History of Boca Grande, Florida

Gasparilla Island's first known inhabitants were the Calusa Indians. They were living on nearby Useppa Island by 5,000 B.C. and on Gasparilla Island by 800 or 900 A.D. Charlotte Harbor was the center of the Calusa Empire, which numbered thousands of people and hundreds of fishing villages. The Calusa were a hunting and fishing people who perfected the art of maritime living in harmony with the environment. They were a politically powerful people, dominating Southwest Florida during their "golden age." Since the Calusa had no written language, the only record we have of their lifestyle and ceremonies comes from the oral history of the (much later) Seminoles, from written accounts of Spanish explorers, and from the archaeological record. The first contact the Calusa had with the white man came during Spanish explorations at the beginning of the 16th century. By the mid 18th century the Calusa had all but disappeared, the victims of European diseases, slavery and warfare.

Just like the Indians, the earliest settlers came to Gasparilla Island to fish. By the late 1870s several fish ranches were operating in the Charlotte Harbor area. One of them would later be at the north end of Gasparilla Island in the small village called Gasparilla. The fishermen, many of them Spanish or Cuban, caught huge catches of mullet and other fish and salted them down for shipment to Havana and other markets. In the 1940s the Gasparilla Fishery was moved to Placida across the bay, where it still stands today, and the fishing village died out. Today, many of Boca Grande's early fishing families are still represented in third, fourth and even fifth generation descendants who pursue many different vocations, including fishing.

In 1885, phosphate rock was discovered on the banks of the Peace River just above Punta Gorda, east of Gasparilla Island across Charlotte Harbor. It was this discovery that would turn the south end of Gasparilla Island into a major deep water port (Boca Grande Pass is one of the deepest natural inlets in Florida) and become responsible for the development of the town of Boca Grande. Wealthy American and British sportsmen began discovering the Charlotte Harbor area for its fantastic fishing (notably for the world class game fish tarpon) and hunting. It was these two discoveries - phosphate rock and fishing - that would put Boca Grande "on the map."

Phosphate was a valuable mineral for fertilizers and many other products, and was in great demand worldwide. At first the phosphate was barged down the Peace River to Port Boca Grande, where it was loaded onto schooners for worldwide shipment. But by 1905 it was felt that building a railroad to Port Boca Grande and carrying the phosphate to it by rail should improve the method of shipment.

In 1905 officials of the Agrico subsidiary Peace River Mining Company, along with engineers from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and 60 laborers, landed on Gasparilla Island and surveying and construction of the railroad began. Probably the only buildings on the south end of the island at this time were the lighthouse and the assistant keeper's house. The railroad terminus with its 1,000-foot (300 m) long pier would be built nearby. The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad was completed in 1907. For the next 50 years phosphate would be shipped out of the state-of-the-art port virtually without disruption. Phosphate laden trains were off loaded directly onto ocean going freighters, and the ships took the valuable commodity to ports all over the world. In 1969 Port Boca Grande ranked as the fourth busiest port in Florida.

In the 1970s phosphate companies increasingly switched their interest to ports in Hillsborough and Manatee Counties. As more money was put into developing these ports, traffic into Port Boca Grande began to dwindle, and in 1979 the line was abandoned and the phosphate industry in Boca Grande came to an end. The port was also used as an oil storage terminal by Florida Power and Light Company. This use ceased in 2001. The oil storage tanks were subsequently removed from the 9-acre (36,000 m2) site at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island adjacent to the 120 year-old Boca Grande Lighthouse. Island residents have begun an effort to have the property preserved as part of the island's state park system.

The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad not only brought phosphate and supplies to Gasparilla Island; it also brought wealthy people from the north. By 1910 Boca Grande Pass was already famous for its unequaled tarpon fishing among fishermen, who stayed on nearby Useppa Island. The Agrico Company, having begun to see the potential of the idea of developing Gasparilla Island beyond the port, began to develop the village of Boca Grande.

The railroad station in what would become downtown was built; roads, sidewalks, streetlights, shops, a post office, and water and telephone service were not far behind. The town was landscaped, including the now famous section of Second Street called Banyan Street. The railroad company built several cottages downtown and a few wealthy families from "up north" purchased land and built winter residences. The train stopped at Gasparilla, the fishing village at the north end of the island, at the railroad depot in downtown Boca Grande, and at the south end phosphate terminal.

