Manufacturer: Mayer China
User: Soreno Hotel
Date of plate: circa 1923 – 1942
Distributor: Mitchell Woodbury Co., Boston
Notes: Designed by region architect Geoffrey Lloyd Preacher, construction began on Soren Lund's Mediterranean Revival hotel located in 1923. Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, the hotel encompassed the north half of the 100 block of Beach Drive, with its clay-tiled roof, textured stucco, baroque-type arched entrance and sqraffito designs.
Named after Lund's only son, the Soreno Hotel opend in 1924, establishing a new elegance on the downtown waterfront. The Soreno was the first of ten grand hotels, built between 1923 and 1926, which defined St. Petersburg as a winter tourist destination, and was the climax of the Florida land boom in the 1920s. The unusual addition of a seventh floor was completed in 1929, bringing the total number of rooms to 300.
During World War II, the Soreno Hotel was occupied by servicemen, then operated as a winter season hotel, until it was closed in 1984. It was demolished in 1992. (Source: Waymarking.com)