User:Rlmartino/Vinoy house

Originally built in 1910,, 532 Beach Drive NE ib St. Petersburg, was the home of and his wife, Stella, from 1920 until 1978. It was on the lawn of this house, at a party in 1924, with famous golfer Walter Hagen and Financier Gene Elliott. They were standing in Laughner's yard on Beach Drive when Laughner laid his expensive pocket watch on the lawn and challenged Hagen to hit a ball off the face without cracking the glass across the street. Gene Elliott suggested a hotel should be built there and to name it The Vinoy because it is such a pretty name.

The house, originally clapboard and frame, was surrounded by tall hedges and Aymer had a hole cut in one side of the hedge so he could run back and forth to the hotel construction site. , now called the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel was opened on December 31st, 1925. Amyer Vinoy Laughner died in 1961 and his wife Stella died in 1976.

The home received a historical marking on December 18, 2010 by The Colonial Dames of America and is now a Bed and Breakfast callrd The Beach Drive Inn.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/attractions/article1140644.ece http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/renaissance-for-historic-vinoy-hotel-with-iconic-desso-carpet-98807569.html http://www.southflorida.com/travel/sfl-tolf_0401,0,1515082.story http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Colonial_Dames_of_America http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinoy_Park_Hotel