Clewiston Inn

Clewiston Inn, also known as The Inn, is a historic hotel and landmark in Clewiston, Florida, United States. It stands on U.S. 27 west of the junction with County Road 832 and is associated with the early development of Clewiston and the sugar-growing economy around Lake Okeechobee. The property is described as the oldest hotel in the Lake Okeechobee area and was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on February 21, 1991. The inn was built in 1926 by the Clewiston Company, the community-building and real-estate development arm of Bror Dahlberg's Southern Sugar Company. Its original location was along the then-unprotected waterfront of Lake Okeechobee, reflecting the role the hotel played in serving an emerging agricultural and development settlement. The building survived the major hurricanes that struck South Florida in 1926 and 1928, but it was subsequently destroyed by fire in 1937. A replacement structure was completed in 1938 in the Classical Revival style. A notable interior feature is the Everglades Lounge and Bar, which contains a panoramic wildlife mural depicting flora and fauna of the Florida Everglades. The mural was produced in the early 1940s by Palm Beach artist J. Clinton Shepherd. Shepherd stayed at the inn for an extended period and made repeated excursions into the Everglades to sketch the animals used in the work. The mural connects the property to the region's environmental and artistic history as well as to its role as a place of hospitality. The inn's ownership history follows the consolidation of the local sugar industry. After the Southern Sugar Company entered bankruptcy in 1929, Charles Stewart Mott formed United States Sugar Corporation and acquired the Southern Sugar Company's assets. Ownership of the Clewiston Inn passed to United States Sugar Corporation in 1931. In 2007, United States Sugar sold the property to Big Lake Hotels. Big Lake Hotels Corporation later sold it in 2011 to Clewiston Hospitality LLC. The available reference material documents the property's historical construction, reconstruction, cultural features, ownership changes, and preservation designation, but does not establish its current owner, operating status, management structure, room inventory, or official website. Accordingly, the Clewiston Inn is best characterized in this dossier as a historically significant hospitality property whose present commercial status requires verification.

The Clewiston Inn originated during the development of Clewiston on the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. In 1926, the Clewiston Company constructed the hotel along the lakefront. The company functioned as the community and real-estate development arm of Bror Dahlberg's Southern Sugar Company, linking the inn's creation to the expansion of the local sugar economy and the establishment of Clewiston as an agricultural center. The inn's first building stood beside an unprotected waterfront and endured two major South Florida hurricanes, in 1926 and 1928. Although it survived those storms, the structure was destroyed by fire in 1937. The hotel was rebuilt in 1938 in a Classical Revival style, creating the building associated with the property in its later historic identity. Ownership changed as the Southern Sugar Company's financial position deteriorated. The company entered bankruptcy in 1929. In 1931, Charles Stewart Mott organized United States Sugar Corporation and acquired the Southern Sugar Company's assets; the Clewiston Inn consequently became part of United States Sugar's property holdings. The hotel remained connected to the local sugar-industry landscape for decades. The property also developed a distinctive cultural feature in its Everglades Lounge and Bar. During the early 1940s, Palm Beach artist J. Clinton Shepherd created a 360-degree mural showing wildlife, plants, and other elements of the Florida Everglades. Shepherd stayed at the inn for many months and made frequent field trips into the Everglades to sketch the animals represented in the mural. The artwork gave the hotel a regional identity grounded in South Florida's natural environment. The inn's historic importance was formally recognized on February 21, 1991, when it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The designation reflects the property's association with Clewiston's development, its architectural history, and its survival and reconstruction after the 1937 fire. In the twenty-first century, the property changed hands outside the direct ownership of United States Sugar Corporation. United States Sugar sold the inn to Big Lake Hotels in 2007. Big Lake Hotels Corporation then sold it to Clewiston Hospitality LLC in 2011. The supplied reference material does not identify subsequent owners, operators, current services, or a verified official website. The Clewiston Inn therefore remains documented primarily as a historic hotel and landmark, while its current operating arrangements require additional confirmation.

