San Juan Hotel Postcard

OC00041.pdf

Dublin Core

Title

San Juan Hotel Postcard

Alternative Title

San Juan Hotel Postcard

Subject

Orlando (Fla.)
Postcards--Florida
Hotels--Florida
Buildings--Florida
Tourism--Florida

Description

Postcard showing the San Juan de Ulloa Hotel, located at 32 North Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando, Florida. The building was constructed from 1885 to 1886 by Captain C. E. Pierce at an initial cost of $150,000. The original owner was Henry S. Kedney, who moved from Minnesota to Maitland in 1870 and then to Orlando in 1885. The initial building was a three-story, wood-framed building topped with a dome. In 1887, Harry L. Beeman moved to Orlando and bought the San Juan Hotel. He added two stories and a new addition for $500,000 around 1900. From 1890 to 1900, it also housed the Downtown Orlando Post Office. In 1903, Beeman added a veranda on the north side. In 1914, Henry Green took charge of $20,000 in alterations, including the addition of a laundry room, 12 private baths, and the conversion of the barbershop into a café. In the spring of 1922, Turner Construction Company added an additional eight stories at a cost of $357,000. In May 1928, there was a plan to spend $150,000 to rebuild it along modern lines but it is not known if this was carried out or to what extent.

The hotel also housed a series of services for hotel guests and Orlando residents alike. Among these were several restaurants, a barbershop, and a laundry. The San Juan was the main focal point for activity in Orlando in the early years, but the hotel hit hard times in the 1960s and was re-opened as the Grand Central Hotel, which opened on October 6, 1978. The Grand Central served a gay clientele, featuring several themed bars and lounges. In 1979, the hotel was destroyed by fire. The building was eventually demolished in 1981. The current use of site is a business office originally known as the First Union Bank Tower. It is a 16-story, 300,000-square foot building, completed in 1983.

Creator

Genuine Curteich-Chicago

Source

Original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida: Private Collection of Thomas Cook.

Publisher

Orange News Company

Date Created

ca. 1935

Date Copyrighted

ca. 1935

Date Issued

ca. 1935

Contributor

Cook, Thomas

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original 5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard by Genuine Curteich-Chicago: Orange News Company, Orlando, Florida.

Is Part Of

Private Collection of Thomas Cook.

Postcard Collection, Thomas Cook Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

application/pdf

Extent

655 KB

Medium

5.5 x 3.5 inch color postcard

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Orlando, Florida

Spatial Coverage

28.54279, -81.379072

Temporal Coverage

1935-01-01/1935-12-31

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher

Provenance

Originally created by Genuine Curteich-Chicago and published by the Oranges News Company.

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Genuine Curteich-Chicago and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Contributing Project

Curator

Cook, Thomas

Digital Collection

Source Repository

Private Collection of Thomas Cook

External Reference

Antequino, Stephanie Gaub, and Tana Mosier Porter. Lost Orlando. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub, 2012.
Dickinson, Joy Wallace. A Guide to Historic Orlando. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2003.
"Central Florida GLBT Timeline." GLBT History Museum. http://glbthistorymuseum.com/joomla15/index.php?option=com_chronoconnectivity&Itemid=62.

Transcript

O-123---San Juan Hotel
Orlando, Fla.

ORANGE NEWS CO., ORLANDO, FLA.

POST CARD

GENUINE CURTEICH-CHICAGO "C.T.ART-COLORTONE" POST CARD (REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.)

Still Image Item Type Metadata

Original Format

1 color postcard

Physical Dimensions

5.5 x 3.5 inch

Collection

Citation

Genuine Curteich-Chicago, “San Juan Hotel Postcard,” RICHES, accessed November 10, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/1015.

Locations

Categories