c. 1929 Fold-Out Brochure - Hotel Clarendon - Daytona Beach, FL - Harrington Mills Era

This is a scarce, six-fold promotional brochure for the Hotel Clarendon in Daytona Beach, dating to the height of the Jazz Age. It features vibrant Art Deco illustrations of 'flappers' and vintage automobiles on the 'World's Wonder Beach,' along with detailed floor plans and amenities of this historic fireproof resort.

Key Features:
+++ Visuals: The brochure opens to a stunning 9 x 24-inch spread featuring a colorful bird's-eye view of the hotel, beach, and pier, populated with 1920s-era automobiles and bathers.
+++ Content: Promotes the hotel as 'Absolutely Fireproof' with amenities including a Turkish bath, manicure parlor, and an 18-hole golf course. The text boasts of the 'World's Wonder Beach' where auto speed records are made.
+++ Associated Names: Originally printed with 'S.J. Littlegreen' as Managing Director, this copy bears a vintage overstamp updating the management to 'Harrington Mills, Pres.' and 'Luke Glennon, Mgr.', marking a specific moment of ownership transition around 1929.
+++ Provenance: No copies located in institutional holdings (OCLC) as of January 2026.

Physical Specs:
+++ Date: Circa 1929-1930
+++ Dimensions: 4 x 9 inches (closed) / 9 x 24 inches (open)
+++ Format: 6-fold color brochure on matte paper stock

Condition:  Very Good -- The brochure is well-preserved with vibrant colors. The key historical alteration is the management update stamp on the back panel, which is a desirable marker of the hotel's timeline rather than a flaw. Minimal shelf handling is evident, typical for ephemera of this era.

Historical Significance:
This brochure documents a pivotal transition in Daytona Beach history.[1][2] The 'Second' Hotel Clarendon (built 1911 after the 1909 fire) was the premier hostelry of the area, known for its 'fireproof' brick construction in an era of wooden hotels. 

The stamp 'Harrington Mills, Pres.'[3] dates this specific copy to circa 1929, when the prominent hotelier Mills purchased the property. The illustrations capture the roar of the 1920s, depicting cars driving directly on the sand—a practice that cemented Daytona as the 'Birthplace of Speed'—alongside the distinct 'flapper' swimwear of the period. 

The Clarendon would later be renamed the Sheraton Plaza in 1944 and eventually evolve into today's Plaza Resort & Spa, making this an early artifact of the site's century-long hospitality legacy.

Keywords: Daytona Beach History, Hotel Clarendon, Florida Ephemera, 1920s Flapper Art, Harrington Mills, Vintage Travel Brochure, Art Deco Advertising, Auto Racing History, Plaza Resort Spa, Rare Florida

Item #21480

Price: $85.00