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| A trip through the lobby of historic Edgewater Hotel is a journey into Florida's past. (Photo credit: Gerri Bauer) |
Most small-town restaurant layouts don't guide patrons through history during a walk to the restroom. I'm glad Thai Blossom in Winter Garden does.
No, this isn't a food post, although their food is excellent. And I wasn't paid in any way to say so. My husband and I stopped there for lunch a few times on computer-repair drop-off and pick-up journeys. That's how I discovered the history.
The restaurant is housed in what was and hopefully will again be an operating, historic facility - The Edgewater Hotel. Opened in 1927, the structure retains beautiful details including wood paneling, stained and etched glass, and other touches of the era such as glass doorknobs.
I discovered them on my trip to the restroom. The walk leads out of the restaurant, around the former lobby and into a small hallway. The photo at the top of this post shows you what I passed on the way.
The Edgewater started as a haven for fishermen headed for Lake Apopka. The lake was famous for its bass fishing. The 53-room hotel gained stature and operated for almost 40 years. It sheltered World War II troops, Walt Disney World construction workers, spring-training baseball players, regular folks and a few famous ones. A 90th-anniversary article in the West Orange Times & Observer said legend claims Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart were there and filming was done there.
But the hotel closed in1965, stayed closed for a couple of decades and was almost razed. Over its lifetime it has been sold and resold, rescued by local investors, renovated, reopened, and operated as a bed-and-breakfast. The most recent closing came in 2025 after a group hired to operate the B&B had serious internal problems.
It's clear that challenges aren't new for the Edgewater. Even from the start. Construction began during the Florida Boom. The builder when bankrupt when the boom busted in Florida a year later. Local investors rescued the project and opened the hotel in 1927.
Room rates upon opening were $2 to $2.50 per night. That's about $38 to $47 today. But remember, an open window was the only in-room air-conditioning. Modern amenities at the time included telephones in every room, a state-of-the-art fire prevention system and an Otis elevator.
Photos I've seen online show wood floors in guest rooms and the dining room, large windows, period-appropriate furniture and other touches such as beautiful quilts on the beds.
The word from regional media is that local investors are again stepping in to save the structure and hotel operation. That's great, because the building not only houses the Thai Blossom, it also contains The Chef's Table, the Tasting Room at Chef's Table, Scoops Ice Cream Store, and Earl's Barbershop.
I hope the hotel will operate again as a B&B or other housing. It has character and a strong local identity, something so often lacking in Florida's modern structures. As we zoom into our techno future, these pieces of the past become even more important.
