History
1883
The History of the Olde Marco Inn
The ground on which the Olde Marco Inn stands is actually a mound of shells representing hundreds of year’s sustenance from the sea. The Calusa Indians lived here centuries before the Spanish made the “Isle of Saint Mark” a port of embarkation for the return trip to the old world. Cool artesian springs discovered on Marco Island filled the sailor’s casks and with stunning gulf sunsets at its back, the Spanish Armada rode the warm breezes of the Gulf Stream homeward.
The Calusa are extinct now, but in 1896 a Smithsonian Institute Expedition discovered the now famous Marco Cat and numerous ceremonial masks and artifacts just a few yards from the Inn. These Calusa artifacts are now in the Smithsonian, the British Museum. The University of Oxford and the American Indian Museum in New York City. The Marco Cat is considered to be one of the most significant archaeological finds in North America. An island museum is currently under construction and plans include exhibits of some of these artifacts.
Captain Bill Collier’s Inn is a registered historic landmark that grew from its 1883 origins in various expansions. Collier began a heritage of sustaining travelers when he accommodated guests with a “dollar-a-day, bring your own meat” offer. The Inn originally opened with twenty sleeping rooms, and a two story outhouse, (the only one of its kind: as reported by Ripley in his “Believe it or not” column.
After Captain Collier, the Rupert family, owners of Knickerbocker Beer, the New York Knicks and the New York Yankees, made the Inn a sporting haven for select clientele. Such illustrious families as the Mellon’s and Rothschilds’s were guests. In 1970, after several other owners, German Chef Wilhelm Blomeier and his wife, Marion, began the Inns tradition of fine European dining. During the Blomeier years, the Inn had many famous guests, President George Bush, comedians, Jackie Gleason and Art Carney as well as financier, Donald Trump.
The Inn has been restored and renovated. Period pieces from the 19th century which still grace the Inn include a 2000 prism glass chandelier once owned by Guy Lombardo, Audubon prints dating to 1850, Ray Harm wildlife prints and inscribed tarpon scales in the hall, circa 1900.
Over the years, the Olde Marco Inn has been frequented by presidents, nobles and notables. We may have entertained more famous guests but never a guest more important than you.
