The Don CeSar (often called the “Pink Palace”) is a historic beachfront hotel in St. Pete Beach, Florida. It opened in 1928 as a glamorous Jazz Age resort and remains an iconic Gulf Coast landmark and member of Historic Hotels of America.

Origins and Construction

Real estate developer Thomas J. Rowe purchased about 80 acres on the barrier island (then known as Long Key) in 1924 for $100,000. He hired architect Henry H. Dupont and contractor Carlton Beard. Construction began around 1925–1926 in a Mediterranean/Moorish style featuring arches, red clay tile roofs, balconies, and towers.

The original plan was a six-story hotel with roughly 110 rooms at a cost of about $450,000. It was expanded to around 220 rooms, and costs rose to roughly $1.25 million (about 300% over budget). Rowe named it Don Ce-Sar after Don César de Bazan, the hero of the opera Maritana by William Vincent Wallace. Local lore (promoted by the hotel itself) holds that it was built partly as a tribute to a lost love—an opera singer named Lucinda whom Rowe met in London—though the name is firmly tied to the opera character.

Opening and Early Years (1928–1940)

The hotel formally opened on January 16, 1928, with a lavish party for local elite. It quickly became a playground for the wealthy and famous during the late Jazz Age and into the Depression, hosting figures such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clarence Darrow, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Al Capone, and others. A key deal with New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert to house the team for spring training (roughly 1931–1933) helped it survive the economic downturn.

Thomas Rowe died of a heart attack in 1940 (in or near the hotel). His estranged wife inherited the property, which then began to decline.

World War II and Government Use (1942–1969)

In 1942 the U.S. Army purchased the hotel (for around $450,000) and converted it into a military hospital/sub-base hospital, later a convalescent center for airmen. After the war it became a Veterans Administration regional office/headquarters. The interiors were stripped and painted institutional green; the building gradually fell into disrepair. The government vacated it around 1969, leaving it abandoned and facing potential demolition.

Restoration and Modern Era

In 1971 a citizens’ group led by June Hurley-Young formed the “Save the Don” Committee. In 1972 William Bowman (with partners) acquired it for about $460,000 and undertook a major restoration (reported costs around $3.5 million). It reopened as a full-service resort in November 1973 (the hyphen in the name was dropped). It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974/1975 and later became a founding member of Historic Hotels of America (1989).

Subsequent decades brought further renovations, expansions (spa, pools, restaurants), celebrity visits, and film/TV appearances (including scenes for Once Upon a Time in America in 1982 and work by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). Ownership has changed over time (including periods under Loews and others); it continues as a luxury resort with ongoing updates while preserving its historic character.