Site of the 1921 Stoltz Apartments

Now known as the Crusader Building, this three-story building was once an apartment building owned by Erving W. Stolz. The name was later changed to the Palmetto Apartments. The building has undergone a renovation and is now an office complex. It was renamed the Crusader Building in honor of sailors who lived here while they trained on their boat, "The Crusader" for the America's Cup.

This three-story building was built as an apartment building in 1921 by Erving W. Stoltz (the same Stoltz who built the Olympic Theater). Buyers rented furnished apartments for $375 to $500 per season of 6 months. In the winter, snowbirds would rent the apartments to make the purchases they would later ship up north. There were 24 apartments with 2 to 3 bedrooms in each apartment, "with janitor service, private bath, hot and cold water to all fixtures, steam heat to living and bath....Everything furnished except silver, bed and table linen."

After the Depression, the name was changed to the Palmetto Apartments and was used by affluent local residents. It was renamed the Crusader Building after some Canadian sailors who used the building as a dormitory while training for the American’s Cup races in the 1980s. The building has undergone a renovation and is now an office complex.

This entry was created by Palmetto Historical Park staff using Palmetto Historical Park’s records and photos.