Everglades Hotel

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Everglades Hotel
Hotel Everglades.jpg
Everglades Hotel
General information
StatusDemolished
TypeHotel
Location244 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, Florida, United States
OpeningSeptember 1926 (1926-09)
Closed2003;21 years ago (2003)
DemolishedJanuary 23, 2005;19 years ago (2005-01-23)
Technical details
Floor count23
Other information
Number of rooms376
Number of restaurants3

History

Construction of the hotel was completed just before the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, which flooded the lobby. [1]

Contents

Television station WTVJ (channel 4, now 6) originally had its transmitter atop the hotel when it signed on the air in 1949.[ citation needed ]

In September 1957, Miami real estate developer Vaughan Connelly bought the hotel for $2 million ($21.7 million in 2023). [2] He subsequently took out a mortgage on the property from the Teamsters Union, who foreclosed on the mortgage and acquired the property in 1960. [3] By April 1963, Connelly was bankrupt. [4] In May 1964, Connelly testified in court that he was required to pay 10% of the amount he borrowed from the Teamsters, then led by Jimmy Hoffa, as under-the-table commissions. [5] Hoffa was convicted of fraud for his involvement with loans and kickbacks, including for the Everglades Hotel. [6]

The building was demolished on January 23, 2005, to make room for new construction. The new hotel was originally named Everglades on the Bay; it was later renamed Vizcayne.

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References

  1. The Loizeaux Group, LLC (January 23, 2005). "The Everglades - Forever Gone". Controlled Demolition, Inc. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  2. Hesser, Charles (January 16, 1959). "Hoffa Moving In On Miami". The Miami News . p. 1. Retrieved March 17, 2024 via newspapers.com.
  3. "Hotel Sold to Union on Courthouse Steps". Evening World Herald . Omaha, Nebraska. AP. September 28, 1960. p. 13. Retrieved March 17, 2024 via newspapers.com.
  4. "Business Property To Pay Settlement". Fort Lauderdale News . April 8, 1963. p. 16A. Retrieved March 17, 2024 via newspapers.com.
  5. "Miamian: Teamster Loan Cost $300,000". The Miami News . AP. May 16, 1964. p. 2. Retrieved March 17, 2024 via newspapers.com.
  6. Sidlo, Steve (December 7, 1978). "Landmark Everglades Hotel Sold". The Miami News . p. 1D. Retrieved March 17, 2024 via newspapers.com.