ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This year marks the 95th anniversary of one of Tampa Bay’s most iconic and historic hotels, The Don Cesar. Celebrations will take place throughout the year, starting this week with a special artist showcase depicting the history of The Don.
“Kind of the theme we were going with is 'If These Walls Could Talk,'” said Marketing Manager Samantha Weisberg.
The Don has always been as picturesque as a postcard, so Weisberg and local artist Bianca Burrows thought: Why not celebrate 95 years with a mixture of history and creativity?
“I would always paint the New York skyline or Statue of Liberty, and to me, The Don Cesar is one of those things for Florida,” said Burrows.
The hotel was built in 1928 by Thomas Rowe as an ode to a woman he fell in love with while seeing an opera in London. The name of the leading role was Don Cesar.
“And when he built it, everyone thought he was crazy. It was a very deserted piece of land; they could only get here from a wooden bridge,” said Burrows.
However, over time it became a very popular destination.
“A lot of U.S. Presidents have stayed here, F Scott Fitzgerald, Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe honeymooned here, Babe Ruth and the Yankees signed a contract here,” said Weisberg.
When Rowe died, the U.S. military took it over in 1941 to help rehabilitate servicemen, earning the nickname “the love hospital.”
“There were actually two weddings a week because all these soldiers were meeting all these Florida women,” said Burrows.
By the time the 1960s rolled around, The Don was vacant and in jeopardy.
“Like people would skateboard, trespass, graffiti, and there were talks about getting it demolished,” said Burrows.
Through the help of the community, The Pink Palace reopened in 1973, preserving that nostalgic look and feel.
“In 1974, the hotel became a national landmark, and we are not allowed to really change the hotel,” said Weisberg.
The Don has hosted countless celebrations over the years.
“We actually had a couple who got married here, whose parents got married here, and I think that is special to be able to have gotten married in the same location as your parents,” said Weisberg.
But now it’s time to celebrate the hotel itself.
“So I actually took a Dom Perignon bottle and did Don Perignon,” said Burrows, regarding one of her six paintings.
Twenty percent of the money raised from the sale of these paintings goes back to the Children’s Cancer Center.
“It’s just really special to be able to have old memories and then continue to make new ones in the same place; I think this place means a lot to a lot of people,” said Weisberg.
