W 5 discussion board: early 1900's 2-introduction to florida history

W 5 Discussion Board: Early 1900s 2 November 1. Henry Plant also built the Belleview, a very different design than that of the luxurious Tampa Hotel. Built in a remote location in Clearwater, he chose to keep the hotel informal and relaxed (Ayers, 2007, p12). The hotels construction was entirely of wood and the hotels private boat would ferry guests to Bellaire Beach, property that was also owned by the hotel.
The Belleview added Biltmore to its’ name in 1919, becoming part of the hostelries. A main attraction of the Belleview was a six-hole golf course which was fast becoming popular and Florida’s first hotel golf course. This course has since been expanded into two championship courses still used today.
Plants hotel properties continued to grow and he added the Seminole in Winter Park, The Ocala House, Hotel Punta Gorda, and the Fort Myers Hotel (Ayers, 2007). These hotels never achieved the grand status of the Belleview or the Tampa Bay Hotel.
2. Henry Flagler’s railroad did go beyond Miami, reaching other important destinations. His extension of the line from Homestead to Key West was seen as one of the greatest railroad achievements in US history (Mitchell, 2012, p103). The circumstances that allowed for the extension all the way to Key West were unique and occurred during a specific window of opportunity for such an extension.
With his known engineering ability and fortune obtained before he began in Florida he was able to recognize and realize the advantages that a railroad connecting New York with Key West would provide.
References
Ayers, W. (2007). Floridas Grand Hotels from the Gilded Age. Antiques & Art Around Florida, 3910-23.
Mitchell, L. (2012). The greatest railroad story ever told: Henry Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railways Key West extension. Journal Of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), 4(1), 103-104.