When I heard Speedwell was featuring the restoration of Harder Hall, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about this unique project. As a 5th generation Floridian, I know there are precious few of these properties left, and I was grateful to see someone saving this one from the wrecking ball. As a kid, I spent weekends at the Fenway Hotel in Dunedin, another of Florida’s ‘pink lady’ hotels built in 1924. I’ve always appreciated that historic buildings are our most tangible connection to the past and have built my career on preserving and maintaining historically significant properties.

Robert Blackmon, the developer behind the Harder Hall project, grew up with a similar preservation mindset. Robert’s father built their home around significant architectural salvage pieces rescued from historic buildings set for demolition. Living in a home filled with a mix of old and new instilled an appreciation for historic architecture and elements worth saving.

Robert’s preservation philosophy became “play it as it lies,” restore what was original or replace it as closely as possible rather than trying to modernize buildings to match current trends. If there’s terrazzo under layers of flooring, restore the terrazzo. Don’t try to make things what they’re not. He refined this approach across multiple projects, always focused on staying true to the building’s as-built character.

That would prove to be difficult with Harder Hall, which had been abandoned for nearly 40 years when the Blackmons purchased it in 2022. It wasn’t a straightforward preservation project, rather a mix of preservation, renovation, and adaptive reuse. The changes they are making will enhance the building’s sustainability and safety while returning the hotel to its original purpose.

Read Will’s story in the spring issue of Speedwell Magazine