I took this photograph of the Sovereign Building last year and set it on sandstone to create a one-of-a-kind coaster.
The Sovereign Building, historically known as the Marion Hotel, sits at 108 N Magnolia Avenue in Ocala, Florida.
The hotel has a rich history in the community. According to records obtained from the City of Ocala, the Ocala Gazette reported in 2022 that the Marion Hotel was constructed in 1927 with finances from its Ocala citizens.
“The costs of the initial construction were covered by the sale of stock certificates sold by the Community Hotel Corporation, using the slogan “What Ocala Builds, Builds Ocala”, with all the capital raised in just six weeks. The seven-story Mediterranean Revival hotel was built to accommodate Ocala’s growing tourism and business travelers and remains one of Ocala’s tallest buildings.
Like many historic downtown buildings, the Marion Hotel suffered in the 1970’s and 1980’s. The building was added to the US National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and in 1985, the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation granted a facade easement to protect the building and ensure it would be preserved and maintained for future generations.
In the 1990s, the building was converted to office condominiums as the Ocala National Bank building and renamed the Marion Sovereign Building in 2007.”
The Ocala Gazette, “Local developers seek to restore the Marion Hotel,” Posted March 4, 2022 | By Jennifer Hunt Murty
Historic Picture, courtesy of https://ocala.stqry.app/story/167523
For 60 years, The Marion Hotel was Ocala’s tallest building. Now it competes with other brand-name hotels. But she is preparing to come back in a big way. The major stockholders in the building are preparing to turn it into a totally renovated boutique hotel.
A PERSONAL CONNECTION
The building means something special to me because my mother and I set up offices together in that building once upon a time. I owned and operated an organizing company, and she provided facials, makeovers, and cosmetic services.
I believe the hotel is currently closed for remodeling, but you can purchase a replica of the historic building here or at the Gallery on Magnolia, 40 S Magnolia Avenue, Ocala, FL 34478.
Thank you for consuming a piece of Ocala. Now, go live your blessed life. Really,
Leah