HISTORY

Chamber of Commerce lured people from cities like Chicago | Sarasota History, Jeff LaHurd

Jeff LaHurd
Special to the Herald-Tribune
A Chamber of Commerce advertisement at Five Points circa 1920.

The Board of Trade, which was established here in 1911 and extended to 1920 was the foundation for a very astute and active successor, the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

Sarasota became a county in 1921, just ahead of the 1920s land boom that would take Florida by storm, transforming it into one of the most visited states in the union. With improved roads and new highways, the invention of the Model T, and rail service to many cities, the once daunting journey here became a comparatively easy trip.

As with the ever-rising stock market, everyone knew there was money to be made in Florida real estate and throngs of hopefuls came to claim their share.

A mid-1920s brochure cover advertising Sarasota.

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As tens of thousands poured into the state, it became incumbent on each city and county’s chamber of commerce to attract as many newcomers as possible to their version of paradise in the Sunshine State.

Sarasota was captivating. And not only because of its enviable Gulf Coast location, its beaches, weather, and tropical beauty. Newcomers were attracted to all of that through the diligent work of the Chamber of Commerce, which showcased Sarasota’s many assets.

The Sarasota Herald editorialized, “No institution is more vital to the success ... of a community than a live chamber of commerce.” The paper likened an active chamber to “a road sign indicating If the city is going forward or backward.” According to the Herald, “the soaring temples of commerce spotted here and there throughout the county ...” proved Sarasota was going forward.

In 1926, the peak of the boom when Charles Ringling headed the group, the Herald reflected, “due to the activities of the chamber [Sarasota] had transformed into a vibrant city.”

Ad in the Sarasota Herald from the local Chamber of Commerce, circa 1926.

This was the year of the September hurricane which devastated Miami, and damaged Sarasota and the surrounding area. One of the chamber’s responsibilities was to do “anything and everything that will be of benefit to the city and county of Sarasota.” To fulfill that obligation, upon hearing the news reports of the storm, Ringling who was traveling with the circus, immediately wired home that the chamber would help with whatever the county needed, thus hastening Sarasota’s recovery.

Applauding their effort, the Sarasota Herald wrote, “(They) endeared themselves to appreciative citizens who would not soon forget their unselfish efforts.”

The chamber’s primary purpose was to “send out publicity to all parts of the US of an alluring and constructive nature that will result in bringing many persons to Sarasota.”

In this, the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce had few equals.

Former Chicago attorney Roger Flory, a newcomer turned successful real estate agent, and civic leader became a key member of the chamber’s publicity committee. In 1928, Flory began publishing for the chamber, the popular Sarasota Visitors’ Guide, an annual booklet highlighting Sarasota’s numerous attractions.

The first two issues were devoted mostly to listing and describing hotels, apartments, and boarding houses.

Beginning in 1930 and increasing in size each year, the Sarasota Visitors’ Guide became more sophisticated, highlighting the restaurants, recreational and cultural venues, business advertisements, a brief history, map of the city, and flowery descriptions of the county: “Sarasota does have a personality that sets it apart from every other place in the World. There is something intangible – indefinable that takes hold, and when once exposed makes one want to stay forever.”

The periodical became a popular must read for newcomers and mailed to those who were considering a trip here.

Local announcers for the chamber-sponsored WJBB, “The Voice of the Semi Tropics.”

Another Sarasota advertising windfall was the chamber-sponsored radio station WJBB – 1260 on the dial and dubbed “The Voice of the Semi-Tropics.” Broadcasting began from the Sarasota Terrace Hotel on the evening of Dec. 11, 1927.

The chamber was responsible for all programming. Community leaders formed the announcing staff, and community talent provided the entertainment. The fare included Claire Louise Binz, whistler; Happy Jack Haynes, piano, and pipe organ; Mrs. J.W. Johnson, pianist, and entertainer; Mrs. Randolph Dickens, soprano; Dr. J.W. Johnson, entertainer; and the popular Merle Evans Municipal Band.

The broadcasting schedule also included music from the popular Czecho-Slovakian National Band, remotes from the El Vernona (“Sarasota’s Social Rendezvous”), the Mira Mar Hotel (“The Gem of the West Coast”), and the Edwards Theater.

After John Ringling brought the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to town, the lineup included descriptions of the animals and acts from the Winter Quarters. For children, Foo Foo the clown read bedtime stories.

Entertaining the locals, however, was not the primary purpose of the station. Its main objective was to broadcast to the rest of the nation the virtues of Sarasota – “Where Summer Spends the Winter.”

The Sarasota Herald regularly informed its readers how far the broadcasts were carried, and boxes of Florida oranges and grapefruits were offered as inducements for listeners to inform the station how far away the signal had been heard. A listener from Salem, Oregon, got into the spirit, writing, “Sarasota seems to be a live city and will surely derive great benefit from such programs.” (He echoed a visitor from Kansas who said he knew Sarasota was a live city because he had to circle downtown several times to find a parking spot (sound familiar?).

By Jan. 19, 1928, the Herald could report that WJBB had received 1,200 letters and 172 telegrams from 42 states and nine points out of the country, from as far away as Honolulu. “Taken all in all, WJBB is about the biggest and best thing to come down the pike for Sarasota.”

Sarasota’s pride at being advertised in Chicago was reflected with a photo of the Windy City billboard in the local paper.

The chamber’s advertising efforts were augmented by other groups and individuals interested in facilitating Sarasota’s growth. Local real estate agencies advertised in national publications; the C. Roy Kindt company showcased Sarasota on a giant billboard at a major intersection in Chicago.

Local real estate offices opened satellite offices in major cities, some decorated with tropical foliage, plat maps, and large photos of whatever area they were hawking.

When the New York Giants began Spring Training here in 1924, major newspaper publications sent sports scribes to cover the games, and report glowing accounts of the hosting community.

John J. McGraw, their feisty Hall of Fame manager and would-be real estate magnate, opened an office in New York City for the purpose of selling his proposed Sarasota development, Pennant Park. Working with the A.S. Skinner firm, one and two full-page ads appeared in local and national papers. The advertising campaign was “colossus in scope” and garnered major publicity for Sarasota. But alas, Pennant Park failed, and John J. decided it best not to return after the 1927 season.

Inventor/industrialist Powel Crosley, whose radio station WLW was the largest in the nation, fell in love with Sarasota. His tarpon-fishing exploits here were colorfully broadcast live and received much nationwide attention.

A brochure cover for the popular Sara de Sota Pageant, Sponsored by the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, and managed for many years by the Junior Chamber.

Included in the “splendid work the chamber did for the community” was the Sara de Sota Pageant which drew tens of thousands here annually for a festive week. Taken over by the Sarasota Junior Chamber of Commerce, numerous events were staged throughout the city; everything from a frog jumping contest to a beauty pageant. The grand finale was a colorful parade featuring numerous floats, marching bands, and the acts and animals of the Ringling Bros.

This was one of the most popular pageants in the nation. The wealth of publicity the festival garnered was managed by the chamber’s publicity offices who reportedly sent thousands of words about the pageant and Sarasota.

The Mediterranean Revival chamber of commerce building, one of the “temples” of the boom, was described as a “monument to Sarasota’s progress” and one of the most beautiful chamber of commerce buildings in the south, if not the nation. The group promised they were “never too busy to give full attention to the wants or desire of visitors.”

With the real estate bust of 1926, followed by the Great Depression and World War II, there was not as much for the chamber to crow about.

But their challenging work continued, and helped Sarasota get through these difficult times.

Jeff LaHurd was raised in Sarasota and is an award-winning historian.