Who could imagine that a law school could look this beautiful? 

The Stetson campus is located in Gulfport, in the south/west end of St. Petersburg.  This beautiful campus actually started out as the Rolyat Hotel.  It was built in 1925 for developer Frank Taylor (yes, the very odd hotel name is just his last name, spelled backwards…)  Unfortunately, the Florida land boom was followed by a bust, and after a few years, the hotel went out of business.  It operated for awhile as The Florida Military Academy, but eventually was purchased by Stetson University to become the new home of the College of Law, back in 1953.  Classes began in September of 1954 and have been going on at this location ever since.

It’s a truly beautiful campus, worth parking and walking around, if you love old buildings and especially Mediterranean Revival ones.  In addition to the amazing buildings, the campus itself is just a really peaceful place, packed with shade trees and open areas.  The campus even has a great swimming pool, so there must be an assumption that, at some point, students get to take a break for some recreation.  This is truly a gem and a must-see if you’re new to St. Petersburg or have never discovered the campus on your own.  If you’d like to view the full-sized image, please click on the photo below and it will open in a new window.