A piece of Plant City history will officially be history this weekend.
- Plant City's iconic Red Rose Inn to serve new purpose in community
- The now closed inn to become an alcohol and treatment center
- The inn's furniture, memorabilia to be auctioned off this weekend
The once-popular Red Rose Inn will soon be serving a new purpose and the furniture and memorabilia inside will be auctioned off to the highest bidder this weekend.
Staying at the Red Rose Inn and Suites was like going back in time, but with a southern twist and a Gone with the Wind sort of Victorian charm.
“Very elegant, service great, first class, the food, everything was just top notch,” said former guest John Harris.
The inn was known for attracting popular bands from the 50s and 60s. It also had a reputation for the unique VIP suites—like the Elvis room, the Equestrian-Lover’s Dream room, and the Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler room.
The owners seemed to spare no expense, but were forced to shut down the Red Rose Inn after falling into debt nearly five years ago.
By this weekend, all the memorabilia will be auctioned off and the inn will officially be gone.
“It’s a lot of history. It’s a lot of history,” said Joseph Ducey, COO of the White Sands Treatment Center.
The popular inn may no longer serve guests, but it will soon serve those in need.
“For the past three years we’ve been preparing to transform the facility into an alcohol and treatment center,” Ducey said.
The White Sands Treatment Center opened last month and the new owner even employed some people who used to work at the Red Rose Inn.
The inn may be gone, but the sentiments from the past still echo in the former ballroom—a moment in time the community of Plant City won’t soon forget.
The auction will be held at 2011 North Wheeler Street Plant City, Fl at 10 a.m. For more information, click here.