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Author Topic:   Cape Canaveral-area hotels, motels of the 60s
Shasta56
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posted 07-14-2012 10:21 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Shasta56   Click Here to Email Shasta56     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by spaceman1961:
The second is the Bal-Ray. There is no address listed, but the card says it is (was) "directly on the beach" and "close to the shopping district", which may mean "downtown" Cocoa Beach.
I remember the Bal-Ray being right on the beach and within walking distance for shopping. We had a kitchenette, and I can remember running out the door and looking up every time we heard something being launched. I also remember that the motel had shuffleboard. I'm trying to piece my dad's work history together, but the old gray matter ain't what it used to be.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-23-2012 01:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-25-2012 07:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
  • Bernard's Surf / The Surf Bar & Grill
    2 South Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach.

    Rusty Fischer, whose uncle Bernard opened the restaurant on Oct. 30 1948, sold the restaurant circa 2007 to Tomas Saronja and Niko Mihatovic, both natives of Croatia. The terms of the sale stipulated that the name of Fischer's uncle come off the building, and so it became simply The Surf Bar & Grill. In June 2012, British entrepreneur Luke Johnson acquired the signature Cocoa Beach restaurant and pledged to restore it as a top dining venue.

  • The Boar's Head Lounge / JD's Sports Bar and Grill
    1644 South Fiske Blvd, Rockledge 32955.

    The Boar's Head was a hide-a-way for the early astronauts and run by Tony Broadway, a former NASA Manned Spacecraft Operations Building Supervisor. After his passing, his family ran the bar/restaurant until circa 2003, when it became JD's Sports Bar and Grill.

  • Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach

    From Ralph Morse Life Magazine astronaut Deke Slayton during an unexpected dip in the Holiday Inn pool, 1961. From Ralph Morse Life Magazine pad leader Guenter Wendt emerging from the Holiday Inn pool, soaking wet, after being thrown in during a post-Freedom 7 celebration party in May 1961.

  • Cape Colony Inn / La Quinta Inn
    1275 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach.

    The luxury motel in which the Mercury Seven invested opened in June 1962 and was put up for sale in early October 1962 due to NASA and media pressure. In May 1963, the day before Gordo Cooper's Faith 7 flight, Henri Landwirth hosted a dinner at the Cape Colony Inn for the Mercury Seven and the New Nine. This was the famous fried cardboard incident. The Mercury Seven sold their interests in the motel not long afterwards, and Landwirth left Cocoa Beach to run the Holiday Inn at Lakeland, Florida. A Miami News article confirms ownership of the Cape Colony in May 1963 by the Mercury Seven, and also indicates that the Carriage House used to be the Starlight, first motel on Cocoa Beach.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-26-2012 01:52 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The following Miami News article from May 1963 "Cape Economy Sails Skyward Like Rocket" provides useful clarification on the Carriage House and the Ramada Inn at Cocoa Beach:
"Carriage House ... bought up the old Starlight Motel, with 87 units, added another 100 and spent $3.5 million in building and furnishing to have the biggest motel complex at Cocoa Beach."

"Ramada Inn, a big West Coast motel chain, not to be outdone, is putting up a 200 unit motel next door with a Miami Beach - franchised Wolfie's Restaurant and take-out shop as the main attraction."

Examination of City of Cocoa Beach Board of Adjustment Meeting Minutes also provides useful cross-verification of names and addresses.

Based on all the information provided to date, here is what should be an accurate list of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo period establishments:

  • 1960s: Cape Kennedy Hilton
    2012: Radisson Resort At The Port
    Place: 8701 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral

  • 1960s: Mouse Trap Bar & Restaurant
    2012: Mouse Trap
    Place: 5602 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Polaris Motel
    2012: Best Western Ocean Beach Hotel
    Place: 5600 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Sea Missile Motel
    2012: CVS Pharmacy
    Place: 4292 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Satellite Motel & Pillow Talk Lounge
    2012: Resort On Cocoa Beach
    Place: 1600 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Holiday Inn Motel
    2012: International Palms Resort
    Place: 1300 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Cape Colony Inn
    2012: La Quinta Inn
    Place: 1275 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Ramada Inn & Wolfie's Restaurant
    2012:
    Place: 1100 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Starlight Motel/Carriage House Motel
    2012: Ocean Landings Resort
    Place: 900 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Silver Sands Motel
    2012: Ocean Oasis Condominiums
    Place: 225 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Sea Aire Motel
    2012: Sea Aire Motel
    Place: 181 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Bernard's Surf
    2012: The Surf Bar & Grill
    Place: 2 South Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