In 1911 the first hotel, the Gasparilla Inn, opened, and the island became a major vacation destination for the elite from Tampa, Fort Myers and New England. Though shipping has declined substantially since the last quarter of the 20th century, tourism remains important to the island's economy.

In 1925, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad bought the assets and property of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway, but it took the ICC three years to approve it, and the SAL finally merged the CH&N RR in 1928. The Tampa to Boca Grande passenger train was still operated every day along with a fast freight between Boca Grande and Plant City, until the SCL era slowly killed the port forcing all phosphate traffic to Tampa Bay.

In 1929 the Boca Grande Hotel was built just south of the Boca Grande city center. It was a three-story, brick resort hotel where most of the island weathered the hurricane of 1944. The Boca Grande Hotel changed hands and was demolished in 1975. When attempt was made to demolish the hotel with explosives, it was unsuccessful. In total, explosive demolition was attempted three times. Finally, it took six months to raze the building by means of fire and the wrecking ball, as it had been built to withstand fire and great storms.

The railroad continued to bring winter visitors from all along the eastern seaboard and upper Midwest until the Boca Grande Causeway opened in 1958. The Swing Bridge spans two 80-foot wide channels on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Placida Harbor. It was built from 1952-1958 to replace a ferry service. When the bridge became operational, it was faster to fly to Tampa and drive to Boca Grande than it was to take the train directly from the northeast and Midwest. Rail passenger service to Boca Grande ended on April 12, 1959.

The depot was restored in the 1970s and a number of shops, offices and a restaurant now occupy the old building. The railroad continued to run work trains to the south end until the phosphate port closed in 1979. The rail line between Arcadia and Boca Grande was abandoned in 1981. Thanks to the generosity of Bayard and Hugh Sharp (members of the Du Pont family who had been winter residents for many years), the community purchased the old railroad bed from CSX Corp. (the successor corporation to the old Chessie System) and transformed it into a new use—Boca Grande's popular Bike Path. Boca Grande has always been a unique community, with a large number of wealthy winter residents rubbing elbows with the fishermen and railroad and port workers who formed the permanent, year-round working population.

History of Boca Grande

Gasparilla Island’s first inhabitants were the Calusa Indians. They were living on nearby Useppa Island by 5,000 B.C. and on Gasparilla Island by 800 or 900 A.D.

Charlotte Harbor was the center of the Calusa Empire, which numbered thousands of people and hundreds of fishing villages. Nine Indian sites have been identified on Gasparilla Island and over 200 on nearby islands. These shell mounds often were 20 feet or more high; many are filled with pottery shards, fishhooks and arrowheads.

The Calusa were hunting and fishing people who perfected the art of maritime living in harmony with the environment. They were a politically powerful people, dominating Southwest Florida during their “golden age.”

History of the early fishermen settlers

As time went on, and Boca Grande became known as a mecca for sportfishing, particularly tarpon fishing, many of these same families turned to guiding charters as a secondary, and later, as a primary income.

In the 1940s the Gasparilla Fishery was moved to Placida across the bay, where it still stands today, and the fishing village died out.

Today, many of Boca Grande’s early fishing families are still represented in third, fourth and even fifth generation descendants who pursue many different vocations, including fishing.

History: Boca Grande was put on the map by way of Phosphate and Tarpon

In 1885 phosphate rock was discovered on the banks of the Peace River just above Punta Gorda, 20 miles to the east of Gasparilla Island across Charlotte Harbor. It was this discovery that would turn the south end of Gasparilla Island into a major deep water port (History Note: Boca Grande Pass is one of the deepest natural inlets in Florida) and become responsible for the development of the town of Boca Grande.

At about this same time wealthy American and British sportsman began discovering the Charlotte Harbor area for its fantastic fishing (notably for the world class game fish tarpon) and hunting. It was these two discoveries – phosphate rock and fishing – that would put Boca Grande on the map.

Phosphate was a valuable mineral for fertilizers and many other products, and was in great demand worldwide. The American Agricultural and Chemical Company were organized in 1899 by the Bradleys of Boston and would come to dominate central Florida’s phosphate industry. At first the company barged the valuable mineral down the Peace River to Port Boca Grande and carrying the phosphate to it by rail should improve the method of, where it was loaded onto schooners for worldwide shipment. By 1905 it was felt that building a railroad to Port Boca Grande and carrying the phosphate to it by rail should improve the method of shipment.

