Exclusive Port Royal Club to be rebuilt bigger, better after wallop by Hurricane Ian

What's left of the beachfront Port Royal Club will soon be razed.

Ravished by Hurricane Ian, the decades-old structure will be replaced, with the blessing of its hundreds of members.

The members-only club serves the exclusive waterfront neighborhood for which it's named. Port Royal is one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country.

The neighborhood is named for a famous Jamaican pirate haven, and its streets are pirate-themed, with monikers such as Galleon Drive and Rum Row.

After two rounds of voting, members overwhelming approved the design for a new clubhouse – and the construction and financing plans for it. The price tag for the "visionary" replacement will be as much as $90 million, said Nancy Carlson, the club's board president.

"It's a pretty significant investment we're making in the club for the next generations to come," she said.

The new clubhouse has a West Indies look, fitting of its name.

It will meet the latest hurricane standards, while offering a slightly larger footprint to accommodate the growth in membership since the construction of the original club in 1959. The goal is to preserve the charm of it as much as possible, with a design that will stand the test of time.

The building will be elevated, to meet the current guidelines, established by the Federal Emergency Mangement Agency.

More about the design

The clubhouse itself would be two stories, spanning 62,000 square feet.

The design maximizes Gulf and beach views.

At the ground level, there's a lawn and shaded gardens with seating, for outdoor enjoyment, near the pool.

The new club will offer several dining venues. Plans include providing:

• Dining at the pool/beach level

• Gulf view dining from the main level at a family casual restaurant

• Upper floor dining at an a la carte restaurant

• Bar areas with indoor/outdoor open seating

The design includes a two-story garage, an addition requested by members, in a survey that drove the blueprint for a new club, Carlson said.

There's a banquet room to accommodate up to 150 people, which can be opened up to the family restaurant, for member events. There will be smaller rooms for family dinners.

Outdoors, the beachfront pool area will be upgraded, with more luxurious furniture and the inclusion of cabanas.

A round-about will be enhanced for ease of entry, with a larger covered porch, or porte-cochere to protect members from "the elements," as they come and go, off Gordon Drive.

Previously: Port Royal Club in Naples to operate out of tents and trailers as it recovers from Ian

Hurdles to overcome

Members are eager for the new clubhouse to be built, but Carlson acknowledged there are still many hurdles to overcome before construction can begin. While the club's leadership has been in talks with city staff, the project will require many signoffs, including from city council and the city's Design Review Board, which must give it a final thumbs up before building permits can be issued.

Since Ian hit in September 2022, the club has operated thinly, as best it could, with the loss of its central spot for dining and socializing, steps from the Gulf of Mexico.

Early on, it pitched tents to serve members on site. Later, it began organizing gatherings, including member mixers, at other venues.

On occasion, events have been hosted on site, outdoors.

Without a functioning clubhouse, food service has been limited mostly to burgers, hot dogs, and drinks, prepared in trailers, and delivered to members at the beach, from 11 a.m. to sunset daily, except Mondays.

While initially, it seemed the community's cherished clubhouse might be repairable, a deeper look revealed damage that far exceeded 50% of the building's market value before Ian, requiring a rebuild under federal rules to meet today's construction standards.

The effort to rebuild the club has been member-driven, with the help of hired consultants.

"The club has really been in the hands of its members. It has really been a stream of volunteers that have moved the club forward, not just in the past, but recently," Carlson said. "We're lucky to have a lot of talented members."

Membership includes architects, builders and interior designers.

Funding for the project will come from multiple sources, including insurance money from the loss of the old club, and member assessments, Carlson said.

Demolition to start soon

The old clubhouse still sits on the beach, boarded up, a sad reminder of Ian's wrath.

"We are in review with the city for permits to demolish the existing structure. We plan to do that around May or June," said Jenna Rambaud, a member of the Port Royal Communications Committee.

The project is expected to go before city council for approval, around the same time, she said.

Jeff Hartigan, the club's general manager, said the current building survived many hurricanes, but it was no match for Ian, despite the best of preparations for the powerful storm.

"So, it certainly caught us by surprise, the amount of damage that was done," he said.

Before Ian hit, the club was in "full tilt" to upgrade and enhance its fitness and tennis operations, across the street, Hartigan said, but those plans had to be shelved for now. Since they aren't directly on the beach, they did not see any significant damage from Ian, he explained.

Damage to the one-story clubhouse came in at 76% of its value, however, Hartigan said.

"Once we learned that, we had no choice but to rebuild," he said. "Repairing was just not an option."

The new design evolved over time through member input from multiple town halls, focus groups, and one-on-one meetings, Hartigan said.

"It was all centered around beach activity, beach accessibility, dining on the beach, which obviously is our main asset," he said. "Our main purpose is providing our members with waterfront dining."

Timeline for construction

Construction is expected to start later this year and it's anticipated to take about two years. A grand opening is planned for the summer of 2026.

While the club has lost some members due to the wait, it has mostly been elderly ones, who no longer live in Port Royal, including those who have downsized or moved into assisted living, Hartigan said.

"Those members that are say in their 80s, we have seen a good amount of resignations from that demographic, which we did anticipate in our process," he said. "So, we did plan for this."

Currently, the club has 664 memberships, most of which include a twosome, Hartigan said.

"The charm of a 1959 old Florida building has been lost," he said. "Certainly, it is sad to see it go ... However, now we are looking forward to this new clubhouse, which will serve the members for the next 50 years ... We have now turned our sights to that."

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Members overwhelmingly approve new design for exclusive Port Royal Club