By Jené Evans McCracken
Society members, dedicated locals and golf enthusiasts would have been planning their holiday festivities around the Valparaiso Country Club and The Valparaiso Inn.
The Inn, as it was commonly known was built along the blue waters of North Bayshore Drive a hundred years ago in 1924 by James E. Plew. The three-story Spanish stucco structure was patterned after Chicago’s famous Edgewater Beach Hotel. It had four wings and 56 guest rooms angled to catch the breeze and provide a panoramic view of Boggy Bayou and Choctawhatchee Bay.
The New Year’s Eve menu was delicious, extensive and priced at $1.25. Well, the year is 1937!
The Inn was listed as being “Open All Year” and boasting Fire Protection with a sprinkler system, modern rooms, swimming, beach and two tennis courts. The nearby Valparaiso Country Club claimed beautiful grass, greens and tees, 6,350 yards and five water holes with fees of $1 per day.
In June 1941, the Officers Club of Eglin Field made arrangements to take over the Inn as the “O Club.”
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle and many of the “Tokyo Raiders” were housed at the Inn while they trained at Eglin Field in March 1942.
The Inn was sold by the Plew family in 1950. It continued to operate as a hotel until 1957 when it was converted into an apartment complex.
On March 2, 1977, a fire severely damaged the Inn and it remained vacant until fire completely destroyed it on October 25, 1980.
