I’ve lived in St. Petersburg since I was four years old.  The Vinoy was a cool old building when I was a kid, but it was on its way downhill.  Eventually, it shut down and was scheduled to be demolished.  After a few failed attempts, the beautiful Vinoy was finally saved, preserved, renovated, and is now back to her grand and stately self.  For me, that corner of land on the edge of the Vinoy Basin has always been the Vinoy Hotel.

But recently, I was doing some research into a bit of St. Pete history, and, quite accidentally, I came upon a reference to the Braaf family and their beautiful property at 609 Beach Drive.  (In those early days, Beach Drive was the name given to the waterfront road that we now call Bay Shore Drive.)  What?  That’s where the Vinoy is!  A little more digging, and I learned what should have been obvious – that there actually was earlier development on the grounds where the Vinoy was destined to be built.  And why wouldn’t there have been?  This is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in the city!

As it turns out, there was a beautiful house and a large piece of property that was planted with all sorts of tropical plants, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Braaf, prominent St. Petersburg residents in the early 1900′s. Mr. Braaf owned a good deal of land in St. Petersburg in those days, and he was on the St. Petersburg City Council in 1912.  In the early 1920′s, this property was purchased by Mr. Aymer Vinoy Laughner, who then moved ahead and built the Vinoy Park Hotel, the finest lodging in the city.  Interestingly, many of the old trees on the west end of the Vinoy property today are trees that were planted by Mr. Braaf while he and his wife lived in their house there.

Although there’s not a great deal of detail visible, I found this post card online and purchased it so that I could give you a glimpse of what this Vinoy precursor looked like.  I wouldn’t have minded living there one bit!  The next time you’re downtown and you look over and see the Vinoy Hotel, just imagine this peaceful scene and the couple who lived here for many years before the Vinoy was born…