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The San Juan Hotel was built in 1885 at a cost of $150,000 by C.E Pierce. The hotel was located in
The San Juan Hotel was built in 1885 at a cost of $150,000 by C.E Pierce. The hotel was located in Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
on the corner of Orange Avenue and Central Avenue. Harry Beeman of Beeman Chewing Gum purchased the hotel in 1889 and added two additional stories. The second floor was a favorite spot to view hangings at the Orange County Jail. In the spring of 1922 the Turner Construction Company constructed an eight-story addition to the north of the 1885 5-story wing right next to the Beacham Theatre
The Beacham Theatre is a cinema built in 1921 by Braxton Beacham Sr. in the city of Orlando, Florida. The current address of the theater is 46 North Orange Avenue, and it is located at the southwest corner of Orange Avenue and Washington Stre ...
. The San Juan hotel addition included restaurants, a barber shop, a laundromat, a pharmacy, as well as an office for Braxton Beacham
Braxton Beacham (September 12, 1864 - September 24, 1924) was the eighteenth Mayor of Orlando from 1906 to 1907. He was also an Orlando businessman and entrepreneur who owned the Beacham Movie Theatre and founded "Prosper Colony" which became ...
. The hotel first suffered hard times in the 1960s, and on September 7, 1975, the San Juan Hotel closed. But the 1976 It was opened again by a businessman but it didn't have enough clientele to stay open so it closed again in 1977. In October 1978 The San Juan reopened as the Grand Central Hotel, a hotel for gay clientele. But turns The San Juan was planning to be demolished holes were cut in the upper floors in preparation for demolition. But around 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. on the morning of January 2, 1979, the top 3 stories of the 1885 5-story wing (unoccupied at the time) were on fire, There was a water leak which flooded down into the shops on the 1st floor as well, The 1922 8-story wing suffered little damage. It is believed Arson started the fire. It is unknown to this day who started the fire. The San Juan Hotel was demolished in August 1980. The Orlando Historic Preservation Board were powerless to save it. In October 1980, the Orlando Historic Preservation board created the Downtown Orlando Historic District.
Tunnels connected the Beacham Theatre to the addition to the San Juan and Angebilt Hotel
The Angebilt Hotel is a hotel located in Orlando, Florida at 37 North Orange Avenue. Designed by architect Murray S. King, the 11-story building was built from 1921-1923 and opened on March 14, 1923.
It was operated by Joseph Fenner Ange since th ...
s.
References
History of Orlando, Florida Demolished hotels in Florida Hotel buildings completed in 1885 Hotel buildings completed in 1922 Buildings and structures demolished in 1980 1980 disestablishments in Florida 1885 establishments in Florida {{Florida-struct-stub