Remembering The Rendezvous – The Grand Dame of Homosassa
By Ken Marotte, Citrus County Historical Society
Hundreds of people cruise down the Homosassa River on a typical weekend. As they pass the Riverhaven Marina, boaters are probably not aware that this was once the site of a world-famous residence – the Rendezvous Hotel. What’s the background of this legendary building? Was it built by a former US President? What eventually happened to the building?
Early Days
In the late 1880’s, wealthy families from the North flocked to Homosassa to escape Winter’s wrath and enjoy some fabulous fishing. There was one hotel in town – the Homosassa Hotel on the south side of river. There was an impressive roster of distinguished guests arriving every year. Some visitors were so enthralled with the area that they decided to purchase land and build their own retreat to accommodate their annual trips to the town. A previous issue of the CCHS At Home newsletter explored the construction of the building that eventually became the Riverside Lodge by B.F. Dutton of Massachusetts. He was partner with S.S. Houghton in a very successful Boston retail store called Houghton & Dutton.
The families of these businessmen were very close. The two families would charter a railroad car and travel together to Homosassa every Winter. S.S. Houghton’s daughter would eventually marry B.F. Dutton’s son – so at least two members of the party enjoyed more than just the fishing in Homosassa! The elder Dutton decided to build a comfortable estate on the South side of the river which would eventually become the Riverside Lodge. Not to be outdone, the Houghton’s purchased a substantial plot of waterfront on the North side of the river within sight of their friend’s home.
Houghton purchased land from John Hall in 1891 for $7000 (about $228,000 in 2022 dollars). No expense was spared on building the immense mansion and grounds that arose on the that site. The “cottage” could comfortably accommodate 30 people. A boat house and wharf was constructed at today’s equivalent cost of $60,000. A new beach was created for an outlay of $105,000 in today’s equivalent dollars. By 1893, Houghton had spent approximately $100,000 – the equivalent of $3,250,000 in 2022 dollars – in constructing his family’s vacation home.
Unfortunately, S.S. Houghton would not live long enough to fully enjoy the fruits of his labor. After suffering ill health for three years, he suffered a paralytic stoke in July, 1893 and passed away at the age of 68. While the two families continued to make their Homosassa trips, Mary Houghton decided to offer the private residence for sale in 1894. An agreement was struck with Ocala businessman J.A. Rowell to take over the impressive estate. Rowell owned a successful store in that city and also served as Vice President of the Merchants National Bank of Ocala. However, Rowell (and the Bank) borrowed more money than assets on hand and both he and the Bank were bankrupt by 1897. Ownership of the Houghton’s former home reverted to that family.
The Birth of the Rendezvous Hotel
In 1901, Mary Houghton sold the property to Harry Dutton, her son-in-law, for one dollar. Mr. Dutton advertised the property and eventually found a buyer in the person of Homosassa train conductor Captain W.L. Lowry. Lowry was able to partner with the Rheinauer Brothers in 1903 and the hotel known as the “Rendezvous” was born.
[Courtesy of Florida Memory]
Business was exceptional. The hotel was so full of guests that Lowry leased the Homosassa Inn on the opposite shore as an annex to the Rendezvous. Bad luck followed Lowry in 1905, however, when the Homosassa Inn burned to the ground and displaced a number of guests. He was able to recover and enjoyed fully occupied rooms at the Rendezvous for the next few years.
Lowry decided to relocate to Live Oak in 1909 and resume his career as a train conductor. He sold the Rendezvous to Edward Holder, who quickly transferred the Rendezvous to a group of investors headed by T.D. Briggs. Briggs advertised the hotel across the country and continued to enjoy substantial numbers of guests.
Controversy at the Rendezvous
Unfortunately, the Rendezvous witnessed two murders. The hotel cook and his alleged paramour were shot and killed by an enraged husband in 1911. It was determined that “domestic infelicity was the cause of the trouble”. Then, proprietor T.D. Briggs was the victim of murder in 1916 that took place at the hotel. He accosted an alleged poacher on the Rendezvous grounds and told him to immediately leave. The poacher struck Briggs and caused a cerebral hemorrhage. Briggs lost consciousness a few hours later and passed away.
A Parade of Owners
The hotel had a series of short-term owners for the next ten years. A new owner would appear with grand plans to revive the hotel, only to leave within a year or two and transfer the property to the next owner.
The Rendezvous was pressed into service when the infamous West Florida Development Company, the latest in a series of Florida land-boom developers, courted investors in 1926. The hotel was the site of many large gatherings as the company shepherded potential land buyers through the Homosassa countryside. It was at this time when the “…Grover Cleveland built the Rendezvous and used it as the Winter White House…” story was concocted by the company. The company’s marketing ploy was extremely effective, especially in the colder Northern states, and hundreds of building lots were sold on a single day. New expanded accommodations were constructed in Homosassa to handle the crowds (until the West Florida Development Company declared bankruptcy a few years later).
The Fate of the Rendezvous
The Rendezvous had caught the eye of L.B. Robeson of Atlanta. He purchased the hotel property from George Howard of the West Florida Development Company in 1929. The Rendezvous reverted back to a private family compound at the time. The Robeson family visited their Homosassa get-away every year. L.B. Robeson passed away in 1938 at the age of 73. His widow and two daughters sporadically visited the home for the next 25 years.
By 1963, the Grand Dame was showing her age. The Norris Cattle Company had plans to create a major development in Homosassa and contracted to purchase the old hotel from Robeson’s family. The hotel was abandoned and torn down a few years later but lives on in the memory of long time Citrus County citizens. If you travel down the Homosassa River and float by the Riverhaven Marina, glance at the shoreline and imagine what it must have been like to have a 37-room mansion full of guests dressed in Victorian finery on that site so many years ago.
Ken Marotte writes for the Citrus County Historical Society. He can be reached via email at kenmarottejr@gmail.com if you have any comments, questions or suggestions. Contact him if you’d like to participate in the ongoing CCHS Oral History Project.