F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. More than three decades later, the celebrated author found himself at one of St. Petersburg’s most famous landmarks, the Don CeSar.
Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, stayed at the Pink Palace in 1930, and they returned to the area in January 1932. Fitzgerald’s own records document a trip to St. Petersburg, and a letter to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, was headed “Fitz Don CeSar St. Petersburg.”
The Don CeSar had opened just a few years earlier, in 1928, during the height of the Roaring Twenties. With its pink exterior, grand architecture and Gulf-front setting, it quickly became a destination for celebrities and wealthy visitors. Fitzgerald was among its notable guests.
By the time Fitzgerald visited, he was already famous for The Great Gatsby, published in 1925. During the early 1930s, he was working on what would become Tender Is the Night, while Zelda was also pursuing her own writing.
So on Fitzgerald’s birthday, it’s fun to remember that one of America’s most famous authors wasn’t just a name in a history book. For a time, he was also a guest right here in our corner of Florida.
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