This shot must have been taken soon after it opened, since I believe the additions came around 1915.

Site patron Lynn in Tampa sent this along; she found it in a relative's collection of photos. This is the only site in THE WORLD in which this picture appears, and proves conclusively that horses once traversed the cobblestones of downtown.

Old as it looks, and is, it still seems like a large city, especially with the looming bulk of the Lumber Exchange next door.  It would be a marvelous “boutique” hotel if it had stood today; just looking at it you can feel the free wi-fi pouring out of the obligatory ground-floor coffee shop.