for spiritual counseling and ministerial training.
An exhibit in the hotels Crystal Ballroom is set up to answer guests questions about Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
For more information, please call (727) 467-6860.
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