History
The hotel opened in 1926 as the New Fort Harrison Hotel, replacing the former Fort Harrison Hotel. It was built by developer Ed Haley and was used as a community center for many years. The hotel was operated by Ransom E. Olds, inventor of the Oldsmobile, from 1926 until his death in 1950.
In 1953 the hotel was bought by the Jack Tar Hotels and became known as the “New Fort Harrison Hotel, a Jack Tar Hotel”. The company added a cabana area to the building.
By the 1970s the hotel had begun to fall into disrepair. In 1975, the Church of Scientology purchased the building under the names “Southern Land Development and Leasing Corp” and “United Churches of Florida Inc”. In 1976, the Church of Scientology's connection and the named purchasers was reported, by the Saint Petersburg Times, as was the Church's plan for a $2.8 million restoration and upgrade of the hotel.
In 2007, the Church announced that the hotel would undergo another $20 million restoration project, but not when the project would begin.
Read more about this topic: Fort Harrison Hotel
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that’s also a hypocrite!
There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.”
—Edmond De Goncourt (1822–1896)
“In all history no class has been enfranchised without some selfish motive underlying. If to-day we could prove to Republicans or Democrats that every woman would vote for their party, we should be enfranchised.”
—Carrie Chapman Catt (1859–1947)