Draft:Lodge at Wakulla Springs



The Lodge at Wakulla Springs, in Wakulla Springs, Florida, is a hotel opened in 1937 by businessman Edward Ball. It was built during 1935–37. "The Springs have been famous for its wildlife since they were first made famous through the writings of John Muir in 1867. The springs were preserved through the foresight of Edward Ball when he purchased it and put the springs in the public trust."

From the efforts of lodge management, Wakulla Springs became the site of filming of Creature from the Black Lagoon, early Tarzan films, and other films.

It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.

In 2020, The Lodge at Wakulla Springs was nominated as "a People's Choice Award for best historic hotels in Florida" in the Florida Association of the American Institute of Architecture.

The hotel has 27 rooms, and there is only one television. Per WCTV, Housekeeping Manager Yvonne Tuten stated that businessman Edward Ball, who built the hotel in the early 1930's, had purchased the land in order to keep it preserved.

While most of Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed on lots in California, underwater scenes were filmed at Wakula Springs using great clear light and weird depth???

From the Wakulla Springs wikipedia article section on Wakulla Springs Lodge: In 1931, Edward Ball, a businessman from Virginia, bought property in Tallahassee, Florida and construction on the Wakulla Springs Lodge started in 1935. Edward Ball hired the architectural firm Marsh and Saxelbye, known for their Mediterranean style mansions. Initially, the lodge was built as a guest house and in 1981, after his death, was turned into a hotel by the Edward Ball Wildlife Foundation.

The lodge is now a hotel with twenty-seven rooms.

In 2002, artisans started working to conserve the ceiling of the lodge, funded in part by the State of Florida, Division of Historical Resources and the Historic Preservation Board. Each picture on the 5,800 square-foot ceiling depicts historic Floridian scenes. The techniques are a combination of many, namely European folk art with Native American influences.