Hacienda Hotel to be Re-Opened

THE HACIENDA

5621 Main St, New Port Richey, FL 34652

 

 

 

 

Since I moved to my home back in 2010, I often drive to Main Street in New Port Richey, Florida.  I’ve shared with you the Farmer’s Market, the library and City Hall, Sims Park, murals, and a A Ride Around New Port Richey, Florida

 

 

 

Sims Park

 

Downtown New Port Richey is built around Main Street and has older buildings from the town’s early beginnings.  One that made me sad for many years was the abandoned old Hacienda Hotel.  It was built in 1926.  The area had been discovered by silent film and Broadway stars and world athletes as a winter haven.  The hotel gave New Port Richey the nickname “Hollywood East”.

 

 

 

The Hacienda Hotel in New Port RIchey. ALICE HERDEN | Special to the Times

Photo Tampa Bay Times

 

Nearly a century ago, a new hotel at the corner of Main and Bank streets was the talk of New Port Richey, Florida. The Hacienda Hotel was a luxurious building with pink stucco walls and a sprawling courtyard. In the decades since it was built, the Hotel has played host to movie stars, served as a healthcare facility, and even intrigued a few ghost hunters.

 

 

 

 

Located on the banks of the Pithlachascotee River (‘Cotee River to locals), the building was planned as a “modern, fifty-room hotel of extreme Spanish design.” The Spanish Colonial Revival style hotel was designed by Thomas Reed Martin, a Wisconsin-born architect who moved to Florida at the turn of the 20th century. Plans for the hotel featured steam heating, an open-air dining room, and a courtyard patio. The Hacienda formally opened in February 1927, and was a hit with locals and visitors alike.  Somehow it survived the Great Depression and was open to the 1970’s.  In 1986, the building reopened as the Hacienda Home for Special Services. When I moved to Pasco County, the Hacienda had been vacant for years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2003, the city of New Port Richey purchased the empty Hacienda Hotel. After working with several developers in attempts to renovate and reopen the hotel, the city approved an agreement in 2018 with James Gunderson.  He has been working to restore the historic hotel. It was originally supposed to re-open in 2021, but the pandemic changed that. Major renovation is almost complete, and the hotel is scheduled to open in March 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The restoration was motivated by the desire to bring history back to life.  The hotel will offer 40 guest rooms and a full service bar and restaurant. The renovations have aimed to preserve and pay homage to the building’s iconic 1920s history. In addition to preserving the architectural elements, the hotel’s renovated parking lot has been named for Gloria Swanson, the iconic actress who starred in a number of silent films in the 1920s, as well as the the classic 1950 film Sunset Boulevard.

 

The backyard of the hotel flows into the beautiful and sprawling Sims Park.

 

 

 

 

I hope to visit after it re-opens and take some photos of the restoration. The construction fence around the hotel will come down, landscaping will be finished, and I know it’s going to be beautiful.   I thank the City of New Port Richey for the historic photos today.

 

 

Vintage Postcard of the Hacienda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Carol

I was raised in Tennessee but have lived in Florida for many years. Love my small home in the Tampa Bay area and its developing garden. My decorating style is eclectic - some vintage, some cottage, all with a modern flair. Pursuing a healthier lifestyle. Spent many years in social services but am happily retired.

16 thoughts to “Hacienda Hotel to be Re-Opened”

  1. This is a wonderful read Carol. I am very happy to learn of old historical buildings being restored, and also that this old hotel is getting a new lease of life. I look forward to your photos.

    1. Oh me too – I can’t wait to walk into the lobby. I’m hoping they are happy to have me take pictures. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

  2. Oh I do hope you make it back there after the renovations are complete! That sounds like it will be such a neat place to visit and I can’t wait to see it.

  3. What a totally fabulous hotel. That’s the kind of place I’d love to stay (and probably couldn’t afford!). Love that vintage postcard — such rich colors. I do hope you’ll be able to get a tour (tell them you’re a blogger and you’d like to blog about it and who knows? Maybe they’ll let you stay — or at least guide you through! Thanks for the history.

    1. you’re welcome – I am planning to do just what you suggested. Try to get approval for a tour and take photos for my post. Hope you have a great week.

  4. It’s nice to see restoration instead of destruction or worse, allowing it to just sit and decay. This is great. And I know it is really grand inside. Thanks for sharing at #aclwcc. Pinned and tweeted.

  5. Wow, this was wonderful to read Carol. I will be excited to read your follow up posts (next month maybe if all goes well???), but also I have put this post in my data base of “places to go in Florida” — hoping that one of these times we will again feel like it’s safe to resume our explorations of historical and scenic Florida.

    1. Yes I’m excited to see the open hotel. Hopefully I can share a post next month – fingers crossed.

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