LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — A major hurdle's been crossed for the future of the Gulfstream Hotel in Lake Worth Beach.
South Florida artist Shannon Torrence said for years the Gulfstream was being squandered. The best way to show that was to combine Salvador Dali and the hotel.
Torrence said he's "sort of like the Evel Knievel of art" — in referring to the daredevil motorcyclist.
It's an oil on canvas. The colors blue, yellow to pink are what draw you in. But it's the subject matter of Dali and the Gulfstream Hotel that stirs inquiry.
"He was just so out there, right? So how crazy that this building would sit here for all these years and the most beautiful piece of real estate in the entire city empty. So, I put the two together as kind of a statement," he said.
Torrence said it's a statement against stagnation.
"I felt like you're always told when you are a creative person, 'Don't squander your talent.' You know, and I just watched this building sit there and languish for years and I thought, 'Wow," he said.
After a vote by city commissioners Tuesday night, which drew cheers from the dozens of residents in attendance, 15 years of idle decay could soon end. The Gulfstream Hotel is inching closer to a rebirth of sorts. Final city approve is set for June 21. Work is scheduled to begin early this fall by Restoration St. Louis.
The 97-year-old building could soon go from a rundown has-been to a bustling business. Work includes restoration of 90 hotel rooms and a restaurant/bar, plus an additional property with an annex hotel of 50 more rooms, up to 85 apartments, banquet/meeting facilities, gym, salon, rooftop restaurant, pool and parking garage.
Lake Worth Beach resident Wes Blackman has been intricately involved in the project as an urban planner and historic preservation specialist.
"It shows that Lake Worth is here and we're going to keep our tourist dollars in the city instead of exporting them somewhere else," he said.
Torrence said he has fond memories of big bands playing to drinks at the bar while hanging in the Gulfstream Hotel.
"I think going back into the new Gulfstream is going to be mind-blowing," he said.
