Histories

Biographies

• Alexander, James E.
• Bingham, Charles M.

• Dreka, George A.
• Hawks, John M.

• Raulerson, Keightley B.
• Stillman, John E.

Book Extractions

• 1882 Florida - Volusia County
• 1883 Bloomfield's Illustrated Guide
• 1911 Polk's Directory
• 1914 Florida Past & Present - Volusia County
• 1916 New Smyrna

Hibiscus Room Apartments

2021 Jan 30

I am trying to fill in some story behind a photograph in a shoebox! My grandmother identified the Hibiscus Rooms Apartment house as the place where she, my grandfather, and my mother stayed when they first arrived in Daytona Beach from Minneapolis in 1939. On the back of the photo (2-page pdf), she says that the building faced north. Their stay was temporary, but they were there long enough to get their names in the Polk city directory at this address, 131 2nd Avenue.

I am trying to form a picture of my mother moving to Daytona Beach with her parents in 1938/39. The Daytona Beach News-Journal, 04 Jan 2021, published an article about some of the history of Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, formerly known as 2nd Avenue. The Hibiscus Hotel was torn down. The Lyndhurst Hotel, across the road, survived until 2015. I am interested in any additional information about these hotels at the east end of what is now Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard. Was this hotel used for holiday makers or mostly transient workers? Were all the rooms furnished? Were meals provided?

Thank you,
Cindy Parrill CAParrill@gmail.com
Brisbane, Australia

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