In January of 1905 officials of the Agrico subsidiary Peace River Mining Company, along with engineers from the U.S. Engineering Corps and 60 laborers, landed on Gasparilla Island and surveying and construction of the railroad began.

The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad was completed in 1907. In 1911 an automatic transloader was built at Port Boca Grande, the first of its kind for phosphate in the United States. For the next 50 years phosphate would be shipped out of the state-of-the-art port virtually without disruption. Phosphate laden trains were off loaded directly onto ocean going freighters, and the ships took the valuable commodity to ports all over the world. In 1969 Port Boca Grande ranked as the fourth busiest port in Florida.

In the 1970s phosphate companies increasingly switched their interest to ports in Tampa and Manatee County. As more money was put into developing these ports traffic into Port Boca Grande began to dwindle, and in 1979 the line was abandoned and the phosphate industry in Boca Grande came to an end.
History of the Boca Grande Railroad

Boca Grande Florida Railroad History

The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad not only brought phosphate and supplies to Gasparilla Island, it also brought wealthy people from the north. By 1910 Boca Grande Pass was already famous for its unequalled tarpon fishing among fishermen, who stayed at Mrs. Potter Palmer’s Useppa Inn on nearby Useppa Island. The railroad station in what would become downtown was built; roads, sidewalks, streetlights, shops, a post office, and water and telephone service were not far behind.

The Gasparilla Inn was completed in 1912. A few years later a casino was built near the hotel, and a boathouse on Boca Grande Bayou. The town was landscaped, including the now famous section of Second Street called Banyan Street. The railroad company built several cottages downtown and a few wealthy families from “up north,” notably the Francis B. Crowninshield family and the Harry F. DuPont family, purchased land and built winter residences on Gulf Blvd. at First Street.

In 1929 Joseph Spadero, an Italian immigrant to New York City built the Boca Grande Hotel just south of downtown Boca Grande. It was a three-story, brick resort hotel where most of the island weathered the hurricane of 1944. The Boca Grande Hotel changed hands and was demolished in 1975. It took 6 months to raze (by means of fire and the wrecking ball) the building, which had been built to withstand fire and great storms.

The Gasparilla Inn had become run down by 1930, when Barron G. Collier of Useppa Island and New York City purchased the Historical Hotel in Boca Grande. Later the Inn was auctioned off to a group headed by Bayard Sharp, who became sole owner. Today the Inn, with its 18-hole golf course and beautiful beach club on the Gulf of Mexico, is again an elegant hub of seasonal social activity. Its reputation for impeccable service is legendary and it is one of the largest employers on the island.

The railroad continued to bring the grand visitors from up and down the eastern seaboard until the Boca Grande Causeway opened in 1958. The railroad depot sat vacant for years until it was restored in the late 1970s and a number of shops, offices and The Loose Caboose Restaurant now occupy the venerable old building. The railroad continued to run work trains to the south end until the phosphate port closed in 1979. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association transformed the old bed of the railroad into a new use, Boca Grande’s popular bike path.

As the years went by, Boca Grande has continued as a unique community, with a large number of wealthy winter residents rubbing elbows with the fishermen and railroad and port workers who formed the permanent, year-round working class of the island. Islanders have worked together to provide a combination of facilities and organizations that make Boca Grande a unique island community.
The Community Center History

Boca Grande Florida History - Community Center

The building that is today the Boca Grande Community Center (at the corner of Park Avenue and First Street) was Boca Grande’s school. It was designed in 1929 and built by the citizens of the town. For 35 years the classrooms were filled with students aged 5 to 18. Once the Boca Grande Causeway was opened the school was closed in 1963. Island children now have access to schools on the nearby mainland in Charlotte County. A new addition provides classrooms for an Island Charter School.

In the early 1970s local citizens organized to convert the school into a center for educational, cultural programs and activities for the community. Today, a large and diverse group of volunteers, “The Friends of Boca Grande” provide major financial and technical support for the Boca Grande Community Center.
The Library History

Boca Grande Florida History - Library

At the corner of Tenth Street and Gasparilla Road is a lovely pink stucco building. This is the Johann Fust Community Library, a gift to the people of Boca Grande by winter residents Mr. and Mrs. Roger Amory. The Amory’s once operated a floating library, which carried newspapers, magazines and books to neighboring islands.

