Welcome to the birthplace of NASCAR, Daytona's famous Streamline Hotel
One of Daytona Beach's true landmarks is the Streamline Hotel, on Atlantic Boulevard, just one block away from the beach.
On Dec. 14, 1947, William Henry Getty France, better known as "Big Bill," assembled a group of promoters, track owners, race-car drivers and moonshiners to talk about the future of stock-car racing in America.
The meeting took place in the Ebony Room on the top floor of the Streamline Hotel.
After a lengthy series of discussions, on Feb. 21, 1948, NASCAR was officially incorporated and then began a long period of growth.
Since it opened in 1941, the Streamline had been a hotel, a religious retreat, a youth hostel and in its later years, one of the most popular gay hangouts in Daytona. One of its former residents was an evangelist who claimed to have ministered to Elvis Presley.
Sadly, over the years the art deco Streamline Hotel has fallen into disrepair, and it closed down in 2014.
The good news? It's under new management and is scheduled to reopen this summer, with the extreme makeover expected to be as spectacular for the hotel as Daytona Rising is for the track. We'll see.
Check out Tom Jensen's Periscope video from the Streamline Hotel, here.
