At St. Petersburg's historic Tramor building, plans for indoor golf club stall
ST. PETERSBURG — After Hurricane Milton sent a construction crane crashing through the Tramor's neighboring building at 490 First Ave. S., the historic building that once served lunches to soldiers in World War II also has a questionable future.
The nearly 100-year-old building that was last known as the German beer hall Hofbrauhaus was pegged as a future social club, with big screens, computerized simulations of famous golf courses and high-end dining.
GolfSuites CEO Jerry Ellenburg fell in love with the Art Deco interior and Mediterranean architecture of the building and had plans to break the mold of his rapidly growing series of indoor golf simulator clubs. He planned to spend twice as much as he usually does to make it a high-end restaurant and club in downtown St. Petersburg.
But even before the hurricanes, which inflicted a small amount of roof damage, Ellenburg said, the cost of capital was rising rapidly and threatening the project he originally planned to open this summer.
'We have been terribly delayed by capital,' Ellenburg said. 'It has grown so heavy, it's like I've been in a purgatory.'
His original plans called for spending about $5 million, but now it's looking more like $9 million. Ellenburg said he is weighing his options and will have a decision in May about moving forward.
Built in 1929, the building is a prime example of the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture that was all the rage in the roaring '20s during St. Petersburg's first boom period. It sits at the intersection of First Avenue S. and Fourth Street, with a barrel tile roof and towering corners. It has an intricately tiled lobby with thick cypress beams overhead that opens into an expansive interior designed to create the illusion of a Spanish hacienda.
The project snagged Kevin Harrington, an original Shark on the ABC show 'Shark Tank.' The inventor of the infomercial joined GolfSuites City Club, a Brandon-based company, as board director and is 'brand ambassador' for the brand nationwide as it expands.
The St. Pete spot was set to be GolfSuites' newest concept, called the City Club. The company, which already operates outdoor driving range entertainment facilities in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, likened the newest concept to a country club.
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