Imagine if you were to enter a hotel and instantly sense a joie de vivre from a bygone era. Not another cookie-cutter beachfront Florida hotel, but a proud testament to the glory days of the silent movie stars and the Roaring Twenties. Welcome to the charming, captivating and historic Casa Marina Hotel.
Nestled along a sand dune on First Street in Jacksonville Beach, the Casa Marina Hotel has a long, proud and mysterious history. Opened in 1925 amid festive pomp and circumstance, she boasted two stories, sixty rooms and the first building in Jacksonville Beach with an overhead sprinkler system.
The Casa Marina was to become the newest wintertime playground for the rich, famous and notorious. Exiting from the hotel’s oceanfront doors, one could stroll, play and dine along the famous Boardwalk or gaze at the line of Model T Fords parked with precision on the sand. Children with parents simply splashed in the ocean.
Conveniently located near the bustling Jacksonville train terminal, completed in 1919, visiting dignitaries and film legends began to arrive in droves. Included on the eclectic who’s who list of guests was President Harry Truman, financier John D. Rockefeller and Al Capone. Silver screen icons Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow, Fatty Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin have also signed the guest book.
Over the decades, this Grand Dame has worn a variety of hats. During World War II, she was used by the U.S. government to house the military. After the war, the Casa Marina, according to the hotel’s publicist Leigh Cort, was remodeled into “private residences and an assortment of businesses…a thirty-seven room apartment building, restaurant, tearoom, vintage clothing store” and more.
In 1991, new owners added a third floor penthouse and a large verandah. The view from the third floor offered a breathtaking panorama of the ocean and the ribbon of boardwalk that extended down the beach. In time, a Penthouse Lounge and expansive oceanfront terrace would be added.
Fast forward to today. Once again the Casa Marina is alive and well to welcome another generation of guests. Fall in love with the hotel; the twenty-three distinctively furnished parlor suites and bedrooms, award-winning dining and live music on the Spanish-style courtyard. In 2005, this legendary property was recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and became a noted member of the Historic Hotels of America.
General Manager Mark Vandeloo is very passionate about the Casa Marina. “We’re an 80-year-old boutique hotel riddled with stories and memories,” says Mark. At 31, Mark is one of the youngest General Managers of the Historic Hotels of America. “We are history,” Vandeloo says. You can hear the excitement in his voice as he begins to tell you of the hotel’s historic significance.
Chef Aaron Webb, who has been with the Casa Marina since 2001, is the creative culinary genius behind the lavish Sunday Champagne Brunch. A delicately hand-carved whole Red Snapper, Jamaican jerk salmon with a luscious tropical fruit salsa and his unique Eggs Benedict over fried green tomatoes are just a few of the many tantalizing entrees that draws over 150 guests every Sunday.
Interested in ghosts? Ask Sterling Joyce, 61, a local legend on the Jacksonville Beach hospitality scene. Now the Maitre d’ at the Casa Marina and truly their own goodwill ambassador, Sterling will gladly share some of the ghostly goings-on at the hotel. Whether it’s the mysterious man in the striped pajamas, the sounds of little children scampering in the halls, the shadowy figure seen in the windows of unoccupied rooms, Sterling knows all the stories and has a talent for telling them.
The Casa Marina Hotel certainly has had her own illustrious place in history. She’s seen glamor, glitz, decay and rebirth. For many decades, this was the place to vacation; for celebrities of the 1920’s and 1930’s, it was the ultimate getaway to escape the rigors of public life.
Today, for those who wish to splash in the ocean, dine like royalty or dance the night away on the oceanfront patio, the Grand Dame of Jacksonville Beach will welcome you with open arms.
For more information: Casa Marina Hotel
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