FOR THE EXPERIENCE MAKERS // @opal_collection’s @belleviewinn, originally known as The Belleview Biltmore, was constructed in 1897 by railroad mogul Henry Plant who intended to increase traffic on his trains by creating destinations along the way. Babe Ruth, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford are just a few prominent figures who stayed at Belleview frequently. Even Bob Dylan spent a month living and rehearsing at the hotel for his 1976 Rolling Thunder Revue Tour. What was most impressive about the original Belleview Biltmore was the sheer size. The 400,000 square foot hotel included 145 guest rooms equipped with the latest amenities, such as steam-generated electricity with at least three electric lights in each room (unheard of at the time) and entertainment from a resident orchestra. When Plant’s son, Morton Plan took over after the death of his father in 1899, he painted it white, earning the hotel the nickname of the “White Queen on the Gulf.” Each paint job to keep the hotel pristine required 1000 gallons of paint. In 2016 a plan was put in place to salvage a three story, 38,000-sq foot section of the original building m, including the lobby and 35 rooms, and move it to a new location—320 feet away on the Intracoastal. After eight weeks preparing the structure, the building was hoisted and moved via 46 computerized dollies over the course of four hours. And that’s where @theprismhouse found her for this marketing shoot. While the hotel is not the same as it was in 1897, the goal of the restoration was to bring it back to a “Henry Plant hotel.” There are so many preserved portions and unique nods to the past scattered throughout, like original wood siding, 24 of the 100 original Tiffany glass panels from an iconic curved ceiling remain in the now “Tiffany Dining Room,” and their vintage Maisie’s Marketplace is named for Maisie Plant (the wife of Morton.) This was a unique project for us—the history and the legacy add layers to our storytelling approach. Creative Direction, Production, Wardrobe, Styling: @theprismhouse // 📸 @jamiemercuriophoto // Models: @kara.sites @fredholliday #belleviewinn #florida #opalcollection #theprismhouse #fortheexperiencemakers