Johann Fust is the German gentleman who financed Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press and the first printed book, the Gutenberg Bible.

Built in 1949, the Historical Boca Grande library, which houses 10,000 volumes, features 10-foot carved cypress doors copied from a pair in Constantiople. Walk through the cool arcade of native coquina and cypress into an open-air loggia and relax for a while beside the charming fountain and lovely gardens.

Two graceful 18th century Japanese cranes adorn the entryway to the main book collection. Also on display is an extensive shell collection, which Henry Francis Dupont amassed over nearly 50 years of island shell collecting. George Malasics has also contributed to this extensive collection.
Boca Grande Medical Services History

Boca Grande Florida History - Medical Services

Medical Care in Boca Grande is available at the Boca Grande Health Clinic, which was founded 1946, is located at the corner of Park Avenue and Third Street in downtown Boca Grande.

The clinic is housed in a lovely Mediterranean style building, which was built entirely through private contributions in 1990 and continues to add enhanced facilities and viability through its foundation.
Essential Services

Sheriff and EMS services are provided by Lee County with inter-local agreements and services on the Charlotte County portion of the island provided by Charlotte County.

Boca Grande Florida History - Sheriff and EMS

Fire – Boca Grande is an independent fire control district, which provides service to the entire island with back up provided by Charlotte County Fire and EMS. The Boca Grande Fire Control District constructed a public safety building in the village, which also provides space for the Sheriff and Emergency Medical Service. The fire district has three elected commissioners who live on the island and serve.

Water & Sewer – Boca Grande has its own water and sewer system operated by Gasparilla Island Water Association (GIWA). Islanders serve on the administrative board and operate the system, which has a sewer treatment plant, well fields off the island and a reverse osmosis plant.

History of the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse

Perched atop iron pilings at the extreme southern end of Gasparilla Island is found the beautifully restored Port Boca Grande Lighthouse and its look-alike companion, which served as the assistant keeper’s dwelling. These two pieces of history were almost lost, as by 1970 the sea had whittled hundreds of feet off the southern end of the island and was lapping at the lighthouse’s foundation. Fortunately, pressure from local concerns prompted the government to take measures that proved successful in regaining much of the eroded island and in saving the lighthouse so it could be enjoyed by future generations.

In the early 1880’s, phosphate was discovered several miles up the Peace River, which empties into Charlotte Harbor before flowing west through the Boca Grande Channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Initially, the phosphate was shipped down the Peace River on barges to Port Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, where it was loaded into ocean-going vessels. In 1888, Congress responded to the growth of the port by appropriating $35,000 for the construction of a lighthouse at the southern tip of Gasparilla Island, to mark the Boca Grande or “large mouth” between Gasparilla and Lacosta Islands.

The lighthouse would be supported by pilings and would consist of a one-story dwelling with a square tower protruding through the center of its hipped roof. Atop the tower would be a circular lantern room protecting a third-and-a-half-order Fresnel lens, which produced a white light interrupted by red flashes at a focal plane of forty-four feet. Roughly seventy feet away, a nearly identical dwelling, minus the tower, was built for the assistant keeper, and wooden storage tanks were provided to hold a supply of water for the keepers. The lighthouse was activated on December 31, 1890 by keeper Francis McNulty.

As the phosphate trade continued to grow, a railroad line was extended to Port Boca Grande, just north of the lighthouse, for transporting the phosphate from the mines to the port in a more economical manner. The rail line opened in 1907, and for the next several decades the phosphate flowed to the island where it was transferred from the trains directly to large freighters. In 1969, Port Boca Grande was Florida’s fourth busiest port, and Florida provided well over half of the nation’s supply of phosphate, which was used primarily in fertilizer.

The lighthouse was home to several keepers and their families until it was automated in 1956. Just two years later, visitors could arrive at the island by car instead of train, as a new bridge connected the island to the mainland. In 1966, the lighthouse was abandoned by the Coast Guard, and a modern light atop a 58-foot tall steel skeleton tower was established further inland.

By 1970, erosion on Gasparilla Island was threatening the old lighthouse along with other structures. In response, the Boca Grande Conservation Council was formed to lead the battle against erosion. The government finally acted in 1971, and a 265-foot granite jetty was built near the lighthouse to protect the sandy island. Florida Power and Light, which had storage facilities at Port Boca Grande, then pumped 100,000 cubic yards of fill into the area, much of it around the lighthouse itself.

