Located at the southern end of the Pinellas Peninsula along Tampa Bay, the history of St. Petersburg, Florida, is immensely interesting. The earliest people to frequent the region were Native Americans, who occupied the space for generations. But in the early 16th century, a pair of the Spanish explorers journeyed through the area in search of fame and treasure. The first of the two adventurers—Pánfilo de Narváez—arrived in 1528 with an army of some 300 men. Heading deep into the interior, his party reemerged from its trek with just four survivors! Narváez himself had died, too, as the raft he used during his return trip was swept away into the Gulf of Mexico. Undeterred, Hernando de Soto arrived with his own troop a decade later. From Tampa Bay, de Soto ventured all across what is now the Deep South, reaching as far as the banks of the Mississippi River in present-day Louisiana. Like his predecessor, Hernando de Soto had died while leading his expedition. Nevertheless, Florida became part of the Spanish Empire for the next three centuries, save for a brief period in the mid-1700s when it was a British colony. While Pinellas Peninsula remained relatively isolated, settlers stared to congregate toward the northern end of Tampa Bay shortly after the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1821. The main force behind the development was the U.S. Army, which had dispatched four companies of soldiers to erect a fort.

Known as “Fort Brooke,” the citadel and its garrison effectively served as the only settled community in the entire region. Fort Brooke served as an important post as it defended against the attacks by the Seminoles, who, since the 1810s, had continuously challenged the settlement of the area. When the fighting ceased toward the middle of the century, other settlers started to move to Tampa Bay in large numbers. Pinellas Peninsula was an afterthought for many though, and it remained an undeveloped wetland through the American Civil War. But when Florida began its transformation into a luxurious vacation hotspot in the years after the conflict, some Americans finally recognized the commercial real estate value of the region. One such person was John C. Williams, a transplant from Detroit, Michigan, who had travelled south in search of prospective economic opportunities. In 1875, he purchased a large plot of land in the Pinellas Peninsula from Captain Peter Demens and subsequently convinced him to help found a brilliant new city. Although it grew slowly, the new City of St. Petersburg received a formal charter from the Florida state legislature in February of 1892. Local legend has it that Williams and Demens chose the name of “St. Petersburg” with a coin flip. Demens won the toss, deciding to name the new community after St. Petersburg, Russia. Both Williams and Demens quickly set about developing their new community into an exclusive resort town. The two specifically constructed a magnificent hotel in the center of St. Petersburg that Williams christened in honor of his birthplace.

The town’s population nonetheless remained fairly small, only numbering a few people at the dawn of the 20th century. At the time, the economy of St. Petersburg operated on commercial fishing and other small enterprises. Its maritime commerce improved significantly over the next several years, as city officials began dredging the local harbor into a deep-water port. However, several important developments transpired during 1910 that ultimately turned the city into a popular vacation retreat. Al Lang convinced the St. Louis Browns to relocate its spring training facilities to St. Petersburg, creating the tradition in which many professional baseball clubs held their preseason activities in the area. Furthermore, commercial airplane flights began running exclusively to St. Petersburg, beginning with Tony Jannus and his Benoist XIV flying boat. Those two developments—combined with the town’s naturally beautiful beaches—had quickly made it one of Florida’s most well-known destinations. By the 1920s, thousands of tourists from throughout the Northeast had descended upon St. Petersburg for an enjoyably relaxing holiday. As with most coastal Floridian towns, a massive land boom subsequently erupted throughout St. Petersburg. Dozens of outstanding hotels and resorts—including the Vinoy Park Hotel—debuted, as such. Today, St. Petersburg has since continued to be one of Florida’s most outstanding locations.

