It opened in 1924, when Florida was quickly growing into a popular tourism destination. The sight of palm trees and pelicans on a beachy postcard brought many to St. Petersburg in the ’20s. It was a city for leisure—it had one of the earliest baseball stadiums, grand hotels like the bright pink Vinoy had breezy open porches for guests to luxuriate on, and Mediterranean architecture brought the cultured feel of the riviera to the American South. Similarly, shuffleboard was a leisurely sport.