| LAKELAND'S GRAND AND NOT SO GRAND HOTELS |
THE KIBLER/THELMA HOTEL |
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Kibler Hotel @1913 |
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Kibler Hotel @1918 |
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Thelma Hotel @1920's |
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Thelma Hotel @1950's |
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Title Page |
The Kibler Hotel was built in 1913 at a cost of $125,000 by twin brothers Adolphus and David Kibler. It was located at the corner of South Kentucky and East Lemon and rapidly surpassed the Tremont as Lakeland's most popular hotel.
The Kibler brothers sold the hotel to local businessman Henry B. Carter in 1919 for $200,000. Carter promptly renamed the hotel for his daughter Thelma. The hotel remained on the downtown Lakeland landscape for the next 40+ plus years, playing host to such renowned guests as Thomas Edison and Theodore Roosevelt. It was also a popular location for meetings of Lakeland's many cultural and civic groups.
By the late 1950's, the Thelma had fallen prey to the same malady that afflicted older urban hotels throughout the country. Competition from motels more conveniently located near highways on the outskirts of the city rendered the Thelma unprofitable. It closed its doors in April 1962 and was torn down a month later.
Click on the links above to to view the Kibler/Thelma at various stages of its existence.
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