In 1904 W.D. Horne opened the Homestead Inn, a supply store rooming house. It was the first commercial building and first hotel in Homestead, and located across the street from the train depot. On January 25, 1905, Horne was granted the post office, which he ran in the store until 1908. Business was very good, so Horne built a separate supply store on the south side and expanded the boarding house. He sold the supply store to his brother-in-law in 1907.

Tom and Floretta Evens bought the hotel 1912. On November 10, 1913, while under the management of Ms. Coleman, the hotel caught fire. Within 2 hours the hotel, a barber shop, the Mercantile Company, L.A. Loves new real estate office and a house recently purchased by J.E. Cochran, all burned. The entire damage was valued at $6,000.00.

On November 19, 1913, it was announced that a new hotel would be built. The new modern structure was to be wood throughout and have 22 sleeping rooms upstairs. The ground floor would be public rooms: dining rooms, parlors, etc. There would be a ten-foot porch facing the streets and the mansard roof would be replaced with a flat roof. The construction was finished in 1914 and Mr.. & Mrs.. Evens renamed it the Hotel Evens.

Dr. Schlegel purchased the hotel in 1919 and in 1920, according to building permit news, built an addition on the south side. The new concrete building was divided into a "very large cafe, a fine kitchen and a public comfort station". The existing dining room was divided into bedroom suites, bringing the hotel to 30 rooms. A bathroom was added to the second floor.  The contractor for the constriction was W.O. Webster. Dr. Schlegel renamed the hotel "Hotel Redland". The sign on the front of the building we believe to be the same sign.

J.W. English, Owner of the Seminole Theatre, bought the Hotel Redland in 1934 and changed the name to the Redland Hotel. Mr.. English remodeled replacing the drop cords with outside wiring and modern electric fixtures with concealed wiring. Hot and cold running water was brought into a lavatory in each of the 40 rooms. The hot water was supplied from a 500-gallon solar heater. Six bathrooms with showers and tubs were added, bringing the total to 10 bathrooms.

Over the years the hotel was sold and remodeled several times. This structure even withstood the destruction of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. 
However in 1995 the business was closed for 250 code violations. For several years it was an "eyesore" for downtown Homestead.

In 1997 Rex & Katy Oleson had a vision of what the building could be. With the help of Jerry & Nancy Gust, the Redland Hotel was renovated to what it is today.

It is the wish of the proprietors the the Homestead community, and guest from outside the community, can again enjoy the hotel and learns a little about the history of Homestead and how the "small town atmosphere and style" came to be.

During the next few years, we hope to name some of the rooms after "founding fathers" of the community and have history of these families on display. If you would be interested in sharing some of your knowledge with others, and us please contact the management. We would love to hear from you. 

Best Regards,
Rex & Katy Oleson and Jerry & Nancy Gust.