Sarasota Bayfront in 1887

In 1887 John Hamilton Gillespie and the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company built the DeSoto Hotel, Sarasota's first rooming house, which was later renamed the Belle Haven Inn.

The picture below was taken from the De Soto Hotel, looking northwest toward Cedar Point, known today as Golden Gate Point. Note that the downtown seawall had not yet been built.

Vintage postcard thanks to William Hartman Gallery, 48 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL

The DeSoto Hotel on the Sarasota bayfront in 1887