Shovels go in the ground as Gulfstream Hotel restoration gets underway in Lake Worth Beach

LAKE WORTH BEACH — It's taken years of frustrating negotiations, financial haggling and public eye-rolling, but the first step of the restoration of the historic Gulfstream Hotel in Lake Worth Beach began Tuesday, May 14, with a groundbreaking ceremony.

The hotel, vacant since 2005, sits at 1 Lake Ave., across from the Intracoastal Waterway and Bryant Park. It opened in 1925 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

But the hotel closed in 2005 in a major setback for the city because it is considered the only viable hotel option for tourists to downtown Lake Worth Beach and its revival is potentially a major economic boost to nearby businesses. The renovation will result in a Marriott Bonvoy property. No timetable is definite, but developers expect it to take about 15 months.

Ten years ago, a group tied to CDS International paid $7.2 million for the hotel, and in 2019, CDS brought Restoration St. Louis to the project with plans to include 50 hotel rooms, 85 apartments and a parking garage in an eight-story building.

The main building will be restored but officials said a new building will be constructed adjacent to the hotel with rooms and conference areas, a rooftop pool, a spa and other amenities along with retail space.

"Lake Worth Beach is a quirky, come-as-you-are town with a remarkable gift of making its visitors feel welcome, embraced and supported. We intend the Gulfstream to be an extension of that personality," Restoration St. Louis Chief Executive Officer Amy Gill said

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The surrounding businesses such as Benny's on The Beach and Dave's Last Resort and Raw Bar are expected to get an immediate impact from the hotel money.

The project contractor is The Hogan Brothers Construction from Aventura. Hogan Brothers has been involved with other historic hotel renovations such as The Berkley Park Hotel and Washington Park Hotel in Miami Beach, the Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine and The Mansion on Forsyth Park in Savannah, Georgia.

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James Coleman is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at jcoleman@pbpost.com and follow him on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @JimColeman11 . Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Shovels go in the ground as Gulfstream Hotel restoration gets underway in Lake Worth Beach