HISTORY OF PASCO COUNTY

The Hacienda Hotel

This page was last revised on Dec. 8, 2007.

In 1926 it seemed possible that New Port Richey, Florida, might become another Hollywood. Thomas Meighan, one of the top stars of the silent screen, had purchased property and was about to build a mansion on the Pithlachascotee River. He hoped to convince other figures from Hollywood to move to New Port Richey. A new theater under construction was to be named for Meighan.

The Hollywood connection to New Port Richey had begun a number of years earlier, when Earl Benham, an actor, costumer, and songwriter, purchased some large tracts of land on high ground overlooking the Cotee River. Benham's wife was sister to the wife of Raymond Hitchcock, a comic star. The Hitchcocks visited New Port Richey in the 1920s. Benham also sold tracts of land to Thomas Meighan and his brother James E. Meighan. In early 1926, the local weekly newspaper, the New Port Richey Press, reported that songwriter Irving Berlin, bandleader Paul Whiteman, and Raymond Hitchcock had purchased property in the town; these reports, however, may have been untrue.

On the night of May 25-26, 1926, the Enchantment Inn, New Port Richey's major hotel, was destroyed by fire. (The hotel had also been known as the Inn and the Sass Hotel.) By June 1926 the officers and directors of the Community Hotel, Inc., had approved plans for a new hotel (not yet named the Hacienda) which, it was hoped, might help to attract Hollywood celebrities. The architect selected was Thomas Reed Martin of Sarasota. The officers of the corporation were Warren E. Burns, president; James E. Meighan, vice-president; James H. Becker, vice president and treasurer; and Charles F. Hoffman, secretary. Directors were Warren E. Burns, James H. Becker, Edward C. Blum (?), C. W. Barnett, Edward P. Campbell, Charles F. De Woody, Frank I. Grey, Charles F. Hoffman, Dr. William W. Hunt, Moses A. Fullington, James E. Meighan, Richard Morgan, Leland C. Poole, Fred A. Shaw, George R. Sims, Charles E. Snell, Edgar A. Wright. The executive committee consisted of Warren E. Burns, James H. Becker, James E. Meighan, Charles F. Hoffman, and George R. Sims.

On June 4, 1926, the New Port Richey Press reported, “The plans call for a modern, fifty-room hotel of extreme Spanish design, equipped with a steam-heating plant and comfortably furnished throughout. Several unique features of design are planned for the hotel. It will have an open-air dining room, for one thing, and the patio-effect of the dining place will be bordered by palms. The dining room and lobby will be beamed in Spanish grille fashion. Paintings of the lobby and main dining room interiors are on display at the Chamber of Commerce rooms.”

A September 1926 newspaper article referred to the new Community Hotel, and quoted Oliver LeMay, supervisor of construction, as saying that he hoped construction would be completed by New Year's Day.

On Nov. 12, 1926, the name Hacienda Hotel was chosen for the new hotel, according to a 1974 article by Wilfred Neill, which also reported that about $30,000 worth of furnishings were bought from the Tampa Hardware Co. on Dec. 10, 1926.

A 1927 Tampa Tribune article reported that the hotel cost $100,000 and furnishings cost an additional $30,000. The Tribune article also stated, “The building was erected, furnished and received its first guests in 184 days from the day of the breaking of the ground, a record in itself in rapid high grade construction.”

The property for the hotel was donated by Mr. and Mrs. James E. Meighan. Wilfred Neill wrote in a 1974 newspaper column, “The corporation issued 2,500 shares of preferred stock at $100 each, par. It also issued 2,500 shares of common stock, with a nominal value of $20 each. On March 15 a drive was begun, and by March 19, two-thirds of the necessary money had been raised.”

The informal opening of the Hacienda Hotel took place on Feb. 5, 1927, when the first guests were welcomed, dinner was served, and the hotel was thrown open for inspection. Eight hundred persons attended, according to the New Port Richey Press, which reported, "The outpouring of citizens was the largest since New Port Richey was settled."

Arthur A. Boardman was named manager of the Hacienda. Bennett Mallard was assistant manager, and A. R. Poole and James Tiffany were also on the staff.

According to the New Port Richey Press, the formal opening of the Hacienda took place on Feb. 17, 1927. The newspaper reported that more than 120 persons attended the event sponsored by the City Club of New Port Richey. Charles F. Hoffman, President of the City Club, was the toastmaster, and the speakers were New Port Richey Mayor Edgar A. Wright, Charles E. DeWoody, Dr. W. W. Hunt (or Hurt?), and C. W. Lyons of Tampa. (Several accounts say that actor Ed Wynn was the master of ceremonies at the opening of the Hacienda. This seems unlikely, as he is not mentioned in the contemporary newspaper articles.)

The New Port Richey Press carried a photo of the Hacienda in 1930 with the caption: "Here were assembled at various times some of the most famous living celebrities of stage and screen, including Thomas Meighan, Leon Errol, Madeline Cameron, Frances Ring, Flora Zabelle, and numerous others as well as such noted writers as Bob Davis, George Ade, Ring Lardner, Hal W. Lanigan and others. Gay parties from St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater and other cities motored here to enjoy the delightful atmosphere of this 'Bit of Old Spain Amid the Palms.'" Others who stayed at the Hacienda in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s were Mrs. Arthur Hammerstein (formerly known as the actress Dorothy Dalton); songwriter Walter Donaldson; attorney Clarence Darrow; W. J. Wells, general manager of Macy's and President of the Retail Managers Association of the U. S.; and Frank Case, owner-operator of the Algonquin Hotel in New York and a writer. Pauline Stevenson Ash wrote that when she was a student at Gulf High School, she and some other students saw Gloria Swanson at the Hacienda.

