| LAKELAND'S GRAND AND NOT SO GRAND HOTELS |
THE TREMONT HOUSE |
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Tremont House @1895 |
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Tremont House @1905 |
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Trermont House @1910 |
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Tremont House @1920 |
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Title Page |
Lakeland was an early hub of railroad activity in central Florida. Located approximately mid-way between Orlando and Tampa, it became a stopping point for both passenger and freight trains. By the mid-1890's some 25 trains a day were stopping in the bustling hamlet of Lakeland. Passengers and crews from the trains needed accommodations.
Lakeland founder Abraham Munn anticipated this need when he built the Tremont House in 1885 at the corner of what is now Main and Massachusetts, the present site of the Lakeland Terrace Hotel. At the time the Tremont was built, the entire population of Lakeland was barely enough to fill the hotel. Munn. however, saw that the railroad would bring customers to his hotel. He wanted those customers to have fond memories of their visit to Lakeland. As a result he spared no expense in building the Tremont. It was considered to be among the most elegant hotels in central Florida at the time of is constructions. So elegant was it that it was reputed to have the first bathtubs in all of Lakeland.
The Tremont had a lengthy if peripatetic stay in Lakeland. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps indicate that the Tremont was moved from the corner of Main and Massachusetts to an adjacent lot in 1911. It was also renovated and enlarged before the move. By the 1930's, the Tremont had been eclipsed by the larger and more elegant Thelma, Lakeland Terrace, and New Florida Hotels. It was torn down in 1936.
Click on the links above to view the Tremont House at various stages of its existence.
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