1927 Mediterranean Revival Hotel with the Vivian Lore
1029 New York Ave, Saint Cloud, FL 34769
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Boutique hotel rates vary by season; free breakfast, WiFi, and parking
Access
Limited Access
Historic three-story Mediterranean Revival hotel with stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1927 · Mediterranean Revival Architecture · Florida Main Street Property · Filming Location
Grover C. Hunter, an Ohio mausoleum builder, traveled to St. Cloud in 1925 looking for an investment in the small Florida boom town. By 1926 he had hired Ohio architect Harlan Jones to design a hotel in the Mediterranean Revival style and Ohio contractor W.A. Steffle to build it. The Hunter Arms opened in 1927.
In its original operation, the hotel ran on a seasonal schedule, opening for the winter months and closing during Florida summers. Guests paid a flat seasonal rate that included a room and two meals a day, the residential-hotel model common to Florida winter resorts of the period.
The building changed hands and uses through the second half of the 20th century. In 1994, Ann Young and Sandi Pinkert purchased the property, undertook a restoration, and converted it into a bed and breakfast. ADMC International acquired the hotel in 2016 and continued the restoration program, modernizing rooms while retaining the original Mediterranean Revival exterior, interior tilework, and woodwork.
The Hunter Arms has had a parallel film career. The hotel served as the fraternity house in the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy The Waterboy and, decades earlier, appeared as the hotel setting in the 1964 Herschell Gordon Lewis film Two Thousand Maniacs! These appearances are noted on the building's marketing and on the Florida Department of State's Florida Main Street profile.
Sources
Vivian is the hotel's familiar. Owners and longtime staff identify the presence by name and frame it as benign, often described in St. Cloud's local press as a hostess of sorts who notices when guests arrive. The origin of the name is local, and the Florida Department of State's Florida Main Street profile of the property notes the persistence of the legend among hotel staff.
Reported phenomena follow a consistent pattern. Guests describe doors slamming or closing on their own. Bathroom and bedroom faucets have been observed turning on without anyone present. Sudden cold spots have been reported in particular rooms and stairwells. Unidentified sounds, footsteps and what some accounts describe as humming, have been noted on the upper floors.
The hotel does not run an evening investigation program or stage paranormal experiences. The Vivian story is part of the welcome, told to guests who ask, and recurring in regional travel coverage. Atlas Obscura and several Central Florida lifestyle features have written it up; the hotel's own marketing leans more toward its architecture and its film cameos.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Stay in the 1927 Mediterranean Revival hotel at the heart of historic downtown St. Cloud. Filmed as the fraternity house in The Waterboy and as the hotel in the 1964 cult classic Two Thousand Maniacs! Local tradition centers on a guest-welcoming presence the staff calls Vivian.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Genoa, WI
Big River Inn dates to either 1879 or 1896 (sources vary) in Genoa, Wisconsin. The building originally functioned as a restaurant before evolving into a combined inn and restaurant. It now operates as Water View Inn, maintaining its paranormal reputation while serving contemporary hospitality functions.
Las Vegas, NV
The Aladdin Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 1966 as a major resort and casino property. The hotel underwent renovations and continued operations until its closure in 2003. Planet Hollywood Entertainment acquired the property in 2005, completely renovating and reopening it in 2007 as Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The 7th floor Panorama Suite emerged as the property's most paranormally active location during Aladdin Hotel operations.
Belleair, FL
The Belleview-Biltmore opened in 1897 as a Henry Plant resort hotel built to draw winter rail traffic to Florida's Gulf coast. The 820,000-square-foot Queen Anne complex was the largest occupied wooden structure in the world before its 2015 demolition, with one preserved central section moved and reopened in 2018 as the Belleview Inn.