LAKE WALES – City of Lake Wales staff has received four bids from developers expressing interest in redeveloping the historic Walesbilt Hotel.
Blackmon & Andoniades Families, Newco Hospitality FL LLC, Restoration St. Louis Inc., and Yarash Real Estate Inc./DBA YRH LLC are among the submissions.
“We’re interested in developers who have proven experience in preserving large-scale historic buildings,” City Manager James Slaton said.
The developers will be evaluated and shortlisted based on their technical expertise, financial capacity, project experience and recent relevant innovative strategies for adaptive reuse of properties similar to the Walesbilt Hotel.
Shortlisted candidates will be notified of eligibility on August 8, 2025 and will be invited to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) by October 10, 2025. The RFP will be issued to identify the most qualified developer based on proposed approach, proposed team, experience, capacity and cost effectiveness/budget.
The 10-story hotel features Mediterranean-Revival architecture. On the ground floor, more than 10 retail and office spaces with Palladian windows line the arcade which runs north and south from the center of the grand lobby. Corinthian columns, an Italian coffered ceiling, mezzanine, cement arches and marble floors, enchant the lobby, with a second-story veranda overlooking First Street and Park Avenue – both roadways recently redeveloped in a multimillion-dollar streetscape project.