• 2011

  Sale to Clewiston Hospitality LLC

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  Big Lake Hotels Corporation sold the property to Clewiston Hospitality LLC.

• 2007

  Sale to Big Lake Hotels

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  United States Sugar Corporation sold the inn to Big Lake Hotels.

• 1991

  National Register listing

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  The Clewiston Inn was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on February 21, 1991.

• 1940

  Everglades mural created

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  During the early 1940s, artist J. Clinton Shepherd created the panoramic Everglades wildlife mural in the inn's Everglades Lounge and Bar.

• 1938

  Classical Revival replacement building completed

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  The inn was rebuilt in a Classical Revival style after the 1937 fire.

• 1937

  Original building destroyed by fire

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  A fire destroyed the original Clewiston Inn structure.

• 1931

  Ownership passes to United States Sugar Corporation

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  Charles Stewart Mott formed United States Sugar Corporation and acquired the assets of Southern Sugar Company, including the Clewiston Inn.

• 1929

  Southern Sugar Company enters bankruptcy

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  Southern Sugar Company went into bankruptcy, setting the stage for the later transfer of its assets to United States Sugar Corporation.

• 1928

  The inn survives the 1928 hurricane

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  The property also survived the major hurricane that struck the region in 1928.

• 1926

  Original Clewiston Inn is built

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  The Clewiston Company built the original inn along the waterfront of Lake Okeechobee as part of the community and real-estate development activities associated with Southern Sugar Company.

• 1926

  The inn survives the 1926 hurricane

  [1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  The original waterfront building survived the major South Florida hurricane of 1926.

A historic Florida hotel and heritage property associated with Clewiston's early development, the Lake Okeechobee region, the local sugar industry, and Everglades-themed art.

• Hospitality · 1926

  Clewiston Inn hotel accommodation

  The inn's principal offering is its historic hotel property in Clewiston, Florida. The building represents successive phases of the site's history, beginning with its 1926 origin, reconstruction after the 1937 fire, and later preservation as a National Register-listed landmark. The supplied sources do not provide a current room count, booking details, or verified operating information.

• Food and beverage · 1940

  Everglades Lounge and Bar

  The Everglades Lounge and Bar is a notable interior space associated with the Clewiston Inn. Its defining feature is a 360-degree mural of Everglades wildlife and vegetation, created in the early 1940s by Palm Beach artist J. Clinton Shepherd after he spent time at the inn and sketched animals in the Everglades. Current operating details are not established by the supplied sources.

• 2011

  Big Lake Hotels sells the inn to Clewiston Hospitality LLCM&A

  Background

  Big Lake Hotels Corporation subsequently transferred ownership of the historic property.

  Action taken

  Big Lake Hotels Corporation sold the Clewiston Inn to Clewiston Hospitality LLC.

  Aftermath

  Clewiston Hospitality LLC became the latest owner named in the supplied reference material. Later ownership and operating information are not established.

  Source

• 2007

  United States Sugar transfers the inn to Big Lake HotelsM&A

  Background

  After decades in the ownership of United States Sugar Corporation, the historic hotel was sold as part of a change in property ownership.

  Action taken

  United States Sugar Corporation sold the Clewiston Inn to Big Lake Hotels.

  Aftermath

  Big Lake Hotels became the recorded owner identified in the supplied historical account until its later sale of the property in 2011.

  Source

• 2011

  Big Lake Hotels sells Clewiston Inn to Clewiston Hospitality LLC[1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Big Lake Hotels Corporation sold the property to Clewiston Hospitality LLC, marking another change in ownership of the historic hotel.

• 2007

  United States Sugar Corporation sells Clewiston Inn to Big Lake Hotels[1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  United States Sugar Corporation transferred ownership of the historic inn to Big Lake Hotels.

• 1991

  Clewiston Inn added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places[1]Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Clewiston Inn was formally listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its historical importance in Clewiston and the Lake Okeechobee region.

1. 1Clewiston Innen.wikipedia.org