August 13 has been an unlucky day for Punta Gorda. On the afternoon of August 13 in 2004, a major hurricane struck Punta Gorda and destroyed much of the downtown ripping apart large parts of the city and taking many historic buildings with it. But August 13 had been an unlucky day for Punta Gorda before. It was on the night of August 13 and early morning of the next day in 1959 that an arsonist set fire to the magnificent structure that had adorned the town's shores since its birth.
It was actually in the wee hours of the morning on August 14 that a fisherman returning from the dock, Homer Monson, was the first to see bright red flames leaping from the tower of the Hotel Charlotte Harbor Spa (originally Hotel Punta Gorda, then Hotel Charlotte Harbor). It was too late to halt the decimation of the famous landmark. Firefighters fought the blazing fire for hours to no avail. They also had to keep pouring water on a tank of fuel oil to prevent an explosion that could have caused massive destruction to the town. But nothing could save the final ending of Punta Gorda's grand hotel. All that remained when the flames were ultimately doused was the wreckage - a haunting vista of a blackened chimney and some steel beams.
The hotel which had though its years hosted the rich and famous of their day that passed through Punta Gorda, was originally built in 1887 and opened for season in the winter of 1888. It had its ups and downs over the years, and was viewed by many at the time of its destruction as an eyesore. The site eventually would be occupied by the Punta Gorda mall and Howard Johnson Motor Lodge.
(prepared by Theresa Murtha )
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