The PICO Building, also known as the PICO Hotel, is an historic 2-story

redbrick A red brick university (or redbrick university) was originally one of the nine civic universities founded in the major industrial cities of England in the 19th century. However, with the 1960s proliferation of plate glass universities and t ...

building located at 209 North Oak Avenue, corner of West Commercial Street, in

Sanford, Florida Sanford is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Seminole County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 61,051. Known as the "Historic Waterfront Gateway City", Sanford sits on the southern shore ...

. Built during 1886-1887 for

Henry B. Plant Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899), was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant Sy ...

of Plant Investment Co. (PICO) to serve travelers arriving in Sanford on his

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

and

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

lines, it was designed by local architect William T. Cotter in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

and

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...

styles of architecture and built by the H. M. Papworth Construction Company. In 1906 the building was remodeled and sold to the Takach family, which had operated the restaurant for Plant by Mrs. Bertha E. Takach and family, Hungarian immigrants. According to the Orlando Sentinel on April 22,1973, "Mrs. Takch, the owner (of an adjacent restaurant), had such good food... she got all the customers. So, in 1889, Mr. Plant, whose dining room was losing out, made a deal with Mr. and Mrs. G. L. Takach to take over their Pico Hotel." In fact, "they DID, in 1891...from that time, many called the Pico Hotel the Takach Hotel. It had gas lights, white table cloths, and the people who ate there were well dressed, as train travelers always were in that era." "Their restaurant continued in the building for about 50 years. The building's original

onion dome An onion dome is a dome whose shape resembles an onion. Such domes are often larger in diameter than the tholobate upon which they sit, and their height usually exceeds their width. These bulbous structures taper smoothly to a point. It is a ty ...

was destroyed in a 1950s storm. The building then went on to become an office building used primarily for law offices. Loopnet, The PICO Building (Henry Plant Investment Company)
accessed May 4, 2013 In 1989, it was listed in ''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'' prepared by the Florida Association of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

and published by the University of Florida Press.''A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture'', 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 89, The building is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

in the Sanford Commercial District, which was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on June 15, 1976.

References

Hotel buildings completed in 1887 Historic district contributing properties in Florida Sanford, Florida Romanesque Revival architecture in Florida Moorish Revival architecture in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Seminole County, Florida 1887 establishments in Florida {{Florida-struct-stub