Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Vero Beach / The Historic Driftwood Resort
The Historic Driftwood Resort
Vero Beach, Florida, United States · Independent · Near Luxury
Waldo Sexton, an Indiana plow salesman turned Florida builder, talked this Vero Beach house into being in 1937 with no drawings at all: hurricane cypress, bells, and ship's wheels in the rooms. Elsebeth Sexton started cooking breakfast because nothing nearby was open, and Waldo's Restaurant followed in 1947. About 100 keys remain on Ocean Drive, and the National Register listed the place in 1994.
- 100 rooms
- Opened 1937
- Neighborhood: Ocean Drive / Vero Beach
- Architect: Waldo E. Sexton (original buildings, built without formal plans); John Dean (2005 restoration)
About The Historic Driftwood Resort
- After a 1933 hurricane, Waldo E. Sexton salvaged cypress and had carpenters raise the beach house from spoken instructions.
- John Dean restored the house after the 2004 hurricanes, and it reopened in 2005 with about 100 units.
History
Waldo E. Sexton, Indiana plow salesman turned Florida builder, salvaged cypress after a 1933 hurricane and had carpenters raise a beach house from spoken instructions, finished 1937. Wings in 1937 and 1939. National Register 1994. Restored with architect John Dean after 2004 hurricanes, reopened 2005. About 100 units now.
The setting
On Ocean Drive in Vero Beach, Florida.
Restaurants and bars
- Waldo's Restaurant — Restaurant
Amenities
- Pool
Open The Historic Driftwood Resort in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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