TED MAGUIRE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 117
Ft. Lauderdale to use as a public park.
The State of Florida purchased a portion
of the Savoy property to widen McMullen
Booth Road, while the remaining portion
of the property was sold to developer
Ken Sander, who expanded it into a small
shopping center, which is now owned by
the Dabiri family and is anchored by their
Oriental Rug Bazaar. The last piece to be
sold was the Clearwater property in 1991,
a portion of which had been donated to
the City of Clearwater for the Richard B.
Baumgardner Center for the Performing
Arts, which most now refer to as Ruth
Eckerd Hall, since that is the name of
the performing arts building that was
constructed on the property. Another
section went to the City of Clearwater for
the Hampton at Clearwater Apartments.
From 1983 to 1991, the Kapok Tree
restaurant in Clearwater became an
important meeting place for the community,
hosting a multitude of charity fundraisers
and annual events, such as the Festival of
Trees at Christmastime and the Miniature
Art Society of Florida’s international
exhibit and show. The economy began
to decline in 1990, and despite the Kapok
Tree’s success in catering for special events
and being the exclusive caterer for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, feeding the team
daily and providing food and drinks for
the press and visitors to the private suites
on game days, it was time to liquidate the
final Kapok property.
The Clearwater Kapok Tree restaurant
was closed in May 1991, so that several
hundred thousand dollars’ worth of décor
and art could be sold, including the 6-foottall
leaping stuffed tiger that was in the
bar. The property was then sold to music
entrepreneur Elliott Rubinson and his wife
Pam for his Thoroughbred Music business.
They later sold Thoroughbred Music to Sam
Ash, but retained the property. Sam Ash
is still a tenant, and since Elliott’s passing
in 2017, Pam has continued to operate the
remaining portion of the building as The
Kapok Special Events Center & Gardens
venue. It is still a fantastic location for
memorable celebrations of all kinds from
weddings to fundraisers. The gardens’
cascading waterfalls are striking, as is the
two-story high Florida Room. The Grand
Ballroom with its 20-foot-high Corinthian
columns, wide dramatic staircase and
brilliant crystal chandeliers is absolutely
breathtaking.
The restaurant may be gone, but the
building and the kapok tree are still there,
and well worth visiting. The property is
filled with memories and stories of those
who once dined and drank there in years
past. The Kapok Tree is a legend that is
not easily forgotten, and hopefully will
continue to make new memories. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Kapok Special Events
Center & Gardens is at 923 McMullen Booth
Road in Clearwater, (727) 725-8733. The
Kapok Tree restaurant will be included in
the Clearwater Historical Society Museum
and Cultural Center’s “Let’s Eat” exhibit of
Clearwater iconic restaurants’ memorabilia,
which is scheduled for January 8 through April
24, 2021 in the museum at 610 S. Fort Harrison
Ave. in Clearwater, (727) 754-8019.
The Kapok Tree’s dining room ceiling was inspired by a museum ceiling in
Dublin, Ireland. The end of the dining room has a two-tiered fountain supported
by 20 statues of “Miss Liberty.”
The famous Kapok Fruit Punch was
served in souvenir glasses that can still
be found on eBay or at local garage sales.
Millions of them were sold over the years.