According to the 1974 Wilfred Neill article, "The Hacienda weathered the Great Depression. In the years that followed, the hotel's ownership changed several times as stock shares were bought and sold. At one time, the hotel was owned by Maxine Stein, who also had a theatrical makeup company in Los Angeles. Later owners developed a Spanish theme. An addition to the hotel was named the La Fonda steak room. The cocktail room was renamed the Matador Lounge. Bullfight posters adorned its walls. Waitresses and barmaids wore toreador pants and bolero jackets."

In 1935 the Community Hotel Corporation sold the Hacienda to Robert Holmes Sr., whose sons Gray and Robert Jr., managed it.

On Nov. 1, 1935, the New Port Richey Press reported that Gray Holmes and his brother Robert Holmes Jr. had recently taken over the operation of the Hacienda and expected to open for the season on November 15. It also reported that Gray Holmes had been operating a first class hotel in Douglas, Ga., for the past several years, and that Robert Holmes Jr. had had charge of the DeSota hotel in Tampa recently. The article also reported, "The hotel has been under the management of Major H. Stanford for the past several years. Major Stanford left last Spring to operate the Ferry Tavern, at Old Isle (?), Conn."

On January 25, 1938, the New Port Richey Press reported: "Thirty-three guests were registered Tuesday at the Hacienda, New Port Richey fine hotel, indicating greater travel through this section. Many of those registered will remain for some time in this section."

On Nov. 14, 1944, the New Port Richey Press reported that the Hacienda Hotel had been sold the previous week to Rev. Dr. William T. Watson of St. Petersburg. The article reported that Watson was "a leader in religious work in St. Petersburg." It also reported, "Owing to war conditions the hotel has not been operated to full capacity in the past three years." Watson was the founder of the Florida Bible Institute at Temple Terrace.

In a recent letter to Bill W. Lanpher, President of Trinity College, Dr. Watson's son recalled that his father purchased several hotels which he thought might be a good location for the Florida Bible College, one of which was the Hacienda. He wrote, "However, the town of New Port Richey did not want to lose their only hotel. We operated it as a hotel with no official connection to the school, of which I am aware. The school did hold their annual end of the year Banquets there."

[It is claimed that evangelist Billy Graham worked as a waiter at the Hacienda while he was attending Bible College. However, according to his biography he actually worked as a waiter at the restaurant on the campus of Florida Bible Institute in Tampa, which he attended from 1937 to 1940. In 1969, Graham recalled that in 1937 while attending Temple Terrace Independent Bible School in Tampa, his first recreational trip and picnic was to New Port Richey.]

In 1950 Watson sold the hotel to Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Schuldt, formerly of Omaha.

In 1951 Schuldt sold the hotel to Mr. and Mrs. M. Gates, who had operated the Delaware Towers at Chicago, and Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Merkatz, who had operated the Royal Inn at Woodbourne, N. Y.

In November 1953 the hotel was purchased by Maxine Stein, formerly of Chicago.

On Dec. 24, 1953, the New Port Richey Press reported, "Currently plans are being prepared for the construction of a 75 foot swimming pool, a crescent drive from which a canopy covered walk will lead to the new Main Street entrance."

The newly furnished and redecorated Hacienda Hotel opened on Dec. 29, 1953. Ray Miller was the manager.

On Mar. 17, 1955, a New Port Richey Press article named Mrs. Maxine Strompsen of the Hacienda Hotel.

On Sept. 25, 1955, the New Port Richey Press reported that the hotel was sold by Mrs. Maxine Stromson to Mrs. Francis Supic, formerly of Milwaukee, and that it would reopen on Oct. 1 with Mrs. Supic's son Karl J. Gabriel as manager. [Ownership information from the 1950s to the 1970s is currently lacking.]

On March 26, 1959, the New Port Richey Press reported that Robert Semple of Tarpon Springs purchased the Hacienda from Mrs. Frances Supic, who had owned the hotel for approximately 3 1/2 years.

The hotel staged a gala re-opening on Oct. 3, 1959, following improvements which were made during the summer months.

On October 24, 1974, the fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of New Port Richey was celebrated with a dinner at the Hacienda Hotel. The menu—turkey, cornbread, corn, and all the trimmings—duplicated the one that was served to celebrate the opening of the Hacienda.

In 1974 Jacqueline A. and Michael N. Battista purchased the hotel.

Several years later New Port Richey realtor E. Ed Smith filed suit to foreclose on the hotel after the couple had failed to make mortgage payments.

On July 26, 1985, the St. Petersburg Times reported that Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services Inc. had selected the Hacienda Hotel as the site of Florida's first "House for Special Services," and that the Hacienda was expected to close its doors after 60 years in the hotel business. The article referred to Michael Battista as the owner of the hotel.

On Aug. 6, 1986, the Harry L. Green Hacienda Home for Special Services, operated by Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services, opened in the former Hacienda Hotel. The program was initially described an ACLF for persons 18 and older who were free of acute conditions or infectious diseases. More recently, the facility was described as a 75-bed home for elderly persons with mental disabilities.

On Oct. 24, 1996, the Hacienda Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

On Aug. 12, 2003, the New Port Richey City Council voted to purchase the Hacienda Hotel from Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services for $2.2 million. The city subsequently leased the facility to that organization while it arranged relocation of the residents.

In May 2006 New Port Richey City Manager Scott Miller reported that Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services would vacate the premises by June 1.

The address of the Hacienda is 5621 Main Street, New Port Richey, Florida 34652.