Harder Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Harder Hall
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Harder Hall
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| Location | 3300 Golfview Dr., Sebring, Florida |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Williak Manley King |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival |
| MPS | Sebring MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000341 |
| Added to NRHP | 20 June 1990 |
Harder Hall is a historic building in Sebring, Florida. It was once a grand hotel. It sits by Little Lake Jackson at 3300 Golfview Drive. On June 20, 1990, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
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Harder Hall: A Historic Florida Hotel
What Was Harder Hall Like?
The hotel was built in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. This style was very popular back then. It had 134 rooms for guests. The building covered about 50,000 square feet with rooms and hallways. It also had 35,000 square feet of public areas. This included a lobby on a mezzanine level.
Grand Rooms and Lake Views
The hotel featured a large "great room" and a banquet room. Each of these rooms was about 4,200 square feet. They both had very tall ceilings, about 22 feet high. Big French doors in these rooms offered amazing views of the lake.
The Story of Harder Hall
Building a Dream Hotel
Harder Hall was named after its builders. They were Lewis F. Harder and Vincent Hall. Both men were from West Palm Beach. Before the Wall Street Crash of 1929, Florida was very popular. Many people were buying land and visiting. This time was known as the Florida land boom of the 1920s. Many hotels like Harder Hall were built during this period.
Construction on Harder Hall began in 1925. The company that built it was Schultze and Weaver. They also built the famous Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. Harder Hall opened in 1927. It was a classic Spanish-style hotel and golf resort. It was built in Sebring because the city was a stop on the Atlantic Coast Line railroad. This made it easy for guests to arrive.
New Owners and Famous Guests
In 1953, Victor and David Jacobson bought the hotel. They partnered with Larry Tennenbaum and Sam Levy. In 1954, Victor hired a golf course designer named Dick Wilson. He helped make the golf course ready for championships. Many big golf tournaments were held at Harder Hall. One was the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome. This was a tournament for both men and women golfers.
Many famous people stayed at the hotel. These included actors like Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. Actress Ali MacGraw also visited. Race car driver Mario Andretti was another well-known guest.
Golf and Tennis Camp
Victor and Eva Jacobson also started something special. They ran the Harder Hall Golf and Tennis Camp. This camp was for teenagers. It ran from 1967 until at least 1982. It was one of the first camps of its kind. Teenagers from all over the world came to learn golf and tennis.
Victor Jacobson ran the hotel until 1982. He then sold it to a group of investors. They planned to turn the hotel into timeshares. But their plan did not work out, and they went bankrupt. Since then, the building has been empty. Several groups have tried to fix up the building. But none of them finished the project. This classic building almost got torn down many times. Luckily, it was saved by being put on the National Register of Historic Places.
Harder Hall Today
In 2004, a new investor bought the building. From 2005 to 2006, they tried to restore it. They did more work than all the previous attempts combined. However, they ran out of money in 2006. The project was left half-finished.
In July 2007, the city of Sebring bought Harder Hall at an auction. Locals in Highlands County have many stories about the hotel. Some people believe it is one of the most haunted buildings there. Explorers have visited the property. They have reported seeing things that locals say are people who died there long ago.
The golf course at Harder Hall is still in great shape. It is open to the public. People can play golf there for a fee.