  • 1960s: Boar's Head Lounge
    2012: JD's Sports Bar & Grill
    Place: 1644 South Fiske Blvd, Rockledge

Gonzo
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posted 07-26-2012 09:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Gonzo   Click Here to Email Gonzo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Anyone have any info on the "Luna Sea" just down the street from RonJon's? We've been past that place a hundred times and always laugh at the name. We've never stayed there as we've always stayed down at what used to be the Holiday Inn (now the International Palms Resort and Conference Center). But I've always gotten a chuckle out of the name and wondered how old it really was.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-26-2012 05:07 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A few more additions to the list of period places:
  • 1960s: Alma's Italian Restaurant
    2012: Slow & Low BBQ Bar & Grill
    Place: 306 North Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach
Although not strictly on-topic, the following are included for historical interest:
  • 1960s: Riverside Presbyterian Church
    2012: Riverside Presbyterian Church
    Place: 3400 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
In 1962, prior to his Friendship 7 flight and amid much media attention, Mercury Astronaut John Glenn attended church services at Riverside Presbyterian where one of the hymns dedicated to him was "The Silent Sea". Knox Hall was the original church building in use as the sanctuary at the time.
  • 1960s: First Christian Church of Cocoa Beach
    2012: First Christian Church of Cocoa Beach
    Place: 470 South Brevard Ave, Cocoa Beach
In May 1963, prior to his Faith 7 flight, Mercury Astronaut Gordon Cooper attended church service at First Christian Church.

Cozmosis22
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posted 07-26-2012 05:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cozmosis22     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Gonzo:
Anyone have any info on the "Luna Sea" just down the street from RonJon's?
Pretty sure that was built in the '90s. Stayed there once... for the novelty. Always preferred the Wakulla down the road a bit at 3550 N Atlantic Ave.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-27-2012 01:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The fate of the Ramada Inn & Wolfie's Restaurant became clear when I chanced upon a November 2003 post on astronomyforum.net by Scott Grissom.

When asked if the original Cocoa Beach Holiday Inn still existed, Scott wrote:

"Yes it's still all there. the original is only about 1/4 of the new complex. The suites near the ocean are new and what was the Ramada Inn (next door) is part of the Holiday Inn. It's not the same, but it's still there. The Cape Colony (the other side of A1A, which we owned) is there, too."
Close analysis of period postcard photos of the Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn Wolfies and Ramada Inn, combined with Google Maps Streetview and Bing Maps Birdseye views, show that the Ramada Inn & Wolfie's did become part of the Holiday Inn. Both the old Holiday Inn and the old Ramada Inn form the present day International Palms Resort.

Google Maps Streetview clearly shows the large distinctive portico entrance of the old Ramada Inn, with its 2 rows of 4 columns, still exists now at the International Palms Resort. The original Ramada Inn building at 1100 North Atlantic Ave now has 1300 over the entrance, the same address as the old Holiday Inn and present International Palms Resort.

Aerial analysis of the International Palms Resort using Bing Maps shows that the old Ramada Inn building has been retained, and based on differences in roof coloration you can see the old Holiday Inn buildings around the swimming pool which correlate with ground-level period photos.

To summarize, as you enter the International Palms Resort from North Atlantic Ave (A1A), the old Holiday Inn is the building to the left of the big arch and the old Ramada Inn is the building to the right.

  • 1960s: Ramada Inn & Wolfie's Restaurant
    2012: International Palms Resort
    Place: 1300 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
    Note: Ramada Inn was originally 1100 North Atlantic Ave

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-28-2012 02:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A few more legendary venues:
  • 1960s: Moon Hut Restaurant
    2012: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
    Place: 7802 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral
The Moon Hut opened in 1958 and was a family diner popular with astronauts and launch teams, with walls covered in space memorabilia, until 2004. In 2005, La Fiesta Mexican opened but kept the space memorabilia in one section including the famous Moon Hut sign.
  • 1960s: Fat Boys Bar-B-Q Restaurant
    2012: Madd Jacks Grillin Shack
    Place: 6006 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
Fat Boys was popular among the Mercury Astronauts - particularly Gus Grissom who could often be found enjoying their barbecued ribs.
  • 1960s: Ramon's
    2012: Dinosaur Store & Museum
    Place: 250 West Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
In the 1960s, there was Ramon's Rainbow Room, a penthouse restaurant on the top floor of the "Glass Bank" building in Cocoa Beach, and the original Ramon's "The Toast of the Coast" on the causeway. Both regularly hosted astronauts and stars and were prime venues.

ApolloAlex
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posted 07-28-2012 11:21 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ApolloAlex   Click Here to Email ApolloAlex     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would just like to say how impressed I am of your list of what I would call places of historical nostalgia.

I can say that the La Fiesta is an amazing place to visit and the Mexican food there is the best I have ever had.

And in regards to the International Palm Resort being the Ramada I can only assume that the Gregory's is on the site of the Wolfies?

I have been of late been collecting memorabilia in regards to the history of the Cape ranging from various hotel postcards to matchbooks to personal items such as security passes, staff awards ranging from lapel badges to letters from the director of the KSC at that time. I have even a hard hat worn by David Hudson, who was at the time the Manager of Quality assurance for Boeing. I find the personal stories of those who worked at the Cape from the past to the present fascinating.

Nevertheless, great research.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-28-2012 06:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks is really due to all the cS members who contributed insight and leads. Period newspaper reports, photos, records, and mapping tools then helped to verify or refine that intelligence further.

Originally, I just wanted to take a trip back through time, but to do that you have to know what to look for and where. Some of the information i.e. multiple names, locations, and memories were initially confusing — not surprising when you consider how fast the motels, bars, and restaurants were opening, changing, and closing over the last 50 years on the Space Coast.

What did become clear during the research was just how unique a vibe existed in these venues in the 1960s. The motels had more personality and character than today's homogenous chains. The bars/restaurants had a fabulous mix of live music, astronauts, Cape workers, Air Force personnel, movie stars, heads-of-state, celebrities, groupies and fans. The energy is just palpable!.

It's a real shame that there doesn't seem to have been much emphasis or priority put on preserving that history/legacy for future generations. Places seemed to close and the interiors changed with memories, memorabilia, and atmosphere lost forever.

In the UK/Ireland, a historical society would salvage artifacts like signs, cards, menus, glasses, period photos, distinctive interior furnishings etc and display them in a local museum (usually one of the actual historical venues itself). Historic plaques on building walls/grounds would tell you what building existed at a location and a little of the history connected to the space program. Space tourists would love that sort of thing, especially in the form of a tourist trail space history map. Anyone know if something like that exists today?

It's a good job some structures still stand untouched - the First Christian Church looks today as it did when Gordo Cooper was photographed leaving after service in May 1963.

quote:
Originally posted by ApolloAlex:
I can only assume that the Gregory's is on the site of the Wolfies?
Gregory's Steak & Seafood Grille is listed at 900 North Atlantic Ave which is currently the Ocean Landings Resort.

SpaceKSCBlog
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posted 07-28-2012 07:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SpaceKSCBlog   Click Here to Email SpaceKSCBlog     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just wanted to toss in my two cents' worth about La Fiesta, or as we call it the Ex-Moon Hut. Good food, good service, and lots of memorabilia. The parking lot is a bit small but that's the only major criticism.

Cozmosis22
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posted 07-28-2012 08:40 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cozmosis22     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, the good ole Moon Hut used to have the best Greek salad with fabulous service, and they even had their own wine label.

YankeeClipper
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posted 07-30-2012 10:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A few more to stir the memories:
  • 1960s: Camelot Inn
    2012: Zachary's Restaurant
    Place: 8799 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral

  • 1960s: Vanguard Motel
    2012: Alan Shepard Park Parking Lot
    Place: 200 East Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
Built by former Air Force Sgt. Jake Brodsky and Dick Lang, circa 1958, the Vanguard Motel was a 60 room $400,000 motel. Jack King "The Voice of Apollo" stayed here when first assigned by AP to cover Cape launches in 1958.
  • 1960s: Astrocraft Motel
    2012:
    Place: East Cocoa Beach Causeway & Ocean (Beach) Blvd, Cocoa Beach
Astrocraft Motel matchbook
  • 1960s: Samoa Restaurant & Lounge
    2012: Ron Jon Surf Shop
    Place: 4145 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
The Samoa featured exotic tiki dining and acts in a tropical paradise setting.
  • 1960s: Crossway Inn Motel / Carnival Club
    2012: Comfort Inn & Suites Resort
    Place: 3901 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
Lee Caron's Carnival Club, notable for its iconic fiberglass elephant "Pinky", was a live music venue popular with space workers.

Some excellent background on prominent Cocoa Beach Spots is available from the Orlando Sentinel.

Finally, a couple of relevant movie-related snippets of information:

  • A 1965 cult sci-fi film Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster features many vintage shots and a trip down memory lane in a car down A1A where sites like the Mousetrap, Moon Hut and others can be viewed.

  • Actor Gregory Peck stayed at the Sheraton Cape Colony Inn (Quality Inn, now La Quinta Inn) while filming the 1969 space movie Marooned.

moorouge
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posted 06-04-2013 01:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Blackarrow:
Was the Atlantis Beach Lodge anywhere near the Holiday Inn?
It's a long time coming and apologies for the poor quality, but its been extracted from an 8mm video shot through the window of a Greyhound bus. Nevertheless Geoffrey - does this ring any bells?

stargazerken73
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posted 07-20-2013 10:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for stargazerken73   Click Here to Email stargazerken73     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks to the folks on this site, we decided to spend a couple of days at the Sea Aire. The manager, Gary, told me this morning that room 8 was the room that Wernher von Braun stayed in when in the area. Also non-space related-room one was occupied by a famous rock band.

We also visited La Fiesta (aka The Moon Hut) and looked in the room with the memorabilia and the Moon Hut decor on the north wall. We were unable to enter due to a meeting.

Blackarrow
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posted 07-21-2013 12:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Blackarrow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
Does this ring any bells?
Yes! Quite a few memories. I have pictures of the same sign both during daylight and lit up at night.

I remember that during my July 1975 stay at the Atlantis, I often ate dinner at the nearby Howard Johnson restaurant. It was a short walk north. It wasn't there in 2007, but would I be correct in guessing it is now the Holiday Inn restaurant (which is beside but physically detached from the Holiday Inn)?

Rick H
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posted 03-10-2014 05:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Rick H   Click Here to Email Rick H     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
When I was in high school, I won an essay contest on space exploration. The prize was a trip to Washington DC and a tour of Cape Canaveral. This was back in 1963 just at the end of the Mercury flight program.

We stayed at the Cape Colony Inn in Cocoa Beach. I was pleased to find this website and its many references to the Cape Colony Inn. I also got a chance to meet the NASA administrator James Webb and was able to tour Hanger S. I also remember standing at the top of the gantry on Pad 34, and the tour guide pointing north and saying the launch pad under construction was where we would leave earth to go to the moon. This website has brought back many memories, thanks.

p51
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posted 07-30-2014 06:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for p51   Click Here to Email p51     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by goldbera:
From what I understand, the original Holiday Inn-Cocoa Beach (that was referenced above) is currently the La Quinta Inn here in Cocoa Beach.
It is still there? Is that the same building or did they tear it down to build another? What's the address of the original Holiday Inn that is mention in all the books?

capoetc
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posted 07-30-2014 06:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
If I recall correctly, the old Holiday Inn is now the International Palms Resort and Conference Center. It was still the Holiday Inn when I stayed there for the 2007 Sims & Hankow show, but they had added on buildings that were not there in the '60s.

The La Quinta in Cocoa Beach used to be the Cape Colony Inn. If you go in the courtyard of that La Quinta, there is a sign attesting to the fact that the hotel was originally owned by the Mercury 7. There have been additions, but the original building forms the central part of the La Quinta.

YankeeClipper
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posted 05-12-2016 05:04 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Another addition to the list of period places:
  • 1960s: KoKo Motel Restaurant Cocktail Lounge
    2016: Motel 6 Cocoa Beach
    Place: 3701 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
The KoKo Motel with its Yum Yum Room, Pooh Bar, Mikado Convention Hall, and Johnny's Hideaway Nite Club (John Esposito Sr.), boasted over 100+ luxurious rooms and an Olympic-size swimming pool. This motel served as the NASA press headquarters for Scott Carpenter’s Mercury-Atlas 7 launch on May 24, 1962.

More information can be found at the National Air and Space Museum.

YankeeClipper
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posted 06-16-2016 11:15 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
More additions to the list of period places:
  • 1960s: Executive Motel
    2016: Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach
    Place: 4001 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
The Executive Motel was completely redecorated in 1972.
  • 1970s: Wakulla Motel
    2016: Wakulla Suites (Westgate Resorts)
    Place: 3550 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
The Wakulla Motel was opened in May 1972 by Cliff and Pat Mishler. It featured large metal tiki torches, a centerpiece waterfall at the lobby entrance and Polynesian-style carvings in the main building's facade. Ownership transferred to Westgate Resorts in May 2016, and the property will undergo significant renovations but will continue to operate as a boutique-style beachside hotel and vacation resort.
  • 1960s: Imperial ‘400’ Motel / Luna Sea Bed & Breakfast Motel
    2016: Econo Lodge Cocoa Beach Motel
    Place: 3185 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
In the late 1960s, the Imperial 400 Motel was co-owned by Ted and Helen Minkel. Among its guests were the Real-8 Treasure Divers. It was still operating as the Imperial 400 in 1971. The Luna Sea Motel was owned and operated by the Grentner family since 1974-5.
  • 1960s: Surf Studio Motel Apartments
    2016: Surf Studio Beach Resort
    Place: 1801 South Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach
The Surf Studio Motel was built in 1948 by Norman Greenwald - the Greenwald family still owns and operates the motel! The Surf Studio Motel is “On the Oceanfront” with a “Breathtaking view of Cape Kennedy missile shots from our sundeck”. More detail can be found here.

YankeeClipper
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posted 06-17-2016 05:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
  • 1960s: The Bal-Ray Resort Motel
    2016: Spanish Main Cocoa Beach?
    Place: 400 North Atlantic, Cocoa Beach
The Bal-Ray Motel was owned and run by Howard Kerner and Dee-Dee Ballentine in the 1950s-1960s. After HK and Dee-Dee married, he worked for seven years with her father at the Ray Laboratory, which among other things did the blood tests required then for marriage licenses. Then they moved to Cocoa Beach and owned and ran the Bal-Ray Motel until he retired. It was one of the few motels over there during the beginning of the space race era, and they hosted many commentators who covered the space shots. By the early 1970s, it was owned by Peggy Lea.

Some images can be found here.

capoetc
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posted 06-17-2016 07:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for capoetc   Click Here to Email capoetc     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Maybe when I retire I will have time to put together a PDF guide and driving tour so people can visit Cocoa Beach and see what it looks like now compared to what it looked like then. Would be great to have all this info all in one organized place.

It might make for a neat coffee table book as well, although I suspect the market for such a book would be slim.

YankeeClipper
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posted 06-17-2016 08:23 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Legendary Space Coast Cocoa Beach Restaurants:

YankeeClipper
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posted 06-19-2016 09:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This Henri Landwirth blog post is excellent and covers some interesting history behind the Starlite Motel, the Holiday Inn, and the Cape Colony Inn in the 1960s.

YankeeClipper
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posted 04-24-2017 09:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Necessity being the mother of invention, the early days of Missileland U.S.A. at the dawn of the Space Age saw some interesting dual purposes for Cocoa Beach buildings.

On December 16, 1956, worship services for both Riverside Presbyterian Church and The Catholic Church of Our Saviour were held on the second floor of the Minella Building (later known for Ramon’s Restaurant owned by Don and Allene Holt).

Retired US Air Force Sgt. Jake Brodsky, co-developer of the Vanguard, Astrocraft, and Starlite Motels, was a keen bowler and had opened his own bowling alley across the street from the Minella Building on the S.R. 520 Causeway close to the intersection with S.R. A1A.

Jake's Bowlarama would later be known by many different names including Cocoa Beach Bowling Alley and Beach Bowl, but its most unusual and intriguing title was Saint Jake's-by-the-Sea.

By January 1957, Roman Catholic mass was being held in the bowling alley on Sundays. Exactly 60 years ago, Easter Sunday Presbyterian worship service on April 21, 1957, was also held at Jake’s Bowlarama across the street from the Minella Building as the room regularly used for services was not large enough. The Catholic congregation was meeting in St. Jake's too, but Riverside changed the hour of its service to adjust to the situation.

The Voice of Apollo Launch Control - NASA Public Affairs Officer Jack King recalled:

You would take Communion between alleys 13 and 14. People would look up for inspiration and see a sign that said: 'Drink Schlitz'.
Note: Jake Brodsky died in 1962 and his wife, Billie Brodsky, died Thursday, February 16, 2017, in Glendale, CA at the age of 102.

YankeeClipper
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posted 04-25-2017 02:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The proximity of Missileland U.S.A. (Cocoa Beach) to the Air Force Missile Test Center (AFMTC) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) just 15 miles away, meant that residents and hotel/motel guests had excellent line-of-sight views on launches but were also in danger from wayward test birds.

In the late 1950s, the first Polaris missile that had to be air-destroyed by the Range Safety Officer — the one that blew up like a bomb in the Banana River — gave local residents a special designation for the Polaris. Not "Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile" (IRBM) but "Into Banana River Missile" (IBRM).

One intercontinental cruise missile called the Snark had a range of 5,000+ miles. "But I don't think the first 27 made 27 miles between them," said one Cape veteran. The Snark's fizzle rate got so high that Time Magazine called Cocoa's offshore region the "Snark infested waters of Cape Canaveral"!

The disturbingly high failure rate of early test flights meant that the Air Force was very tight-lipped about launch dates and times. The secrecy was circumvented by newshounds tipping local waitresses in the lounges and nightclubs for launch times gleaned from overhearing conversations of missilemen. A run on sandwiches and coffee "to go" in downtown Cocoa Beach restaurants was another signal of an impending launch. Sometimes the word came in the form of a short, coded phone call from a worker close to the action. When they heard the distant "rumble", everybody in Cocoa Beach would stop to watch the show.

In the late 1950s, Cocoa Beach residents often referred to the Cape as "Malfunction Junction" but with the fondness of an indulgent parent. They proudly referred to Cocoa Beach as a "Whoom Town" to differentiate it from old-fashioned boom towns.

Source: "Last Stop Before Space", Popular Science, March 1959.

YankeeClipper
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posted 04-26-2017 07:14 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
More tales from the Cape amid the canes, sand, palmettos, and rattlesnakes...

This account from Frank Harvey gives an insight into the vibe in Cocoa Beach bars after a successful Atlas missile launch:

The Starlite Bar, unofficial press headquarters in Cocoa Beach, was roaring happily when I arrived with B.G. MacNabb, field manager for Convair and the man in charge of the Atlas just fired. We took seats under the hurtling moons and meteors that decorate the walls of this bistro, and pretty girls in thigh-gripping leotards and space tunics served us Atlas Specials - a multi-propellant drink with a small blue flame hovering on the surface.

"Pretty active party," I said.

"Dead," MacNabb said. "You should have been here in the early days after a good shoot. One time they threw about a hundred chairs in the swimming pool. Matter of fact, they got to throwing people in later - fully clothed."

"Nobody got sore?"

"Look," MacNabb said. "You go through a month of get-ready. You go through a three-day count. Then you put one in the little barrel 6,300 miles away. Man - it's a privilege to get thrown in some pool. After a good one you don't just sit down and blow on your fingernails. And that goes for about 90 percent of the people in this crazy town. They're missile-happy."

Source: "Last Stop Before Space", Popular Science, March 1959.

That explains these photos of Deke Slayton and Guenter Wendt in the famous Holiday Inn pool in 1961.

YankeeClipper
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posted 04-26-2017 08:25 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The best named space themed drink I've heard of was the "Command Destruct" for $1.50 at Bernard's Surf in Cocoa Beach.

I've no idea what propellant(s) it contained, but it sounds positively lethal!

Does anyone remember any other interesting or exotic "rocket fuel" and the formula, from bars and nightclubs back in the day?

Cozmosis22
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posted 04-26-2017 12:27 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cozmosis22     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Coincidentally, was recently organizing a number of old articles about The Cape in a binder. Along with that Popular Science piece was one from The New Yorker dated February 15, 1958; titled "Cocoa Beach - U.S. Missile Capital."
"Merely choosing a motel puts the visitor right in the prevailing Cocoa Beach mood. After driving past the Vanguard, the Sea Missile, and the Celestial Trailer Court, I pulled up at the Starlite, which has as its roadside sign a flashing neon rocket.

"My towels bore the legend 'Satellite Motel' and when I asked the manager about this, he said, 'That's a sore point. We wanted to call the place the Satellite, but then we heard that some joker had already registered the name, so we settled for the Starlite.'

"The restaurant was decorated with a vast- and, I was told, accurate — chart of the heavens, while the bar, a murky L-shaped room, had murals showing the moon as seen through a telescope and the earth as seen from the moon.

"The bartender greeted me genially when I came in, and, no doubt spotting me as a tenderfoot asked whether I would like a 'Countdown' - ten parts vodka to one part vermouth - or a 'Marstini'; I said a plain bourbon and water would do, and he seemed a little disappointed."

YankeeClipper
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posted 04-27-2017 06:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Starlite Motel interior décor and Satellite Motel matches.

Satellite Motel Brochure Front 1969 and Satellite Motel Brochure Details.

Cozmosis22
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posted 05-04-2017 01:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Cozmosis22     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
This is from an article by the great Willy Ley titled "The Atlantic Missile Range" from the April 1959 issue of GALAXY magazine; a science fiction publication which was printed between 1950 - 1980.
To the south of the Cape area you have twelve miles of civilian territory. It is full of motels called Sea Missile Motel, Vanguard Motel, Satellite Motel and Starlite Motel, all efficiently air-conditioned, all temporarily filled with brass and missile men; and all also inhabited by tourists who stare at the generals and missile men.

For reasons which are probably historical, the Starlite is considered the center, Convair Astronautics has its office there. There is also a press room with Western Union in evidence - if only during the daylight hours.(What do you do when they fire at night? But let's not go into the problems of the press.)

I derived a small amount of private amusement from the fact that the manager of the Starlite bears the name of Landwirth. This German word has two meanings; the one that flashed into my mind is its meaning of 'Country Inn Keeper.' Country? Well, yes, you can say so, since it isn't a city. But inn? With neon signs, hot and cold water, long lines of Cadillacs and air-conditioning?

David Carey
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posted 05-06-2017 05:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
"Can I bum a smoke from someone?"

YankeeClipper
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posted 05-23-2017 04:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for YankeeClipper   Click Here to Email YankeeClipper     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
During Project Gemini in 1965, Carl Ransom was the manager of the Ramada Inn, Cocoa Beach, and hosted a number of celebratory evenings in honor of Gemini astronauts.

On 30 April 1965, in the Gold Room of the Ramada Inn, a dinner dance was held in honor of the GT-3 prime crew of Grissom and Young. Along with the guests of honor in attendance were the GT-3 backup crew of Schirra and Stafford.

On 15 October 1965, at a party at the Ramada Inn, were GT-5 prime crew Cooper and Conrad, GT-5 backup command pilot Armstrong, GT-6 prime crew Schirra and Stafford, Pad Leader Günter Wendt and other support personnel.

4allmankind
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posted 07-15-2017 07:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for 4allmankind   Click Here to Email 4allmankind     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Was afraid this news was coming...
The building that once was home to The Surf, an iconic restaurant that became a well-known gathering place for astronauts, media figures and other celebrities during the heyday of the space race, is slated for demolition.

The building's owner, Luke Johnson, at one time planned to renovate and add to the structure and make it a centerpiece of what's considered "downtown Cocoa Beach." But in the end, it apparently made more sense to remove the structure and start something fresh there.

LM-12
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posted 07-15-2017 09:36 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for LM-12     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Some really great footage here from 1962 of the post-flight ceremony for John Glenn at Hangar S and the parade in Cocoa Beach: Part 1 | Part 2.

David Carey
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posted 07-15-2017 12:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David Carey   Click Here to Email David Carey     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Those are some gems.

The impromptu mob scene beginning at 11:40 into Part 1 starts to look a little out of control but, fittingly, a cool/calm response prevails.

Also in Part 1, at 18:39 does anyone recognize the gentleman who receives a special stop in the motorcade to be introduced to President Johnson and Annie Glenn? Takes place in front of the Holiday Inn but I don't think that it's hotel manager Henri Landwirth. A nice moment in any case.

LM-12
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posted 07-15-2017 08:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for LM-12     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here is a photo that was taken during the parade.

Dhb
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posted 11-11-2020 10:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dhb     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A Nov. 11, 2020 article in Florida Today reports that Westin Hotels plans to demolish the International Palms and then build a new hotel complex on the site.

My wife and I always stayed there because of the ties to the old Holiday Inn and the first group of astronauts. We love the atmosphere of the place. Hope they try to keep the same.

The article mentions that the International Palms was getting old and police reports at the hotel complex were high.


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