Named after the Sanford Mayor and president of Seminole County Bank, the Forrest Lake Hotel has also been known as the Mayfair Inn and was briefly occupied by the Sanford Naval Academy. In 1916, construction of the building began. Local architect Elton J. Moughton designed the hotel. In 1925, Hotel Forrest Lake opened and became a popular destination for tourists visiting Sanford. By 1929, the hotel closed after the stock market crash and the downfall of Florida's tourism and real estate boom. William E. Kirchhoff leased the building in 1934 and the hotel reopened in 1935 with the new name Mayfair Hotel. Under Kirchhoff's ownership, the Mayfair Hotel became known as one of the finest hotels in the South. Kirchhoff sold the hotel in 1948 to Horace Stoneham, owner of the New York Giants. Stoneham then sold the building to the Bernard McFadden Foundation who later sold it to the New Tribes Mission. The New Tribes Mission's goal is to reach tribes who have no access to the Gospel through translated publications and missionary work.]]> The Sanford Herald, April 11, 1925.]]> The Sanford Herald]]> The Sanford Herald, April 11, 1925: Forrest Lake Hotel Collection, Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.]]> The Sanford Herald, April 11, 1925.]]> Museum of Seminole County History, Sanford, Florida.]]> Hotel Forrest Lake Collection, Sanford Collection, Seminole County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.]]> Politics, Tourism, Education, Non-Profits...Oh My!." RICHES of Central Florida.]]> The Sanford Herald.]]> The Sanford Herald and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.]]>