Floridan Hotel

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Floridan Hotel
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)
Entrance to the old Floridan Hotel
Location:	Tampa, Florida United States
Built/Founded:	1926-1927
Added to NRHP:	March 12, 1996

The Floridan Hotel is a historic hotel in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is located at 905 North Florida Avenue. On March 12, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] History

The hotel was a popular nightspot during World War II catering to servicemen who were training at nearby Drew Field to fly B-17s over Europe. Many of the service men at that time were housed in makeshift barracks located underneath the bleachers at the fair grounds racetrack a few blocks away. The hotel began to decline in patronage in the early 1960’s as more modern “motels” were built along the highways that skirted the city. By the 1980’s the once grand and luxurious hotel had become a residence for transients renting rooms by the day, the week or month. The Floridan Hotel finally closed its doors in 1987. The hotel is undergoing extensive renovations in anticipation of the 2009 Super Bowl.