Harder Hall
Encyclopedia
Harder Hall is a historic site in Sebring
, Florida
. It is located on Little Lake Jackson, at 3300 Golfview Drive. On June 20, 1990, it was added to the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
.
popular during the period and contained 134 rooms. It had approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) square feet of rooms and halls, 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) of public areas including a mezzanine
lobby. The 4200 square feet (390.2 m²) Great Room and Banquet
Room both had 22 feet (7 m) ceilings with large french doors that overlook the lake.
, Florida experienced a boom in real estate
and tourism
. It was during this period that many Spanish style hotels, such as Harder Hall, were built. Construction of the hotel began in 1925, prior to the end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s
. The firm responsible for the construction of the building, Schultze and Weaver
, were also responsible for the Biltmore Hotel
in Coral Gables, Florida
. In 1927, the classic Spanish Style hotel and golf resort, opened on the shore of Little Lake Jackson. Harder Hall was built in Sebring because the city was a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line
railroad. In 1953 it was bought by Victor and David Jacobson and partners Larry Tennenbaum and Sam Levy. In 1954 Victor commissioned golf course architect Dick Wilson to transform the golf course into a championship layout. Among the major tournaments held at Harder Hall Hotel were the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome, a PGA Tour
/LPGA Tour event. Other famous guests of the hotel were Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Mario Andretti. With head pro Ben Roman Victor started the first golf school in the world. Victor and Eva Jacobson also operated Harder Hall Golf and Tennis Camp at the hotel between 1967 and at least 1982. This was the first and last co-ed, teenage golf and tennis camp in a resort hotel ever and drew campers from all over the world. Victor operated this hotel until the 1982 when he sold it to a group of investors who went bankrupt, unable to convert their plan to convert the structure to timeshare
s. The building has been unoccupied ever since. Several times different groups tried their luck on the extensive renovation project but never got far. A few times this classic building barely escaped demolition, before being put on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sebring, Florida
Sebring is a city in Highlands County, Florida, United States, nicknamed "The City on the Circle", in reference to Circle Drive, the center of the Sebring Downtown Historic District...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It is located on Little Lake Jackson, at 3300 Golfview Drive. On June 20, 1990, it was added to the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Original capacity
The hotel was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style architectureSpanish Colonial Revival Style architecture
The Spanish Colonial Revival Style was a United States architectural stylistic movement that came about in the early 20th century, starting in California and Florida as a regional expression related to history, environment, and nostalgia...
popular during the period and contained 134 rooms. It had approximately 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) square feet of rooms and halls, 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) of public areas including a mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
lobby. The 4200 square feet (390.2 m²) Great Room and Banquet
Banquet
A banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
Room both had 22 feet (7 m) ceilings with large french doors that overlook the lake.
Early
Prior to the Wall Street Crash of 1929Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
, Florida experienced a boom in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. It was during this period that many Spanish style hotels, such as Harder Hall, were built. Construction of the hotel began in 1925, prior to the end of the Florida land boom of the 1920s
Florida land boom of the 1920s
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble, which burst in 1925, leaving behind entire new cities and the remains of failed development projects such as Aladdin City in south Miami-Dade County and Isola di Lolando in north Biscayne Bay...
. The firm responsible for the construction of the building, Schultze and Weaver
Schultze and Weaver
The architectural firm of Schultze and Weaver was established in New York City in 1921. The partners were Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver.Leonard B. Schultze was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5, 1877...
, were also responsible for the Biltmore Hotel
Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel
The Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel is a luxury hotel in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. It was designed by Schultze and Weaver and was built in 1926 by John McEntee Bowman and George Merrick as part of the Biltmore hotel chain....
in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
. In 1927, the classic Spanish Style hotel and golf resort, opened on the shore of Little Lake Jackson. Harder Hall was built in Sebring because the city was a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
railroad. In 1953 it was bought by Victor and David Jacobson and partners Larry Tennenbaum and Sam Levy. In 1954 Victor commissioned golf course architect Dick Wilson to transform the golf course into a championship layout. Among the major tournaments held at Harder Hall Hotel were the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome, a PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
/LPGA Tour event. Other famous guests of the hotel were Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Mario Andretti. With head pro Ben Roman Victor started the first golf school in the world. Victor and Eva Jacobson also operated Harder Hall Golf and Tennis Camp at the hotel between 1967 and at least 1982. This was the first and last co-ed, teenage golf and tennis camp in a resort hotel ever and drew campers from all over the world. Victor operated this hotel until the 1982 when he sold it to a group of investors who went bankrupt, unable to convert their plan to convert the structure to timeshare
Timeshare
A timeshare is a form of ownership or right to the use of a property, or the term used to describe such properties. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each sharer is allotted a period of time in which they may use...
s. The building has been unoccupied ever since. Several times different groups tried their luck on the extensive renovation project but never got far. A few times this classic building barely escaped demolition, before being put on the National Register of Historic Places.