Bringing New Port Richey's Hacienda Hotel back to its old glory

BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey

When the Hacienda opens…

It’s the start of an optimistic thought that’s been bantered around these parts for some time now, starting back in the 1920s when a silent film star named Thomas Meighan, his brother James, and a few others acted on an elaborate vision to turn New Port Richey into Hollywood East.

The building of the Hacienda, a Mediterranean-style boutique hotel nestled on the banks of the Pithlachascotee River that opened in February of 1927, was part of the intended gateway. Along with the Meighan Theatre (now Richey Suncoast Theatre), the Hacienda was a luxurious carrot of sorts, meant to pull in investors, New York notables, and Hollywood elites. Some dipped in after disembarking at the local train station, according to some faded news clips featured on the Fivay.org website and local lore.

Nearly 100 years have passed. While the vision might not be far-fetched like the Meighan’s, the “fix it and they will come” thought is this century’s opportunistic gamble for The Hacienda and the ongoing revitalization of the city of New Port Richey.

The Main Street view of the Hacienda Hotel in downtown New Port Richey
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

The pieces are there – or getting there.

The overhaul of Sims Park that serves as the Hacienda’s backyard has been a real draw. The opening of The Central on Orange Lake luxury apartments and the Stonehaven at Main Street apartments offer an opportunity for people to move to what’s becoming a walkable city. Add to that a stream of new businesses cropping up. On the way is the city’s new gateway and the near completion of a Keiser University branch and parking garage meant to entice a turn off of U.S. Highway 19 to Main Street.

“We’re thrilled for all of the progress going on downtown everywhere – the retail, commercial and residential. It’s happening with a good plan,” said Beth Fregger, a former Main Street New Port Richey director (2011-2012) who, with her husband, Eric, owns the old Chasco Inn and a couple of residential properties downtown.

Then there’s the Hacienda – what local Bob Langford refers to as “The Crown Jewel” of the city of New Port Richey.

The former city councilman has been at the forefront of the Hacienda’s resurrection as a leader of the Friends of the Hacienda and Historic New Port Richey, Inc., a local group that got its start shortly after Mayor Rob Marlowe and then council members Bob Langford and Bill Phillips threw some money in a pot and brought some brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies to the hotel and got to work.

“No one had been in there for years,” Langford said.

The Friends of the Hacienda and Historic New Port Richey came together, he said, “when we discovered that there were more people wanting to raze it than to keep it or restore it.”

Since then the Friends has raised thousands in funds as a way to defray costs and ignite interest.

The group hosted tours of the hotel and a gala featuring local singer/songwriter Julie Black and her band, bringing in generators and air conditioners donated by local businesses because there was no electricity. They have been auctioning off old windows from the structure and selling vanity bricks that will be part of a walkway starting in Sims Park leading to the hotel.

“The first tour that we did we had over 1,000 people come through. We had to turn people away,” Langford said. “When we started charging for the tours, it wasn’t a deterrent at all. We still had the same amount of people come through.”

Some money raised was used to restore a stone wall on the Bank Street side of the Hacienda to its original design at a cost well over $20,000, Langford said

“Before air-conditioning, that wall helped to cool the building,” he said. “The space between the wall and the hotel was filled with sand. When it rained the sand would get damp and the easterly morning wind would blow through the hotel and actually cool it down. The hotel was built [with large doors and windows] so it could have a breeze coming through most days, which was an interesting concept prior to air conditioning.”

Over the years the Hacienda changed hands, eventually landing with the city, then a dormant owner before Jim Gunderson stepped in. He and his wife, Alexandra are proprietors of the Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora, another historical jewel in its own right that recently celebrated its 10th year open under the Gundersons’ wing.

The Lakeside Inn is now the Hacienda’s sister hotel, said Gunderson, and while offering different experiences, the two share similar traits, such as the teal color scheme in the hotel bathrooms.

“It’s really chugging along,” said marketing and communications director, Dylan Gamez. “The week to week changes are pretty obvious.”

Just weeks ago sheetrock was going up in the kitchen and a couple of back areas of the house. Bathrooms were being tiled and painted. Doors were being installed as well as crown molding.

Dylan Gamez takes a peek out of one of the larger guest rooms at the Hacienda Hotel, being refurbished in downtown New Port Richey. “I love to see the week-to-week changes. It’s really chugging along,” said Dylan, who is the Marketing and Public Relations Manager for the Hacienda Hotel and Mount Dora’s Lakeside Inn.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

Today’s Hacienda will feature 40 guest rooms, varying in size, including one suite with an overlook of Main Street, she said, noting that the remodel is a few rooms short of the original plan with some space used to accommodate bathrooms and an elevator to meet modern ADA requirements.

“Sometime in the fall,” is the safest projection for the reopening of the Hacienda, according to Jim Gunderson.

