The beach ramp that runs through the Plaza Resort & Spa at the east end of Seabreeze Boulevard has been closed off by the city for safety reasons. Deteriorating conditions at the venerable hotel prompted the action.
There has been a ramp there since at least the early 1900s and a hotel there since 1888. First, there was a beach cottage. Then, the cottage was enlarged and combined with a neighboring hotel in 1904. An early ramp was beneath a second-story walkway between the two buildings.
A fire destroyed the place, then called the Clarendon Hotel, on Valentine’s Day 1909, the height of the winter visitor season. The fire started in a basement coal bin and spread in stages, giving the hotel’s 250 guests time to evacuate.
The hotel was rebuilt and reopened in 1911.
The new hotel quickly became the town’s premier place to stay. The Brooklyn Robins (later the Dodgers) were there for spring training in 1915 and 1916. Drivers, crews and sponsors stayed there while attempting world speed records on the beach in the 1930s. And during World War II, it was a temporary home to members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.
The building was added to extensively over the years, with its 14-story tower built in 1969.
New owners took over in 2021, only to see the building heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach hotel has seen fire and storms
Reporting by Mark Lane, Special to The News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mark Lane, Special to The News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
