The American National Bank Building (also known as the Orange Blossom Hotel) at 1330 Main Street in

Sarasota Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

is a historic

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

. It was also a Hotel and

Retirement Home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...

. It was added to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

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 ...

in 1998. With .

History

Construction and bank usage

The American National Bank was built on the former property of the Belle Haven Hotel known earlier as the DeSoto Hotel built in 1886. The hotel in May 1925 was put for sale at a price of $533,000 ($ in ) and was bought by the Adair Reality and Trust of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. After purchasing the hotel, there were plans to tear it down and replace it with a new one. There had been rumors that it would be replaced with an office building. In March 1926, the foundations of the building were laid with all building materials sent in before being built, and by April 1926, it was at 4 stories. On April 29, 1926, an article by ''The Week in Sarasota'' titled "New Belle Haven Hotel on Bay Front Marks New Epoch in History of Sarasota and Its Commanding Position as a Resort City." The cost of the building was estimated to be at about $3,000,000 to $3,500,000 (about $ to $ in ). In April 1926, the

American National Bank First American National Bank was a subsidiary of First American Corporation, a financial institution based in Nashville, Tennessee, that served the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia. It was headquartered in the First American ...

moved into the new building.

Hotel usage

Sarasota in the 1930s saw a growth in tourists coming here. In 1936 with a growth in tourism Joseph Spadaro from Boca Grande bought it and converted it into a hotel. It was described by R.L. Polk City Phone Directories as "a fireproof building built of steel and concrete, steam heat and with 2 elevators and 125 rooms". There was a room called the Aztec Room a cocktail lounge was popular with tourists and residents in the area. The hotel was sold in 1946 to Louis Swed from Tampa and Associates for $225,000 (about $ in ). There were plans to redo the hotel's rooms and add a coffee bar and a restaurant. In 1946 the Orange Blossom Hotel Corporation was formed and had Lewis Swed, Jack Shapiro and M. B. Sullivan as executives. In 1950 the hotel was sold to Elizabeth Fitizie and Mrs. Thomas Kewley for in excess of $300,000 (worth about $ in ). The new owners took a major part in the hotel's operation and the dining room. The Hotel did have Jimmy Roosevelt and

Peter Lawford Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford ( Aylen; 7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984) was an English-American actor.Obituary '' Variety'', 26 December 1984. He was a member of the " Rat Pack" and the brother-in-law of US president John F. Kennedy and se ...

as notable guests of the hotel. The hotel struggled with business during the 1950s and 1960s when new hotels were being opened in Sarasota.

Retirement Facility

In 1967, it was announced that the Trustees of the Sarasota Non-Profit Foundation had purchased the hotel and decided to use it as a nursing home with 60 rooms. The next year, the hotel was modernized and made it into the '' Building Magazine'' as a Modernization Citation. In the 1980s, many of its lifetime tenants no longer occupied the building, which led to its closure.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Sarasota County listings
a
National Register of Historic Places

American National Bank Building
a
Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs
National Register of Historic Places in Sarasota County, Florida Bank buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Commercial buildings completed in 1926 Buildings and structures in Sarasota, Florida Office buildings in Florida 1926 establishments in Florida