In 1972, the lighthouse and the surrounding thirteen acres were transferred from the federal government to Lee County, for the establishment of a park on the property. The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association, (GICIA), the island property owner's association, was successful in placing the lighthouse on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and then raised sufficient funds to have the lighthouse fully restored in 1985-86. The restoration efforts culminated in 1986 when a 377mm drum lens was installed in the lantern room, and the lighthouse was re-commissioned as an active aid to navigation.

The lighthouse, dwelling, and surrounding acreage were transferred to the State of Florida in 1988 and became Gasparilla Island State Park. The following year, a small group of local citizens formed the Barrier Island Parks Society (BIPS), and one of their first objectives was to establish a museum in the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse. A decade later, the $165,000 project was complete, and the museum, run by BIPS for the Florida Park Service, opened its doors. The museum tells the story of the area starting with the Native Americans, and also covering the Spanish influence, the local fishing industry, Port Boca Grande, and, of course, the history of the lighthouse.

Port Boca Grande diminished in significance after 1979, when the railroad line was abandoned and the phosphate industry moved north to Tampa. Florida Power and Light (FPL) started using the port as an oil storage facility in 1958. Oil from the Gulf of Mexico would be off-loaded at the port, stored in four large tanks, and then barged down the Intracoastal Waterway to the FPL power plant in Fort Myers. In 2002, the power plant was converted to natural gas, and the oil barges ceased calling at Port Boca Grande. Today, traffic near the Port Boca Grande Lighthouse, the oldest building on Gasparilla Island, consists primarily of fishermen, pleasure boaters, and park visitors coming to learn of the island’s storied past.

History of the Gasparilla Inn & Club

Walking through The Gasparilla Inn & Club's sun-bathed, pillared entrance and into the lobby, experience the feeling of Florida as it was meant to be. Guests are instantly embraced with the tranquil civility of a time that once was — and still is — at this classic resort. It's also clear that activity and fun abound here, from a championship Pete Dye Golf Course to a 220-slip marina that is home base for the best tarpon fishing in the world. The Gasparilla Inn & Club has been a premier destination on Florida's Gulf Coast since 1913, and is the center of village life on Gasparilla Island. The historic resort will celebrate its centennial anniversary starting February 2013. Among its storied amenities are separate golf and beach club memberships, as well as the enduring hospitality of The Inn itself.
History of The Gasparilla Inn & Club

The Gasparilla Inn is one of the largest surviving resort hotels in Florida, constructed originally for wealthy northerners during the time when the state became a travel and vacation destination.

On February 21, 1909, officers of the Boca Grande Land Company decided to construct a resort hotel on the island. The next day, the site was approved. The original plans for the hotel were drawn and presented in 1909 or 1910 by Augustus D. Shephard, but the officers decided to postpone building. They focused first on assuring that the Boca Grande development would be upscale and attract wealthy buyers by restricting the lots of Gulf Boulevard and Gilchrist Avenue for the building of residences only with a minimum construction cost of $4,000 and $3,500, respectively.

A decision to move forward with the construction of what was first known as the Hotel Boca Grande was made, and it appears to have been very near completion by January of 1911. References state that it was open for the 1911-1912 season. At first the hotel was a small two-story building with 20 rooms available only for the exclusive use of visiting directors and The Inn officers. Peter Bradley, an officer of the Boca Grande Land Company, an entity of his American Agricultural Chemical Company, and the owner of most of the land on Gasparilla Island, first envisioned a quiet residential island community in Boca Grande, largely for The Inn employees and stockholders. It is Bradley who is credited with engineering the island's development by creating a major phosphate port, a center for commercial fishing and an upscale resort; namely the town of Boca Grande and its centerpiece, The Gasparilla Inn. Bradley, who maintained his office in Boston, liked to be personally involved in certain business details, and he took an active role in the construction and expansion of the hotel in its first years.

The original 1911 block of the hotel was designed in a simple Frame Vernacular style, and was most likely constructed by local builders without the use of an architect. As soon as the hotel opened, stores and businesses were established to serve the hotel guests and local residents. Sunday trains brought visitors for a day at the beach. Some took advantage of the opportunity to purchase property on the island and build homes.

