Some rewards are a long time coming, especially when you restore a historic landmark like the Lakeside Inn.
Mount Dora’s Lakeside Inn is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its rebirth in January 2026.
The historic hotel was also recently chosen as the hub for a national morning news show segment.
Mount Dora’s flagship inn is estimated to be around 142 years old. When Jim and Alexandra Gunderson took over as its new owners, it looked its age and then some.
According to Jim, there were “major failures,” everything from plumbing issues to problems with its wood framing. Restoration started immediately after the purchase in January 2011. The inn has remained open through its renovations.
The Gundersons had to contend with everything from leaky pipes to rotted window frames.
“You know, the Lakeside Inn is all wood construction,” Jim told the Daily Commercial. We have two buildings that are clad and stucco, but the internal structure of them is all wood-frame construction.”
And the work is unending: “We constantly battle everything from eventual rot to termites.”
The couple had uncovered “decades of neglect.” Add to that, they had to adhere to historic preservation standards, but were forced to do some rebuilding. It was a tricky back and forth. One particular challenge involved building a wheelchair ramp to the building housing the hotel’s gift shop. The Americans with Disabilities Act requirements didn’t exist in 1883.
There was only so much the couple could do without compromising the original structure.
A labor of love
Why would the Gundersons take on such a monumental task without a guaranteed return on their investment? For Jim, it was both a labor of love and a keen understanding of our cultural moment, noticing trends as a manager of a corporate hotel and visiting scenic destinations that people were capturing more and more on social media.
Jim had been working in the hospitality industry for corporate hoteliers before relocating to Mount Dora. When he and Alexandra, who studied geology in her early years, went on trips, they sought out charming, historic and quirky independently owned lodgings, and they observed what went into making a successful Bed & Breakfast or boutique hotel.
The Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande was a favorite for getaways. While traveling, they noticed the surge in interest in unique lodgings, “meaning not just some big 600-room sort of ugly standard old hotel,” as Jim put it.
Going on 33 years of marriage, the Gundersons now own two distinctive, historic Florida hotels. The other, The Hacienda in New Port Richey, is a Mediterranean revival favorite for visiting celebrities of its time. It’s where Charlie Chaplin, Irving Berlin and other Holllywood Golden-Age stars enjoyed some R&R.
“The whole boutique thing exploded,” Jim said. “Historic hotels are smaller, more personalized in terms of the experience, and, for us, there’s that connection with the past.”
Culture and a spirit of rejuvenation not only motivated the restoration of the inn, but the hotel helped spark a beautification contagion across downtown Mount Dora.
“When we were living in Naples, we were looking around for quirky, interesting places within a reasonable drive,” Alexandra shared. “And actually, this is back in the mailing days. It was 1996, I think. I actually sent a letter to Lakeside Inn for information, and I have that envelope that was returned to me full of brochures and information about the Inn.”
The Gundersons’ involvement in the community has played a big part in the historic district’s success story.
“When we first bought the Inn and started this, this, this adventure, the downtown of Mount Dora wasn’t as thriving as it is now,” Jim said. “We worked very closely with Visit Mount Dora, its volunteers, different shop owners, different business owners, and different people involved in marketing and promotions. We opened up our doors to them to participate and help in any way we possibly could. Over the years, it just kept building.”
The Lakeside Inn’s colorful past
When Mount Dora was proclaimed as a town, the Lakeside Inn opened up as a small 10-room hotel, called the Alexander House, in 1883. A group of local citizens founded it to attract visitors and grow the community. The name was changed to The Lake House in 1893 and finally to Lakeside Inn in 1903.
At the turn of the 20th century, visitors checked in for extended stays to fish, hunt, swim and relax by the lake.
Today, there are 90 rooms and suites in four buildings, including the main building with its wide veranda at the crest of a sloop above Lake Dora. Some say it’s haunted, and Mount Dora Ghost Tours has taken people there.
President Calvin Coolidge stayed at the inn with First Lady Grace Coolidge for a month in 1930 after he left office.
In 1981, it was featured in the movie “Honky Tonk Freeway,” a comedy about a small Florida town. Funny trivia about that film: The crew painted the hotel and other town buildings pink and featured a water-skiing elephant.
According to a past story in the Orlando Sentinel, the Lakeside Inn came within 90 days of being demolished in the mid-1980s before new owners arrived with a plan to turn the Lakeside Inn into a high-end resort, but the cost for renovations and improvements led to biting off more than they could chew, and the inn was foreclosed and sold at auction in 1990.
From then to now
The Lakeside Inn’s website says that it’s the oldest continuously operated hotel in the state, a claim backed by Stanley Turkel, a hotel industry consultant and the 2014 Historian of the Year designated by Historic Hotels of America (the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation).
It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has four separate restored buildings: the main building, The Gatehouse, The Terrace and The Gables. The property encompasses five acres and around 5,500 square feet indoors, total.
The inn’s dining and bar facilities are situated to offer a scenic ambiance. Options include the main restaurant, The Beauclaire Dining Room, which offers formal meals and lake views; The Verandah for casual dining; Tremain’s Tavern, a classic bar and lounge with frequent live music; and the seasonal Waterside Bar, located by the swimming pool, with a view of Lake Dora.
A private beach area is available for guest use, with amenities for boating and fishing. Also offered are guided boat tours that depart from the docks, including ecological and sunset tours.
Alexanda says her husband oversees most of the operations, but he credits her for her input in beautifying the grounds, where guests can stroll and relax amid vibrant greenery and native flowers. A Victorian tea garden and seating areas on a veranda are also featured.
If you’re not one to sit still, the inn provides bike rentals and other activities like birdwatching and nature walks.
Couples celebrating anniversaries will want to note that the inn offers access to horse-drawn carriage rides and trolley tours, available just outside the property, and the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce is located in the old train station next door.
Each guest room balances historic character while providing modern comforts such as air conditioning and flat-screen TVs. There’s also free Wi-Fi, self-parking and five meeting rooms.
The Lakeside Inn’s classic design means there are no elevators, though helpful bell staff are on hand to assist with luggage, and pet-friendly accommodations can be arranged.
Its GateHouse Gift Boutique features unique items from local artists, crafters, authors and souvenirs.
Recognized as the number one venue in the Central Florida Lakes Region for wedding ceremonies and receptions, The Lakeside Inn has also been recognized for its scratch-made comfort food.
In fact, their chicken pot pie won best entree in the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce’s 24th Annual Mount Dora Taste & Craft Beer Festival.
This article originally appeared on Daily Commercial: Mount Dora’s Lakeside Inn celebrates 15 years of ‘rejuvenation’
Reporting by Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial / Daily Commercial
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
