Family, friends mourn Gram's Place owner

Mark Holland, whose Tampa Heights hostel was world-famous, dies of an apparent suicide.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS, Times Staff Writer
Published November 6, 2007

Gram's Place owner Mark Holland, left, and Nadine Letiexhe of Belgium chat last January on the patio of the hostel, which had been accused of city code enforcement violations. Sign guestbook Watch a tampabay.com video report from Gram's Place
	[Daniel Wallace | Times (2006)]

ADVERTISEMENT [Daniel Wallace | Times (2006)] Mark Holland designed one of the guest rooms at Gram's Place to resemble a train sleeper car. Every nook and cranny of the hostel features some sort of travel or musical theme.

TAMPA - Mark Holland, the owner of the world-famous Gram's Place hostel in Tampa Heights, died Sunday afternoon of an apparent suicide, a family member confirmed. He was 56.

Just last January, neighbors and backpackers filled City Council chambers to support the free-spirited hostel owner as he fought 21 code violations for the hostel's rooftop crow's nest and treehouse-style deck.

Friends called him a cultural hero who welcomed evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, got drug dealers out of a park across the street and kept the independent flavor alive in Tampa. City Council members were impressed by the turnout and erased the violations for the hostel named after Mr. Holland's idol, singer Gram Parsons.

After the hearing, Mr. Holland held in tears as supporters surrounded him. "It's you guys that have saved me," he told them.

His brother, James Holland, is still trying to make sense of the death. There was an altercation with a guest dealing with payment about 4 p.m. Sunday. A worker at the hostel suggested Mr. Holland call the police, but he resisted the idea.

"He thought that if the police were brought into his place of business, it would look bad for the hostel and his surrounding area," his brother said.

Mr. Holland retreated to his room, where he died by hanging. It was Gram Parson's birthday.

November was the busiest season for his hostel and it is booked through the month, his brother said. His family plans to meet with a lawyer to determine the benefactor of his business.

Mr. Holland had just bought a $5,000 guitar and was planning a vacation to Canada, one of his favorite places in the world. He was teaching his nephew to play the guitar.

But "he was having difficult times dealing with life," his brother said. Lots of highs and lows. "I tried to get him help in the past, but he did not want to have any kind of help from the government."

Even as a kid, Mr. Holland was a "free bird," his brother said. He needed to work for himself. He bought the two-cottage property at 3109 N Ola Ave. in 1977 and made it a rooming house.

In 1989, he and a team completed a four-year project, the first video documentary ever produced about Gram Parsons, whom Mr. Holland recognized as the godfather of country rock. The Legend of the Grievous Angel aired on public access cable in Tampa. Fans spread it around the world on videotapes.

The following November, Mr. Holland traveled to Amsterdam. The city's laid-back nature inspired him to re-create a slice of it in Tampa, his hometown. He split outside patios into "Little Amsterdam" and "Little Montreal," where people could gather in the spirit of music.

Two years later, he began advertising it as a European-style hostel. Mr. Holland spent his childhood inviting friends over to listen to music. Now, he jammed with his band members and backpackers from across the world. They filled his guest books with praises.

"He was a very unique person, very unique" his brother said. "Everybody loved him. I'm just so sad."

Mr. Holland leaves behind two brothers, his mother and extended family. They want to hold a small memorial gathering at the hostel, but have not determined a date.

Sara Romeo, a former state representative and family friend who spoke for him at the City Council, describes him as a "kind spirit."

"What he did for Tampa Heights is just legendary," she said. "He helped revitalize the area."

She said hostel business had been picking up when Mr. Holland died. Mr. Holland had said that at best, he often only broke even. The business consumed him. His brother had tried persuading Mr. Holland to sell it and relax, but he never did.

Mark Holland loved his hostel, which he always said had a soul, "Where time stands still and the music plays on."

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at azayas@sptimes.com and 813 226-3354.

[Last modified November 6, 2007, 00:17:27]