Vinoy 1

Picture by franklamica


  • 1418
  • 3
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  • June 03, 2015
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III
  • Shooting Style
  • Shoots Number
  • Exposures Number -2,0,+2
  • Editing Software Adobe Photoshop CC 2014 (Windows)
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  • Notes
the vinoy in st. petersburg fl

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03 Jun 12:01
franklamica

On New Year’s Eve 1925, the Vinoy’s first guests paused outside the hotel’s imposing portals, admiring its facade of intricately carved stone columns and elaborate frescos. With a buzz of excitement, they stepped into the enormous lobby that revealed a vaulted ceiling that soared 25 feet; huge, hand-stenciled pecky cypress ceiling beams; and massive chandeliers suspended by hand-tooled leather straps. Even the glazed tile floor gleamed with hand-painted accents. The ballroom where they rang in the New Year was just as impressive: two stories high, 50 feet wide, and 125 feet long, it was a masterpiece of Georgian-style symmetry, described as one of the largest and most beautiful ballrooms in Florida. At $20 per room, the hotel’s nightly rate on opening day was one of the most expensive in the state. The Vinoy opened just as the "Boom Era" in Florida was ending. However, it attracted well-to-do Northerners who were looking for a warm, elegant, recreational destination in the winter. It quickly became one of the country’s most prestigious and coveted getaways for the world’s rich and famous families, along with Hollywood stars, celebrities, presidents and authors. In spite of the Great Depression gripping the country, the 1930s still attracted wealthy Northerners to the Vinoy, who arrived by train or car to experience the resort’s carefree ambience, lavish pleasures and refined hospitality. Celebrities, presidents and the local elite continued to flock to the hotel and solidified its position as the “grand dame” of St. Petersburg, whose residents called upon the hotel to host their most important social occasions. In 1932, D.L. Clark, of candy bar fame, purchased the Coffee Pot Golf Course on Snell Island for $156,000. This would later become the golf course for the Vinoy.

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