Lakes Wales hotel being restored to former glory

Source: baynews9.com --- Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A 1920s land boom era hotel in Lake Wales is being restored to its former glory. Ray Brown hopes to restore "green monster" Old Windows, stone flooring being restored Brown hopes to get financing for project Developer Ray Brown bought the Walesbilt Hotel from the city years ago with the dream of restoring it. Brown has had issues getting financing for the project, but he has now completed about a quarter of the work without getting all the financing in place. He wants to make sure the hotel doesn't get torn down. It had been an eyesore for decades. That's why he's taking on the risk of the project. "Well, I knew if I didn't, it would get knocked down," Brown said. Crews are busy at work restoring old Windows and doors and stone flooring. Steve Quillian with Wood Window Makeover in Tampa is restoring the massive old wood Windows. He appreciates Brown's vision for keeping the historical details of the building. "Oh yea, I really do," he said. "Being able to put something like this back together is a cultural thing. It's part of our history and who we are." Long time Lake Wales resident Roscoe Williams was always fascinated by the old hotel that folks called the "green monster" because of its former unusual color. Williams believes in Brown's determination to restore the building, so he is putting in lots of volunteer hours. “I said to my wife, boy if I had the money to restore this place," he said. "Hey, I would have invested in Ra ...

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