This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Laurel Park dream ends as Fleetwood Hotel bust hits Hendersonville
The Laurel Park Fleetwood Hotel saga from the Roaring Twenties is recounted by Jim Toms at the Hendersonville Genealogical and Historical Society. Commodore Stolz promoted a 14 story brick and marble hotel in Laurel Park, funding his scheme with gold backed notes and investor headlines. Construction began in 1925 but the Florida real estate boom cooled, profits proved elusive, and promoters relied on paper gains with little land work. The tale links to Miami Beach boom culture, local land sales, and a later note that promoter activity funded by others left vendors unpaid. The piece also notes Jack Dempsey training in Laurel Park for a forthcoming heavyweight fight.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim Toms
Laurel Park
Toms
Fleetwood
Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society
Miami Beach
Hendersonville
Commodore J. Perry Stolz
New York Yacht Club
Stolz
Commodore Stolz
Main Street
Walter Smith
Walter
William Smith
Laurel Park Estates
Hubert Smith
American Legion
South Florida
Miami
Mountains
Dous
Seventh Avenue
Florida
Chamber of Commerce
Stanley Wright