The officers of the Boca Grande Land Company made the decision to change the small hotel to a world-class resort. They hired prominent Tampa architect Francis J. Kennard to draw the plans for the hotel expansion, and the hotel was enlarged for the first time in 1912. Peter Bradley and his assistant, Martin Towle, personally selected and purchased the furnishings for their new resort at Wanamaker's in New York City. The expansion lent some characteristics of the Queen Anne style of architecture that was prevalent in both residential and hotel architecture during that period. The expanded hotel, renamed The Gasparilla Inn, opened for the 1912-1913 season.

The owners soon built a casino immediately south of the main building. The casino was not for gambling, but for parties and nightly entertainment. Tennis courts were adjacent to the casino on the east. A bandstand was built nearby. A beach club with a bathhouse was built on the west side of the property on the Gulf of Mexico. A croquet lawn was laid out at the rear of the main building. A nine-hole golf course was on a nearby U.S. military reserve under a lease agreement with the government. Carl Rust Parker of Portland, Maine, a landscape architect with the prominent Olmsted Brothers firm, laid out and planted lush tropical landscaping and palm trees on the Inn property and along the main streets of Boca Grande. A greenhouse was installed to supply the Inn with flowers. Until the early 1930s, fresh water was brought by train cars to the Inn.

Along with other prominent and wealthy northern guests, many wealthy fishermen began an annual migration to the Inn, relishing in its privacy and seclusion. Those men formed an informal club named the Pelican Club. In about 1914 a formal fishing club was formed.

The hotel immediately became a great success with members of Boston society being its first guests. By 1915, accommodation requests had increased so greatly that the company again called upon Kennard to draw plans to double the size of the hotel. In December of 1915, $85,000 was appropriated for the expansion, to build servant's quarters on the grounds, and for furnishings. Hettie Rhoda Meade, a New York interior designer, was hired to decorate The Inn. This time, the furnishings were purchased from Paine's in Boston, and Peter Bradley again insisted upon helping make the selections.

In the early part of the century, The Inn hosted such tycoons as J.P. Morgan, Henry duPont and Florida railroad and resort tycoon, Henry Plant. Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone are also said to have been guests, as well as famous portrait painter John Singer Sargent. Cabots, Drexels and Biddles also were early guests. The railroad would continue to bring guests to the island until 1958 when the Boca Grande causeway was completed. Some guests arrived by private yachts, and many guests were lured by the tarpon and an opportunity to escape from the industrial Northeast.

By 1921, Peter Bradley's brother, Robert, had become Chairman of the Board of AAC and he proceeded to promote land sales on Gasparilla Island. He hired several salesmen and even bought a sea sled to transport potential buyers from Tampa or Ft. Myers. Guests at The Inn, beachfront property owners, and some early residents were anxious and resentful of the push for sales and its potential impact on the island. To their relief, the sales season turned out to be unsuccessful. Island property owners wrote in an early brochure, in reference to the 1920s, "It had no boom and does not seek speculative investors."

Very few homes were completed on the island during that decade. Thus, Boca Grande and the operation of The Inn were little affected by the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s, except for some damage and the loss of The Inn's original beach club in a 1921 hurricane.

The new beach club was added in 1928, followed by an 18-hole golf course built by Barron Collier soon after Barron Collier/The Collier Corporation of Useppa Island and New York purchased The Inn and its surrounding property in March 1930 for $150,000. The next year, Collier also purchased the town's telephone system, street lighting system and fire protection system. Collier was extremely active in Florida development, and Collier County is named for him. (Collier had purchased a nearby island, Useppa Island, near Gasparilla Island, and had a resort hotel there by 1911.) Upon purchasing The Gasparilla Inn, he undertook some improvements to The Inn property. He oversaw the construction of a new façade and loggia on the west side of the main building. The new façade, in the Neo-Classical style, provided a more impressive and grand guest entrance to the hotel, as well as first and second floor verandas for guests to enjoy. He also constructed ten detached cottages for guests. A fire sprinkler system was also installed. Modifications in 1931 to what became, and is presently, the primary façade and entrance on the west, gave the main entrance details of the Neo-Classical style of architecture.

A special room, the Pelican Room, was built in about 1932 for use by the longstanding Pelican Club members. Their trophies were displayed and club members could share fishing stories and yarns, smoke cigars, shoot billiards or engage in conversation and perhaps, at the end of Prohibition, enjoy a cocktail. The hotel would have no public cocktail lounge until after World War II.

