Built in 1922, Grayl's Hotel is an historic, Spanish Mission style building that is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, and has long been a local landmark. It was originally designed as an apartment hotel, and during the 1920's people would spend the whole winter at Grayl's, which was then known as the Lantern Lane Hotel. The hotel has now been tastefully renovated into a boutique four-star hotel and club. The 1920's character and ambience has been carefully preserved to provide an oasis of calm and quiet class.

There are over 50 restaurants and numerous museums, such as the Florida International Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and Museum of History all within a 12 minute walk from the club. The Club is just a short walk from the boutique shops and galleries of downtown and in easy reach of the Baywalk and other shopping areas.

1920's St. Petersburg
The 1920's were a boom time and golden era for St. Petersburg. It was a playground for the wealthy, who flocked to the city by car, rail and yacht. Tourists arrived in droves, along with those seeking sun and warmth for the winter. St. Petersburg roared and the population soared. In 1924 the Gandy Bridge opened, cutting travel time from Tampa in half. This allowed St. Petersburg to develop into the largest and most important city in Pinellas County. Ten major hotels were built in the first half of the 1920's, and the population more than quadrupled within a few years.

The Florida Land Boom brought many property speculators and fuelled a real estate boom. This brought striking architecture to St. Petersburg. Many public buildings and hotels were constructed in a Mediterranean Revival style, with a strong Spanish influence, and this still influences architecture today. Grayl's Hotel is an exceptionally well-preserved example of this style, in both the elegant interior and exterior.

During the 1920's, dredgers were creating new channels in the harbor, allowing navigation by larger boats. Smuggling, which fueled the roaring 20's, became such a problem to the authorities, that in 1924 a Coast Guard base was built at Bayboro Harbor as an anti-bootlegging surveillance site. In 1909, The St. Petersburg Yacht Club was founded and grew so fast that by 1927, the 'Florida Engineers and Consultants' magazine had declared St. Petersburg a 'yachtsman's paradise'. The copper magnate Murray Guggenheim brought his 100 foot yacht to St. Petersburg to overwinter from 1926-1936.

Although the later Depression took a toll on St. Petersburg, the influence of the roaring 1920's still fills the city. For all those that love that bygone era, there is nowhere better to experience the unique ambiance and character of the 20's than at The Prohibition Club located at Grayl's Hotel (listed in the National Registry of Historic Places) in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida.