The Don Cesar Hotel - the Pink Palace

On a recent December visit to the Don Cesar Hotelhad a stipulation. He would name the manager. It was
and Resort, our group met with Resort Host andagreed and the Don Cesar had its Grand Opening in
Certified Concierge, Ronald MacDougall. As concierge,1927, with the some of the wealthiest people in
Mr. MacDougall assures that each guest has the finestAmerica attending.
experience during their stay at the Don Cesar. In hisIt was lavish and plush in the Grand Lobby. Thomas
position as concierge, he has assisted many of theRowe had constructed a replica of the fountain similar
VIPs that have visited the historic pink hotel on the Gulfto the one where he,as a student, would rendezvous
of Mexico in St. Petersburg, Florida. Those guestswith the beautiful Lucinda. The fountain would be the
have included Mariah Carry, Carole King, Mick Jaggerfirst thing that guests would see after climbing the
and Jimmy Buffet, as well as many of the visitingentry stairway into the lobby and was the center-
Presidents.piece of the resort. Modeled after the Royal Hawaiian
Our private tour began in the main bar and lounge,on Waikiki Beach, the Don Cesar Resort was a vision,
which at this time of the year is beautifully decoratedstanding on the sands of Pass-A-Grille. Thomas Rowe
for the holiday season. The majestic dark wood bar,liked to call the hotel the Pink Lady.
couches and large leather chairs make this the perfectThe main entrance into the resort was on Gulf Blvd.
place to sit back, relax and imagine yourself in anotherwith two lion statues and a sign stating "Come All Ye
era, the early glory days of the Pink Palace.Who Seek Health and Rest. For Here They Are
The story of the Don Cesar Hotel or Pink Lady, asAbundant." The original staircase is hidden, but is
Thomas Rowe liked to call the hotel, begins at thelocated where the Ice Cream Shop is now situated on
beginning as all good stories do. It was a vision ofthe first floor.
Thomas J. Rowe to create a monument to a lost love.As luck would have it, the timing could not have been
This part of the story begins in London where rumorworse; the economy entered what became known as
would have it that the young Thomas Rowe, whilethe Great Depression. Fortunately for the hotel, an
attending a university, attended the opera "Maritana"agreement with the New York Yankees baseball
where he became infatuated with the female lead,team was secured for housing the players during
Lucinda, a beautiful Spanish opera singer.They metspring training which helped the resort stay solvent.
each night after her performance beside a fountain inThomas Rowe moved into one of the two
London.penthouses in the Don Cesar. Everyday Rowe would
Plans were made to elope. On the night that theystation himself in a chair in the lobby, talking with visitors
were to leave, Lucinda did not show and Rowe wasand staff and taking stock of the guests. Guests who
left waiting by the fountain. Her parents were madedid not meet a certain standard of dress or manners
aware of the pending marriage and forced Lucinda toand speech were asked to leave the hotel. It was not
return home to Spain. Lucinda was reported to havean era of political correctness.
died at a young age, but sent this letter to ThomasThen in 1940, Thomas Rowe collapsed in the lobby. He
containing this passage. "Time is infinite, I wait for yourefused to be taken to the hospital, so he was moved
by the fountain to share our timeless love,...our destinyinto adjoining rooms 101 and 102. There he stayed until
is time. " Well, if it didn't happen that way, it should have.his death. Rowe attempted to get a will witnessed by
Returning to the United States, Thomas Rowe builthis attended nurses, but they refused. This reported
commercial buildings in New York. He later moved toWill would have left the Pink Lady in the hands of the
Norfolk, Virginia, there he met Mary Lucille, the daughterstaff. As it happened, Thomas Rowe's wife, Mary,
of a rich landowner. Thomas married Mary and begangained control of the Don Cesar. The resort fell on
the life of a socialite.hard times. Then in 1941 after the attack on Pearl
At the age of 47 with his health declining, ThomasHarbor, a vacation at the beach was not as attractive.
Rowe elected to relocate to a more hospitable climate.People became afraid of attack from the ocean and
Leaving his wife in Virginia, he decided on Florida and insoon the guests stopped arriving. The U.S. government
particular St Petersburg, Florida, which waspurchased the Don Cesar and converted the resort
experiencing a real estate boom. Arriving withfor use as a convalescent center for members of the
$21,000.00, Rowe began purchasing property.US Army Air Corp. suffering from shell shock and
Real Estate development was hot in the early 1920'sinjuries from the war.
and Thomas Rowe partnered with another formerOne casualty of the transfer of ownership was the
Norfolk socialite and land developer, a Mr. Page. Hefountain in the main lobby. The manager of the
and Page formed the Boca Ciega Land Company forconverted building was concerned that one of the
the purchase of land.visitors would trip over the fountain and ordered it
Mr. Page developed the land on the north side ofremoved.
Johns Pass and the family still lives in Madeira Beach.Later the Don Cesar was used for government
Rowe amassed a small fortune and while visiting anoffices and was finally left abandoned and fell into
isolated stretch of undeveloped beach in the areadisrepair. A movement began to have the resort
known as Pass-A-Grille. Pass-A-Grille was named forleveled and removed. A counter movement lead by
the 18 century "grilleurs" who dried fish on the whitelocal resident and activist June Hardy Young began to
beaches. This was a very remote and ruggedrestore the Don Cesar. The later movement was
landscape. Access from the mainland was by asuccessful and a new owner for the resort was
wooden bridge. On these white sands beside thelocated. William Bowman purchased the resort and in
gentle waves of the Gulf of Mexico, Thomas Rowe1973, the resort was reopened. During the remodeling,
envisioned his dream resort. Against the advice ofa replica of the original fountain was placed on the fifth
many in his circle, Thomas Rowe purchased 80 acresfloor.
on these shores. Soon a residential subdivision wasOur tour included the penthouses, which were vacant
built and each street was named for a character fromat the time of our visit, and the Presidential Suite where
the opera Maritana.every President has stayed since 1940. The
In 1926 construction began on his dream resort. Rowepenthouses have a spectacular view of St.
hired architect Henry DuPont to design the project.Petersburg, the gulf beaches and the Sunshine
One obstacle that had to be overcome was theSkyway Bridge. Of course if you decide to stay in one
massive structure would be sitting on sand. A floatingthese penthouses, it will set you back around $3500.00
foundation was devised and its success is reflected ina night.
the fact that the foundation has not shifted in the pastThe Don Cesar is a beautiful resort with two
82 years.swimming pools, exercise room and a new spa.
Another obstacle was transporting constructionOpened just recently, the 11,000 sq ft Spa Oceana is a
material. The bridge as earlier mentioned was olderstate of the art spa. Guests can have a massage, get
and manned by an older bridge keeper who was notin the whirlpool and sauna, and then have a lunch on
always reliable, opening the bridge when he was in thethe roof of the spa building overlooking the Gulf of
mood. Construction material was placed on a bargeMexico.
and brought to the site bypassing the bridge.If you go, ask the reservationist if there are any
A railroad strike that year drove up costs ofspecials. On our visit, we received a preseason rate
construction and after finishing the exterior and interiorand were very happy with our stay.
of the resort, Thomas Rowe ran out of money toThe resort is co-owned and operated by the Loews
furnish the hotel. A backer was needed to save theHotels chain.
venture. H.P. Churchill would provide the money, but he