| LAKELAND'S GRAND AND NOT SO GRAND HOTELS |
THE LAKELAND TERRACE HOTEL |
 |
The Terrace under construction, 1924 |
 |
The Terrace @ late 1920's |
 |
The Terrace @1930's |
 |
The Terrace, 1968 |
|
Title Page |
The Lakeland Terrace Hotel was the city's first high rise building. It was designed by the Atlanta architectural firm of Henry, Reid, and Adler and built by Adair Realty Trust, also of Atlanta, at a cost of $750,000. It stands on the site originally occupied by Lakeland's first hotel, the Tremont House. The Tremont had been moved in 1911 and the lot on which it stood divided. The vacant portion of the lot was sold to Adair in 1923.
The Terrace opened with a gala reception and dance on October 20, 1924. Several hundred people attended the event, according to the Lakeland Evening Ledger, dancing to the music of the Foot Warmers, an Atlanta based orchestra. The paper also reported that the hotel exterior came very close to being bright orange. The color was changed to a more soothing gray only when city officials protested to the wife of the developer.
The Terrace was Lakeland's premier hotel through the 1940's and 1950's. Though it changed hands several times over the years, it remained the destination of choice for visitors to Lakeland. By the 1970's, however, the Terrace had fallen on hard times, victim of changing travel habits and the emergence of motels conveniently located near the highways. It had become home to a combination of long term residents and transients who paid as little as $12 a night for a room.
The city finally ordered the Terrace closed for building code violations in late 1986. It remained closed for 12 years, looming like some dark presence over Lakeland's downtown. Many proposals were made, and rejected, for its renovation and reuse over the years. More than one city official called for its demolition.
Finally, in 1996, Houston developer and Lakeland native Rob Scharar purchased the Terrace for $150,000 from the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority. His plan was to restore the Terrace to its former grandeur as a first class hotel. Nearly three years and $7 million later that dream was realized, as the beautifully restored Lakeland Terrace Hotel reopened on February 26, 1999.
Click on the links above to see various views of the Lakeland Terrace.
|
