Ritz Historic Inn

The Ritz Historic Inn was built in the 1920s by Bert Acker and Ocala judge Simeon Sistrunk and named the Ritz-Acker Apartments. The facility originally had 16 apartments on Silver Springs Boulevard, which was then a narrow, tree-lined Ocklawaha Avenue, according to the Florida State Historic Preservation Office. The hotel’s Mission-style architecture was typical of the boom-era architecture that swept through Florida at the time. The original 16 apartments each had its own fireplace, balcony, and private sun porch. In 1941, the owners divided three of the apartments into six and converted a community room into two efficiency apartments due to a demand for housing in the area during World War II.

The Ritz was designed by Ocala architect Frederick T. Uezzell for owners Sistrunk and Acker. When the two men announced they were building the apartments, it made front-page news in the city’s Ocala Banner newspaper. Acker came to Ocala as part of a traveling theatrical company and married Sistrunk’s daughter. The two men formed a real estate company and built the Ritz in response to Florida’s booming population. Construction began in 1925 and was completed in 1926, with prominent Ocalans living there, including Acker and the architect.