The Gasparilla Inn, built by the Boca Grande Land Company, a subsidiary of a national phosphate company that was an early major island land holder, opened in 1911 as an upscale winter destination for wealthy guests under the leadership of company principal Peter Bradley. Tampa architect Frances Kennard assisted in the hotel’s 1912 enlargement and again in 1915 when its size doubled. Its grounds, landscaped by the nationally known firm Olmsted Brothers, included a bath house, band shell, greenhouse, tennis courts, golf course, and staff dormitories, while a New York firm decorated the interior with furnishings purchased in Philadelphia. The Inn attracted wealthy fishermen and industry tycoons such as J.P. Morgan and Henry DuPont, who valued its seclusion and impeccable service. In 1930 Florida land baron Barron Collier purchased the hotel and added a grand new entrance, an 18-hole golf course, and several cottages. By the 1960s the Inn had declined, but longtime Gasparilla Island resident Bayard Sharp purchased the property, restored it, and added modern amenities to continue its traditions.