Hacienda Hotel
Hacienda Hotel | |
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| Location | New Port Richey, Florida |
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| Coordinates | 28°15′1″N 82°42′48″W / 28.25028°N 82.71333°W |
| Architect | Thomas Reed Martin |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival, Mediterranean Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 96001185[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 24, 1996 |
The Hacienda Hotel is a historic site in New Port Richey, Florida. It is located at 5621 Main Street. On October 24, 1996, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by Thomas Reed Martin.
The City of New Port Richey bought the hotel at the height of the real estate boom and has struggled to find a willing buyer to restore it. The hotel is falling into disrepair. A lease-to-buy deal was signed in February 2015 between the City of New Port Richey and Abraham Rosner, with the intent to develop the property as a boutique hotel.[2]
History
In 1969 the Hacienda Hotel was a residential hotel for retirees. I worked there as a waitress. The uniform was white blouse, red vest and black skirt. Our tip jars were situated at the edge of the bar where the hostess sat when not greeting diners. Upon entering the main dining room from the lobby the kitchen was to the left and the bar to the right, with the lounge/steak room beyond it. The dining room had large arched windows and so was bright with natural lighting and chandelier light. Opposite the kitchen was a mirrored wall, below it a long upholstered bench with tables for two before it. The remainder of the seating in the dining area were tables of two and tables of four. The residents each had their preferred place to sit. Mrs. Schumacher's place was on the bench and her table for two was next to the doorway leading into the bar. The residents generally had their meals before the public came in to dine with the steak room being favored over being seated in the main dining room. There were two chefs/cooks. One was George the Greek, a prankster. The dishwasher was an older woman who we addressed as Miss Eva. Marietta Burris was the barmaid. Nancy was the hostess. My understanding was that Bill Noblit, an insurance man, owned the hotel. Bill had an affinity for Nancy and bought her a blue Mercury Cougar. I met Wilfred T. Neil while working at the Hacienda. He was a scientist and he lost a thumb to a rattle snake bite. His saga was featured in The National Geographic. Mr. Neil once invited me and my husband to visit him. On his front porch there was a bathtub, in it he had a small crocodile or alligator, which he kept warm with a light bulb under a tarp.
21st century
![[icon]](/enwiki/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2013) |
Planned Restoration
References