Princess Martha in St. Petersburg, frequented by Babe Ruth, turns 100

It’s a special year for the Princess Martha. The towering red-brick building in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg turns 100.

Before the Princess Martha became a 55-and-up community, it opened as a grand hotel on Jan. 4, 1924. While the Princess Martha already commemorated its 100th anniversary earlier this year, the celebration isn’t over yet. Preserve the ‘Burg is throwing a porch party on Thursday evening.

During the 1920s, growth in St. Petersburg inspired the creation of several grand hotels, including the Vinoy Park Hotel, the Don CeSar and the Jungle Country Club Hotel.

“You’ve got this cool history of hotels,” said Manny Leto, executive director of Preserve the ‘Burg. “St. Pete was a seasonal city, so you had efficiencies, destination hotels and extended-stay lodging. Some of the city’s most historic buildings were (or still are) hotels.”

The Princess Martha was originally called the Mason Hotel, named after New York steel magnate Franklin J. Mason. According to an article from the St. Petersburg Museum of History, Mason retired in St. Pete after wintering there in 1920. He built 46 bungalows near the Euclid/St. Paul’s neighborhood, then bought a downtown lot for his hotel project in March 1923.

“By the summer of 1923, the 250-room Neo-Classical hotel began rising from the ground. It actually had 252 rooms, but 250 sounded better for advertising,” wrote Rui Farias, director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, in St. Pete Rising. “The steel framework of the ten-story structure arrived in early June, and the frame was completed by the end of July. The exterior was clad in 300,000 red bricks — the largest brick order in St. Pete history at that time.”

The Mason Hotel was the first in the city to be financed through the sale of public stock, according to the Times archives. At nine stories, it provided winter tourists a view of Williams Park.

“Mahogany walls graced the foyer,” wrote the then-St. Petersburg Times in 1999. “Red quarry tile and Tennessee marble covered the floors. Guests were blinded by snow-white bedspreads, and fascinated with private baths.”

The Mason went bankrupt after its opening season, according to the St. Petersburg Museum of History. William Muir’s company purchased the hotel with the help of his wife. The then-St. Petersburg Times wrote that Muir changed the name to honor her, saying, “You’re a princess, Martha.”

Notable guests over the years included entertainer Maurice Chevalier, poet Carl Sandburg and athlete Babe Ruth, who held court with sportswriters in the lobby. In 1930, Ruth signed a Yankees contract at the Princess Martha for $80,000 — $5,000 more than President Hoover’s salary.

The hotel changed ownership numerous times over the years. In 1989, the hotel underwent a $4-million renovation and reopened as a senior living facility, according to Preserve the ‘Burg. It was named a historic landmark in 1995.

If you go to Princess Martha’s anniversary porch party

Preserve the ‘Burg will host a porch party to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Princess Martha at 411 First Ave. N. on July 11 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Light snacks will be provided, with drinks available at a donation bar. The cost is $25 for members of Preserve the ‘Burg, or $30 for non-members. Visit preservetheburg.org for more information.

Information from the Times archive was used in this report.