Demolition Underway At Florida’s Historic 820,000 Sq. Ft. ‘Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa’

Belleair, Florida, United States

It was said to be the largest occupied wood frame structure in the entire world but even that wasn’t enough to save this 820,000 square foot resort & spa.  The Belleview Biltmore is set on a 22-acre site along the eastern shores of Old Clearwater Bay with views of the bay and the barrier islands.  Constructed of native Florida pine wood, the hotel was built in 1897 by railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant, and until just a couple years ago this was the only remaining Henry Plant hotel still in operation. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 26, 1979.  In 2007 Legg Mason Real Estate Investors purchased the hotel for $30.3-million with plans to restore & preserve it. “We know the Biltmore has been an integral piece of the community’s history and we look forward to working with the city on a plan that preserves it for future generations,” said Joseph Penner, managing director of Legg Mason Real Estate Investors. Documents had shown that construction plans included a total reconfiguration of the hotel’s pool, constructing underground parking, restoring three historic homes on the property, and replacing the spa with a convention center. The 1890s-era hotel shut her doors for the final time in May of 2009 for what should have been a $100-million restoration. The hotel never reopened.  JMC Communities purchased the resort earlier this year for $6.2-million and plans to preserve 10% of the original 820,000 square foot structure which will house a 33-room boutique inn with an ice cream parlor, a bar, and room for weddings and functions. As for the rest of the structure, it will be torn down to make way for 28 town homes and eight two-storey buildings with 104 condominiums. Demolition is estimated to take six to eight months. Deputy Mayor Stephen Fowler is quoted saying in 2009, “You see the weeds coming up, the paint peeling, and the ratty-looking roof. You’ve got to feel sympathy for the residents around there.” Architectural history is not something that can be brought back, once it’s gone it’s gone. The Belleview Biltmore has hosted many famous guests including U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the Duke of Windsor, and celebrities such as Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford.