After more than half a century the Admiral Lehigh golf course is closed and the resort will soon face a wrecking ball…but first people will get a chance to bid on its contents.

The City of Lehigh Acres literally grew up around the hotel and golf course. Potential real estate buyers from around the world stayed at the hotel in the 1950’s and 60’s while shopping for a new place to call home in sunny Florida.

Jim Davis is one of two auctioneers who’ll be calling the 3-day sale. He says he expects the event to draw a big crowd.

“People love it. People come for entertainment, honestly they do. And they’ll buy the strangest things, but they love it. And we have a crowd that follows us for our home auctions that we have at houses for estate sales, we’ll see the same people over and over again.”

The course’s cart barn has been converted into a giant storage shed filled with…well, lots of hotel stuff. TV’s and coffee pots by the score are lined up next to stacks of dozens of the same framed golf prints awaiting new homes.

The future of the land the golf course and hotel sit on is uncertain. There’s an effort to keep some or all of it as green space, but it is worth much more if developed.

The auction kicks off at 10 am Friday and continues over the weekend.