Replacement tennis courts were built by 1933, when Collier relocated them to allow for the construction of the new guest cottages. All except two of the historic cottages were built at the same time in 1933, most likely by the same unknown builder. Collier died in 1939 and, in 1961, the Collier Corporation sold The Inn, cottages and surrounding property to a syndicate of winter residents. The syndicate included DuPont heir Bayard Sharp. Three years later, Sharp bought out the other members of the syndicate and formed Gasparilla Inn, Inc. His contribution to the island was to stabilize and strengthen it. The Inn played an important role in doing so. Sharp kept The Inn in its traditional form. When Sharp acquired the property his newly formed corporation poured millions of dollars into restoring it to its original elegance. Sharp updated and undertook major work and repairs, and built a public dock for guests. One of the improvements that he made was to construct new dormitories (1970 & 1972) for the staff. He also oversaw the construction of almost a half dozen new cottages.

Most of the historic cottages, and all of the non-historic cottages, still retain their original floor plans. Additionally, original interior doors, door and window casings, and pine floors have survived, or have been matched to original when necessary. Cottage bathrooms have been updated several times over the years.

During 1967-1978, Sharp constructed buildings for maintenance use, and demolished the original kitchen in 1976, constructing one that was fireproof and included room for staff dining. Architect Mario Troncoso of Temple Terrace, Florida designed the new kitchen. Willis Smith Construction, Inc. was the contractor.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Sharp, along with approximately 300 others, was active in the Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association (GICIA). This group worked hard to preserve the old way of life on the island. Nearly all of the property owners and several of the island's long-term guests put great effort into a fight against excessive development. They were successful in limiting the amount and size of future development. Because of limited development that has taken place and the designation of a local historic district to protect the historic commercial core, Boca Grande retains its unique, unspoiled, natural and historic feeling today.

A large number of wealthy winter residents and guests intersperse with fishermen and downtown merchants, and together have formed a year-round community on Gasparilla Island.

The Inn and cottages totaled 138 rooms by 1981. Later, the number of rooms in the main building increased. In the early 1980s, Sharp and his brother, Hugh, traded waterfront property on the island for the abandoned railroad right-of-way which they donated for use as a bicycle path for island guests and residents.

Sharp added The Inn marina in 1989, and also added a tennis club to the existing courts. The property included a beach club, a pro shop and a house adjacent to the croquet lawn, called the Croquet House. All exist today, although some of the facilities and support buildings have been modernized.

In late 1994, the main dining room and adjoining original servants' dining room were expanded with a 16 ft. two-story extension on the east elevation. This addition is essentially on the rear of the north wing and is not visible from Palm Avenue, towards which The Inn is primarily oriented. The second floor of the dining room expansion provided space for parlors that allowed the guest rooms above to be put into use as suites. The addition was designed by Sarasota architect George Palermo and built by Braxton Bowen. Without historic preservation guidance and knowledge of the Standards for Rehabilitation, the style, design, and materials used on the exterior and interior of the addition were exactly matched to those used in the original dining room. Historic windows were saved and reused on the new exterior walls.

In 1997, Sharp created a trust to ensure that The Inn would be maintained and run as a working hotel after his death. Sharp, as the principal of the corporation that owned The Inn, remained personally active in its management from the time he acquired the property until his death in 2002. During this time frame he maintained a commitment to keep The Inn unspoiled. He aspired to preserve it and its grounds as a dignified yet comfortable destination for its seasonal regulars.

Since 2006, The Gasparilla Inn & Club now consists of 137 rooms, 63 in the main Inn and 74 in the surrounding 17 cottages, buildings and Villas. The Inn continues to be known for its impeccable service and its unique historic old Florida feel and atmosphere today.

The Gasparilla Inn's founders and patrons understood the delicate challenges of building the village without destroying the natural wonders of the island, from its fishing preserves to sugary sands. Through the years, this spirit has been passed on from generation to generation of owners, guests and residents on the island.

A good representation of the social registry and financial tycoons and politicians of the day, at one time or other, have been guests at The Inn over the years. Today, the hotel employs more than 325 persons and continues many of its original traditions, including afternoon tea during Social Season. The Inn is presently owned by the William Farish family. William Farish is a former United States Ambassador to The Court of St. James, and his wife, Sarah, is the only daughter of the late Bayard Sharp.