Restored Orlo House open for events near Davis Islands
By Monique Welch
Tampa Bay Times
Published: Jan 25, 2018

Nearly 100 guests enjoyed cocktails, music and hors d'oeuvres as they celebrated the grand opening of the historic, newly renovated Orlo House near Davis Islands.

This 10,000 square foot mansion, built in 1882, served as the home of former Bank of Tampa president Orlo J. Spafford and his family, and was later occupied by the Tampa Women's Club from 1920-1970.

The estate at 315 Plant Ave has been renovated to an elegant event venue available to host just about any extravaganza from weddings, to parties, bar mitzvahs, seminars, corporate events and more.

"The house was really in bad shape when we took over, and had sat empty for about two and a half years", said general manager and president David Waldron.

"It was so dingy and the carpeting was this thin green 1970s carpet. Just horrible."

Now, most of the venue is new and modern, but there are still historical pieces left.

A chandelier original to the house greets visitors when they enter and practically looks new. The bathrooms have been restored back to their original form with an old-fashioned tub, and the ceiling beams upstairs, which have remnants of the flames from a house fire back in the 70s, as well as the windows, were kept to showcase the original craftsmanship of the house.

"Most people would take this house and chop it up in nine apartments, but we're letting you see the history and what a mansion really looked like in 1882," said Waldron.

The renovations took two and a half years to complete, and Waldron says the windows alone took a year to restore because each was hand-glazed and special care was taken to maintain the beveled mirror of glass at that time.

Hamilton Jones, the president of Gaspar Properties Inc., is responsible for the historical renovation and says he really just had to make it current and bring its original design back to life.

"We didn't do any of the floor plan changes. A lot of it was still here, all the moldings and wood work, there were just drop ceilings."

The Orlo House offers wireless internet, valet parking for guests, on site security, four hour event time, three hour set up and one hour breakdown and can occupy up to 350 people.

It also features office spaces upstairs, ten bathrooms, a private hospitality suite that can be used as a bridal room, an outdoor veranda for cocktails, the ballroom with a stage and dance floor, and they even added a huge kitchen that offers plenty of space for caterers.

Prices vary depending on the size of the event, time and space needed, ranging from $500 for a small party of 25 people or so to $6,500 for a wedding.

For more information or bookings visit theorlo.com or email them at info@theorlo.com.