ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The State of Florida has officially declared the Keystone Hotel in Pass-a-Grille a heritage site and recently installed a marker in front of the St. Pete Beach property.

What You Need To Know

The Keystone Hotel in Pass-a-Grille had a Florida heritage site marker installed on March 10

The hotel was built by Bruno Reitano in 1945 

Reitano’s youngest daughter, Mary Falkenstein, took over in 1964 after he passed away and operated the hotel for 50 years

Danielle Dashiell, Falkenstein’s granddaughter, is the fourth generation to operate the Keystone

“It was such an honor to be recognized by the State,” said Danielle Dashiell, Keystone Hotel operations manager. “It’s something that I think anybody that has a history should absolutely do.”

Dashiell is the fourth generation to operate the Keystone. The hotel was built by her great-grandfather, Bruno Reitano, in 1945. Reitano was born in Italy in 1884, immigrated to the United States and built a successful businesses in Pennsylvania, the Keystone State, which the hotel is named after. He traveled to St. Pete Beach on the advice of his doctor, who told him to soak in the Gulf of Mexico to treat arthritis.

“Came down here with my grandmother and realized, ‘Oh, my gosh, this is a little slice of heaven,’” said Dashiell. “Within a couple of months, made it happen to purchase this property and decided to build what’s now the Keystone.”

When Reitano passed away in 1964, his youngest daughter, Mary Falkenstein, began operating the Keystone for the next 50 years. Her son, Rick Falkenstein, owns the Hurricane Seafood Restaurant next door to the hotel and said he’s proud of the historical marker.

“When I come over and look at it, I get goose bumps just to think that my grandfather, Nanno, started the whole routine and we ended here in paradise,” he said. “It’s amazing. It’s perfect. It tells the exact story of what happened.”

Dashiell said she applied for the heritage site designation in 2023, was approved in 2024 and the marker with the plaque was installed on March 10.

In order to qualify as a Florida Heritage Site a building, structure or site must be at least 30 years old and have significance in the areas of architecture, archaeology, Florida history or traditional culture, or be associated with a significant event that took place at least 30 years ago, according to the Florida Division of Historical Resources.

Dashiell said her great-grandfather would be touched that his legacy has survived for 81 years.

“I think he would be really happy to know that we’ve continued on with his with his vision,” she said. “I don’t ever see a day that we wouldn’t be family owned and operated. It’s important to us to maintain that. It’s important to us to maintain our legacy.”

The hotel also withstood being flooded by Hurricane Helene in 2024. The family worked hard to re-open and welcomed their first guests back a few months later, according to Dashiell.