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Please note that the demolition of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel for now has been stopped. We need preservation-minded buyers to save the Biltmore forever! We welcome all ideas on how to find these buyers. Email Me
Thanks to Adrian Wyllie Webmaster and Editor, of TampaBayStart.com for this photo.
On this page you will find letters
from various organizations and historical preservation organizations that
have written to this web site.
Kathleen
Slesnick Kauffman has written us two letters, both are below.
Executive
Director
Florida
Trust For Historic Preservation
May 9, 2005
Dear Friends of the Belleview Biltmore:
The Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has seen a tremendous outpouring of support by concerned citizens who do not want to see the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, in Belleair, Florida, be demolished.
We believe that the Belleview Biltmore could easily be a major heritage destination of Pinellas County, and a fine testament to the dedication and perseverance of a major grassroots effort by its citizens. We would also like to keep you informed of what the Florida Trust is doing to support the rescue and restoration of this incredibly significant historic property.
In the Winter 2005 issue of The Florida Preservationist, the Florida Trust dedicated a full page spread on the plight of the hotel (page 6.) Immediately following the release of this newsletter is when DeBartolo Development initially backed off from pursuing their project, citing that there wasn’t enough community support.
After learning that DeBartolo once again had a contract on the property, the Florida Trust placed the Belleview Biltmore Hotel on its 11 Most Endangered List. The entire list of endangered properties will formally be announced at the Florida Trust’s Annual Preservation Conference, which will be held in Coral Gables, May 19-21, 2005. A conference brochure can be downloaded from the Trust’s homepage, www.floridatrust.org.
We must emphasize that the power to protect this hotel lies with your local government, the City Commission of Belleair and the Pinellas County Commission. If there is enough dedication and resolve from your elected officials, certainly an effort would be made to try and come to some sort of an agreement with DeBartolo Development.
With a little creative thinking, encouragement and a coming together of the minds, a solution can be found. There are many economic incentives out there that are available to developers to try and encourage the preservation of historic structures, such as the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit and the New Market Tax Credit.
I know that the Florida Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are willing to help explain these credits, and other alternatives to demolition, at a roundtable discussion with all the official parties involved in this matter. Until further notice, however, we suggest you keep insisting to your local and county commission that it is YOUR desire to see your history saved.
If you are not already a member of the Florida Trust, I encourage you to join us in our mission to save what’s left of old Florida. Membership enables you to take advantage of our publications and information resources and helps support our preservation efforts, including the fight for the Belleview Biltmore Hotel.
Sincerely,
Kathleen
Slesnick Kauffman has written us two letters
Executive
Director
Florida
Trust For Historic Preservation
director@floridatrust.org
P.O.
Box 11206
Tallahassee,
FL 32302
(850)
224-8128
I
am so sorry that your town officials are seemingly unwilling and/or
unable
to come to some sort of agreement with the developers whereby the
actual
hotel could be saved. Certainly the amount of land and other
buildings
that could come down in the Biltmore's place would surely be
enough
for their condo project, or what have you.
Having
said that, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation has just
placed
the Belleview Biltmore on their 10 Most Endangered List.
The
10 sites selected this year will be presented at our annual
conference
in Coral Gables, May 19-21. I have attached a copy of the
brochure
for you all.
Are
any of your town council members going to be at the meeting tonight?
If
so, I can email you a letter from us that can be read into the
record.
It
is really a shame what is happening. And I must tell you all again,
that
there is certainly enough interest to save it. The Division of
Historical
Resources and our own office have been receiving hundreds of
emails
from your area. However, we MUST EMPHASIZE again, that because it
is
private property, and no federal funding is being used for the
proposed
project, the State does not have any say in what is going on.
This
is the VERY REASON the Florida Trust is trying to educate Florida's
politicians
and citizens on the importance of having a local historic
preservation
ordinance. The only power people have in saving their
historic
resources is through the local government, your local
ordinances
and the will of your local commission. Without your city or
town's
commission acting in the interest of saving local history, there
isn't
much you can do about it.
Let me know if you would like a letter today.
Kathleen
Slesnick Kauffman
Executive
Director
Florida
Trust For Historic Preservation
director@floridatrust.org
P.O.
Box 11206
Tallahassee,
FL 32302
(850)
224-8128
At
this time, the Belleview Biltmore Hotel project is not subject to federal
or
state
historic preservation laws as it does not involve any federal or state
funding
or permits. If it turns out in the future to be otherwise, then
this
agency would be able to make formal recommendations regarding its
preservation.
Although we share your concerns regarding this significant
historic
resource, it appears at present to be a project subject to local
government
authority only.
In
the meantime, I am directing concerned citizens to the Florida Trust for
Historic
Preservation to join with others who are interested in seeing this
property
preserved. The Executive Director of the Florida Trust is Kathleen
Kauffman
and her email address is
director@floridatrust.org
If
you have any questions or need additional information, please do not
hesitate
to contact me.
Sincerely,
Frederick
Gaske, Director
Florida
Division of Historical Resources
This letter was printed in the editorial section of the Clearwater Times in the St. Petersburg Times newspaper May 1, 2005, and Mr. Michaels has given me permission to print it in this Biltmore Update and on the Message Board. Please note their exhibit of "Boom-Time Grand Hotels of the 1920s" at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. What a wonderful exhibit to go to!
"Regarding the Belleview Biltmore
Destruction of the Belleview Biltmore will be a severe loss to the heritage of Pinellas County. This grand hotel was built by Henry B. Plant to crown his Florida "System" of railroads and hotels and opened in 1897. In order to assure reliable transportation to the Belleview, Plant also acquired the famous Orange Belt Railway that in many ways is credited for beginning St. Petersburg. The hotel is still today one of the world’s largest wooden structures. It compares with the Hotel Del Coronado near San Diego, California. Very few of these late nineteenth century hotels remain. The Belleview was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
The St. Petersburg Museum of History is currently showing a special exhibit on the Boom-Time Grand Hotels of the 1920s. The exhibit features 10 hotels, 9 of which are still standing. Three of these are yet being used as hotels—the Vinoy, the Don CeSar, and the Dennis (now known as the Kelly). Without the hotels, St. Petersburg’s and Pinellas County’s tourist and development economy would not have happened. The hotels themselves provided employment to thousands of local residents, and made possible employment for a great many more working in related businesses. Aside from their architectural significance and charm and the notables who stayed in them, the hotels play a central part in the history of our economy and community character.
Hopefully, there is hope and a lesson to be learned from this exhibit. Two of our finest hotels, the Vinoy and the Don (how many times did the President stay there this past year?) were themselves on the skids not so many years ago. But enterprising entrepreneurs came forth and now these hotels are flourishing. Our other fine hotels have adapted to become law schools, government offices, academies, banks, and condos. Cannot the same be done for the Belleview Biltmore?
Will
Michaels,
Executive
Director
St.
Petersburg Museum of History http://www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org/web//
335
Second Avenue NE
St.
Petersburg, Florida 33701
phone:
727-894-1052 fax: 727-823-7276
will@stpetemuseumofhistory.org