Before tackling the restoration of the Hacienda Hotel in New Port Richey, Jim Gunderson restored the historic Lakeside Inn in Mount Dora, which he and his wife, Alexandra, own and operate.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

He has been weathering the construction and supply-and-demand setbacks cause by COVID with a pitch-in and give-it-your-all leadership role, often ferrying supplies from big-box home improvement stores throughout the state of Florida to get the job done.

While the Hacienda had solid bones to work with, rotting wood and some unorthodox “fixes” made throughout the years slowed the timeline, such as the delicate business of removing a layer of concrete that had been inexplicably poured on the second floor over the hotel kitchen.

That was just one “what were they thinking?!” moment, Gunderson said.

The hiding of conduits for electricity and water in a building built before there were such amenities also presented some unique troubleshooting remedies.

Gunderson, who has a history in hotel restoration, saved what he could of the original hotel footprint. Chandeliers were sent out for cleaning and there were hopes that intricate finials could be restored as well.

The courtyard fountain remains and will be surrounded by four separate seating areas and lush Florida greenery. The exterior has been painted a brighter shade of “Hacienda pink”, more in line with upscale area hotels such as the Vinoy Renaissance and Don CeSar in St. Petersburg.

This original finial is one of the pieces hoped to be restored in time for a fall opening of the Hacienda Hotel, currently under restoration in downtown New Port Richey.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

But there were sacrifices to be made. Two rounded arches in the hotel lobby became a rectangular opening, offering a grander view of the stairway and landing that turns out to be a definite improvement, Langford said.

Early on Gunderson had hoped to keep the original wood floor in the hotel lobby, but there was too much damage to restore it, he said, noting that the lobby would feature a new hardwood floor with carpet in the dining room to buffer sound for a more intimate dining experience.

An added feature is the arched hallways in the hotel corridors, not original to the Hacienda, but common for that time period in which it was constructed, Gunderson said.

Curved archways in the upper hallways are a new feature to the Hacienda Hotel being refurbished in downtown New Port Richey. While a new addition, the archways are keeping with the Mediterranean style of the 1920s time frame when the Hacienda was originally constructed, said hotel owner, Jim Gunderson.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

The fence surrounding the property will be gone soon, creating an open flow into Sims Park – a view those on the rear balcony or patio can take in with a morning cup of coffee or evening cocktail.

Plans are to hire about 35 to 40 part-time and full-time positions to staff the hotel. Among those are a few management slots in addition to a chef. Other positions include kitchen, housekeeping, and maintenance staff as well as bartenders, servers, and front desk personnel.

“I think we’re adding another dimension to downtown that will help broaden the experience of downtown,” Gunderson said. “We expect to see guests coming in for various events held downtown, or in the park for lunch, dinner or to have a drink and relax.”

His expectations look to come to fruition, as evidenced by the enthusiasm of those who have been following the hotel’s fabled story and some new visitors experiencing the hotels’ reemerging charm.

The Hacienda recently hosted a tour for Florida Secretary of State, Laurel Lee, members of Florida Main Street, New Port Richey Main Street, Inc., and New Port Richey City Manager, Debbie Manns, as part of their Preservation on Main Street Convention held July 21-24.

“I think we’re in for a real special treat,” Beth Fregger said. “I think it’s going to be a huge boon to our downtown when that gets up and running. The exposure that we are going to get commercially is just going to grow everything down there.”

Paint preparation at the Hacienda Hotel in downtown New Port Richey. The hotel, built in the 1920s heyday, is currently being refurbished with a hopeful opening date in the fall of 2021.
PHOTO | MICHELE MILLER

“I’m so excited for the reopening of the historic Hacienda Hotel!”, said singer/songwriter Julie Black.”From the initial tours put on by Friends of the Hacienda and Historic New Port Richey, to the 1920s Gala, to the Friends of the Hacienda Jazz Party, and the fundraisers that aided with restoration, it has been wonderful to help champion the story and the evolution of this great piece of old Florida architecture.”

“As artists and musicians, it was our great honor to perform at the Hacienda Hotel and to hear our own music echoing down the halls. It’s been fascinating to see the rehabilitation in process. The countless hopes, memories, and stories this building holds — it’s the heart of the New Port Richey community! I’m so delighted with the care, honor, and attention that Mr. Gunderson has put into the project, and I’m excited about his vision for its future. I think the city found just the right person to bring her back to life.”

“To me, the Hacienda is the crown jewel of the city and I am so excited about it coming back to its old glory,” said Bob Langford. “It’s actually going to be better than when it was new. It’s going to be absolutely beautiful and it will be a very powerful statement for our city. I know it’s taken longer than planned with COVID and everything else, but when it’s done, I know that people will say it’s been worth the wait.”