BUILT IN 1890 BY JOHN WILLIAMS FROM DETROIT, MICHIGAN AND PETER DEMENS, AN IMMIGRANT FROM ST PETERSBURG RUSSIA, IT WAS THE FIRST HOTEL IN THE CITY. Both men, in addition to being the founders of the city, were business partners in a railroad line going from Tampa, around the bay, to the undeveloped Pinellas peninsula. The right to name the city was earned by Peter Demens after winning a coin flip. John Williams, in turn, named the Hotel.