In 1985, detailed renovations were undertaken from the top down. The building remained structurally sound, but beautiful architectural details had been hidden by efforts to “modernize” the interior in preceding decades. One previous owner had even covered the original marble floor in the lobby and hung a bulky air conditioning unit directly over the crystal chandelier in the ballroom.

But after years of work, these original elements have been restored while further improvements are moving the hotel beyond the beauty of its heyday.

The black and white marble lobby floor shines more brightly than the day it was installed. The restaurants, elevators and auditorium impress visitors with an early 20th-century authenticity. Rich, green gardens line the pool and the “Cabanas” at the back of the property have been renovated and refurbished to reflect a West Indies theme.

In the very near future, the Fort Harrison will be joined by a walkway to the Church’s new ministerial training and counseling center, currently under construction directly across Fort Harrison Avenue, on the site of the old Grey Moss hotel. Scheduled to open in 2003, the new building has been designed to echo the same architectural style as the Fort Harrison: a neo- classical design with a Mediterranean aspect creating a traditional Southern Florida look.

The opening of the center will mark another phase for the Fort Harrison, for when that happens, the ministerial training and counseling facilities currently housed in the Fort Harrison will then be moved across the street, and three floors of the Fort Harrison itself will revert back to hotel rooms. This will free up much more of the hotel’s facilities for use by the Clearwater community.