History of the Brazilian Court Hotel

their reign, which continued for more than 30 years, the hotel acquired its official name and the 50 efficiency apartments were converted into hotel rooms.

lab chemist said that traces of cocaine and Demerol were found in Kennedy ’ s blood. But it wasn ’ t the national notoriety of Ken- nedy ’ s death that closed the Brazilian Court Saturday. The 117 - room hotel has been sold for $6 million by Dennis Heffernan, its owner for the last five years. The new owner, as of yet unnamed, has not unveiled plans for the hotel ’ s opening next year, but everyone is saying that the formed apartment building (and the former home for “ naughty ladies, ” as their public rela- tions man put it) will get an extensive reno- vation. The only thing certain is that the hotel will be closed this summer—and everyone who works there will be out of work. “ I never know if I ’ ll be here or not next year, ” said Lillie Mae Davis, who said she had worked at the Brazilian Court for 34 years.

The hotel closed in May 1984. Owner Dennis Hef- fernan announced that the BC had been sold, but would not release any details. Heffernan was going through a divorce which perhaps had prompted the sale. Sad, Quiet Closing At Brazilian Court by H. J. Smith The yellow and white patio umbrellas came down Saturday at the Brazilian Court Hotel. The dining room sliding windows were locked and it was dark inside. Maids were stripping the rooms in prepara- tion for a vacant summer and in the office of the hotel ’ s last guest of the season were checking out. Birds were chirping and the trickle of a courtyard fountain filled the air with a tranquil sound. Manager Geoffrey Temple tapped the ther- mometer outside his office door. “ Eighty already, ” Temple said with a sigh. Two workers with a handcart were moving a dresser and mirror across the patio in front of him. “ Watch yourselves there, don ’ t want to break anything, ” Temple told them, wiping a few drops of sweat from his forehead. Saturday the Brazilian Court Hotel closed for the season. The garden courtyard hotel, in its 58th year, vacuumed its carpets and pulled up its stakes less that two weeks af- ter a young man, David Anthony Kennedy, was found dead in one of its rooms. Kennedy, the 28 - year old son of Ethel and the late Robert F. Kennedy, was found dead in his three - room suite in the hotel ’ s reno- vated south wing on Wednesday morning, April 25. Since then, reporters, photographers and television crews all over the world have descended on the Brazilian Court wanting the inside story Kennedy ’ s deathand his final days. A lot has been printed, but the official re- sults of a complete autopsy on Kennedy could be months away, a county circuit judge ruled Thursday. An unofficial report from a county crime Palm Beach Daily News , May 6, 1984:

In September 1984 the BC was sold for $6.76 mil- lion (some sources show $7.2 million) to the Brazili- an Court Hotel Acquisition Corporation formed by Texans Clifton S. Harrison, John H. Roberts, Jr. and Robert Callaway. It closed for the 1984 - 85 season as it underwent a $15 million renovation (some sources say $8 million). Interior designer Carleton Varney was hired to give the hotel a new look. The old furni- ture and fixtures were sold in a massive garage sale. In September Jennifer Delmont, director of sales and marketing for the hotel said, “ Phase 1 was total dem- olition. The hotel looks somewhat like a skeleton slowly coming to life as the Linbeck construction team of 150 workers puts up new walls, installs plumbing and rebuilds entire sections. Construction is right on schedule. ” The traditional ambience of the two large lavishly landscaped courtyards was maintained. Two restau- rants, a bar, and several meeting rooms were includ- ed in the redesign. Rates for the BC were $650 for a two - bedroom suite with single rooms priced from $140 to $200 a night. There would be 128 rooms and six suites. Delmont went on to say, “ It ’ s going to be absolutely magnificent. ” The opening was scheduled for De- cember 1, 1985, but a three week delay would ensue. 1985

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