User:Boxcarbobm/The Gardens Hotel

The Garden's Hotel is considered a "small luxury hotel" and is located in Key West, Florida. The original mansion is an example of the Bahamian style of architecture. It was built in the 1800’s and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1930 The Gardens mansion was purchased by Peggy Mills, who envisioned creating a botanical gardens on the property and began purchasing adjacent buildings and land until she had acquired one-quarter of a city block. To clear the land she had 13 existing buildings demolished, sparing only her home and the quaint gate house. It is said that when she first purchased The Gardens mansion the property was barren and she started her gardening career by planting 6 coconuts upside down.

Peggy Mills envisioned creating a garden that would one day be enjoyed by the public. From 1930 until 1968, when the gardens were first opened to the public, she went to extraordinary lengths to make her vision a reality.

Mrs. Mills began collecting plants in earnest and eventually obtained a permit to collect plants from all over the world. She was known in Key West as “The lady of the orchids” for her rare collection of Hawaiian and Japanese orchids which flourished on the trees.

As she was collecting her vast array of botanicals, Mrs. Mills was also busy purchasing 87,000 century old bricks from Cuba, Honduras and England. With these bricks she designed and built winding pathways and intimate seating areas throughout the gardens. She also began to collect antique statuaries to further enhance the garden’s appeal.

Among the garden’s more curious features today are four one-ton earthenware jars called tinajones (teena-HONE-ez) which were used by Spanish settlers to catch rainwater for drinking. Being a family friend of then President Batista, Mrs. Mills was able to remove the jars along with rare botanicals from Cuba. The tinajones had to be moved over 300 miles by oxcart across Cuba and then crated with rubber bumpers for the trip to the United States. They were eventually hauled to her property in sod trucks. They remain a fixture of the gardens today and are the only tinajones to be found in the U.S.

Following Peggy Mills death in 1979, there were several changes in ownership of the property until it was purchased by Bill and Corrina Hettinger in 1992. They envisioned the property as an exclusive Key West luxury hotel. A multi-million dollar renovation of the original structures was undertaken and two additional structures were built to replicate the grand manor houses found in the Bahamas. These new structures house the garden and courtyard accommodations of the hotel today.

In September of 1996, Kate Miano moved to Key West from St. Louis and with no prior experience in running an inn, opened the Ambrosia House on Fleming Street, one block away from The Gardens Hotel. She became experienced rather quickly, learning how to book a reservation and make a bed at the same time. Three and a half years later she managed to purchase another property directly across the street from Ambrosia House. However, since arriving in Key West, she had always coveted The Gardens Hotel. When The Gardens Hotel went on the market in 2004, Ms. Miano immediately put it under contract. Today she continues the tradition started by Peggy Mills and The Gardens Hotel, along with its lush garden, attracts visitors and guest from all over the world.

Additional Resources:

Photos of The Gardens Hotel can be found here

The Gardens Hotel website

Fodor's

Brief mention in The New York Times

Frommer's