LIVING HISTORY
Waldo looks out to the Atlantic from his Driftwood Inn.
18
VERO AT 100
various types of monNeys.
As war approached and temporarily
forced the closure of the gardens, :aldo
sold his interest in the gardens to 0c.ee
after .
THE DRIFTWOOD
:ith lumber rescued from his barn
destroyed in a hurricane, :aldo began
building what would become the 'riftwood
in . He enlisted the 5ivenbarN
family of carpenters, who also helped
with the construction of the Hall of *iants
and later the 2cean *rill and 3atio.
7he 'riftwood was originally built as a
weeNend beach house for his family.
7he original building featured a
foot breeeway between two sections.
7he rooms in the sections, which had an
upstairs, featured furniture made of driftwood
and various obMects :aldo collected
over the years. ´He built with things
from the sea and felt the sea could taNe
them bacN whenever it wanted,·· said his
granddaughter, Logan 7ripson *eeslin.
7he building·s unusual appearance
created a demand to rent out rooms,
especially since there was only one other
hotel on the beach at the time. Elsebeth
soon found herself in the hotel business.
7he venture proved profitable, and
:aldo added various wings and rooms
over the years.
Besides 0c.ee -ungle *ardens, the
'riftwood is one of the few :aldo
creations that the Seton family does not
own today. 7he hotel was sold in
and turned into timeshare resorts.
THE OCEAN GRILL
:aldo built the 2cean *rill on a
foot piece of oceanfront property
he bought in . 7he property was
originally leased for a hot dog and ham->>
SEXTON FAMILY PHOTOS
SEXTON COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
The Driftwood, left, as it appeared in 1933. It was originally built as a weekend getaway for the Sexton family, but soon evolved into a hotel and was
expanded over the years, at right.