In 1927, a rowdy tavern and dance hall on the beach near Spring Avenue disturbed the quiet town of Anna Maria, so mayor Mitch Davis built a jail for offenders. The jail was unusual because it had only bars on the windows, leaving prisoners exposed to clouds of mosquitoes, and few wanted to spend more than one night there, which quickly quieted the dance hall crowd. When the Great Depression slowed business on the island, the jail was no longer needed. In the 1940, it caught fire during a storm, leaving only the concrete building. A few years later, Harry Varley, founder of the Islander newspaper, persuaded the city to leave the building standing and turned it into a tourist attraction by painting it with catchy slogans, after which it became one of the most photographed attractions on the island.