When architect Henry L. Taylor first designed The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club, Autograph Collection, he used a central block consisting of seven stories with four canted wings. Designed with Mediterranean Revival-style architecture, Taylor constructed each section with a reinforced concrete frame that he eventually coated with clay tile and stucco. Three of the four extensions only extended upward for five stories and primarily housed nothing but luxurious guestrooms. Only the southeastern wing was spatially diverse, as it was home to several public spaces that included the spectacular dining room. To the north of the central building featured a smaller facility that operated as the grand ballroom. Then, to the west, Taylor erected a stunning observation tower that managed to eclipse the entire facility by several stories. The tower itself was a magnificent display, covered with fine stuccoed baroque detailing. Brilliant clay tile covered the roof of the tower, as well as the other five structures that comprised the main body of the resort. Inside, the ornate decorations continued to appear frequently. Scrafitto murals lined the sides of every window on the top story, as well as the entire length of the ballroom’s interior façade. The lobby and its accompanying mezzanine possessed a wealth of decorative floor tiling and beautiful vaulted ceilings. A combination of leather and wrought iron chandeliers appeared regularly, while wall sconces and stenciled cypress beams proliferated throughout every public space. But Taylor somewhat broke with the overall theme of the building, using Georgian architecture to create the interior of the massive ballroom room. Pompeiian-inspired artwork and décor also defined the dining room, as did a stunning colonnade and a monumental leaded-glass window. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior:

• “Individual rooms were also sumptuously furnished. The furniture of the guest rooms is hairwood, which is deep gray in color, and striped with a one-inch band of walnut. Draperies are of striped mohair in shades of rose and green…Blankets are a gray plaid, cut and bound single to match the top blankets…These were brought out in light gray with Grecian key border, the crest being woven in both borders. The bedspreads are tan with rose or green stripes to match the decorations.”

Mediterranean Revival-style architecture itself is a gorgeous—but rather peculiar—structural aesthetic. Popular among American architects at the height of the Roaring Twenties, its main characteristic was its intrinsic eclecticism. While most Revivalist styles typically mimicked one or two earlier architectural forms, Mediterranean Revival-style took its inspiration from several, including Italian Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, and French Beaux-Arts. The amalgamation of so many unique design principles into one singular form was born out of a desire to create exotic buildings that closely resembled the different kinds of historic palaces scattered throughout the Mediterranean basin. As the modern hospitality industry exploded in Florida and California in the 1920s and early 1930s, American architects—as well as the hoteliers who served as their clients—hoped such an appearance would epitomize the tropical atmosphere of their respective states. But they also wished that the new style would significantly impress the throngs of tourists that had started to south and west as a means of escaping the harsh winters of the Northeast. As such, Mediterranean Revival-style architecture was predominantly used to create luxurious hotels and resorts, although some affluent Americans began using the form to construct their own personal homes. Architects August Gieger and Addison Mizner were the two most prominent professionals to popularize the style in Florida, while the likes of Bertram Goodhue and Sumner Spaulding used it frequently in California. Mediterranean Revival-style typically relied on a regular, rectangular floorplan that featured grandiose, symmetrical façades. Stucco exterior walls and red-tile roofs were perhaps the greatest structural elements. Yet, American architects also incorporated wrought iron balconies into the overall design, as well as numerous keystones and arched windows with grilles.

Jimmy Stewart, actor known for his roles in such films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance, and It’s a Wonderful Life.

Marilyn Monroe, actress known for her roles in Bus Stop and Some Like It Hot.

Paul Newman, actor known for his roles in such films like Cool Hand Luke, The Sting, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

Eartha Kitt, singer and actress known for such songs as “C’est si bon” and “Santa Baby.”

B.B. King, musician hailed throughout the world as “The King of the Blues.”

Ernest Hemingway, author known for writing such books like A Farwell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea. 

Babe Ruth, legendary outfielder for the New York Yankees who is regarded today as the best baseball player ever.

Joe DiMaggio, outfielder for the New York Yankees best remembered as the “Yankee Clipper.”

Richard Byrd, Admiral in the U.S. Navy who earned the Medal of Honor for his supposed exploration of the North Pole.

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923 – 1929)

Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States (1929 – 1933)

The Break (1995)