posted 07-14-2012 10:21 PM               

quote:

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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.

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posted 07-23-2012 01:12 AM               

• From LIFE magazine, Henri Landwirth poses by his brand-new billboard, May 1961. He is showing support for the astronauts who frequent his Holiday Inn – especially for Alan Shepard, who in a few days would become the first American in space.

• From Vintage Space, Henri Landwirth and the Holiday Inn Cocoa Beach crew pose with John Glenn's giant cake in February 1962.

• From the State Archives of Florida, The Cape Kennedy Hilton, Cape Canaveral, August 1970.

• Ramon's Restaurant, Cocoa Beach.

• The Ramada Inn and Wolfie's Restaurant, from the Neat Stuff Blog.

• From the Pie Shops, The Holiday Inn, Cocoa Beach.

• From Florida Memory, Starlite Motel, Cocoa Beach.

• Sea Aire Motel, Cocoa Beach.

posted 07-25-2012 07:09 PM               

• 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.

posted 07-26-2012 01:52 AM               

"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

posted 07-26-2012 05:07 PM               

• 1960s: Alma's Italian Restaurant
  2012: Slow & Low BBQ Bar & Grill
  Place: 306 North Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Riverside Presbyterian Church
  2012: Riverside Presbyterian Church
  Place: 3400 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: First Christian Church of Cocoa Beach
  2012: First Christian Church of Cocoa Beach
  Place: 470 South Brevard Ave, Cocoa Beach

posted 07-26-2012 05:16 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Gonzo:
Anyone have any info on the "Luna Sea" just down the street from RonJon's?

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posted 07-27-2012 01:36 AM               

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."

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

posted 07-28-2012 02:46 AM               

• 1960s: Moon Hut Restaurant
  2012: La Fiesta Mexican Restaurant
  Place: 7802 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral

• 1960s: Fat Boys Bar-B-Q Restaurant
  2012: Madd Jacks Grillin Shack
  Place: 6006 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Ramon's
  2012: Dinosaur Store & Museum
  Place: 250 West Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach

posted 07-28-2012 11:21 AM               

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.

posted 07-28-2012 06:58 PM               

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:

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Originally posted by ApolloAlex:
I can only assume that the Gregory's is on the site of the Wolfies?

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posted 07-30-2012 10:15 PM               

• 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

• 1960s: Astrocraft Motel
  2012:
  Place: East Cocoa Beach Causeway & Ocean (Beach) Blvd, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Samoa Restaurant & Lounge
  2012: Ron Jon Surf Shop
  Place: 4145 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Crossway Inn Motel / Carnival Club
  2012: Comfort Inn & Suites Resort
  Place: 3901 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

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.

posted 06-04-2013 01:25 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Blackarrow:
Was the Atlantis Beach Lodge anywhere near the Holiday Inn?

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posted 07-21-2013 12:25 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by moorouge:
Does this ring any bells?

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posted 07-30-2014 06:11 PM               

quote:

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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.

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posted 07-30-2014 06:38 PM               

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.

posted 05-12-2016 05:04 AM               

• 1960s: KoKo Motel Restaurant Cocktail Lounge
  2016: Motel 6 Cocoa Beach
  Place: 3701 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

posted 06-16-2016 11:15 AM               

• 1960s: Executive Motel
  2016: Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach
  Place: 4001 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1970s: Wakulla Motel
  2016: Wakulla Suites (Westgate Resorts)
  Place: 3550 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Imperial ‘400’ Motel / Luna Sea Bed & Breakfast Motel
  2016: Econo Lodge Cocoa Beach Motel
  Place: 3185 North Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

• 1960s: Surf Studio Motel Apartments
  2016: Surf Studio Beach Resort
  Place: 1801 South Atlantic Ave, Cocoa Beach

posted 06-17-2016 05:36 AM               

• 1960s: The Bal-Ray Resort Motel
  2016: Spanish Main Cocoa Beach?
  Place: 400 North Atlantic, Cocoa Beach

posted 06-17-2016 08:23 AM               

• Wolfie's Restaurant & Sandwich Shop at the Ramada Inn Cocoa Beach.

• Wolfie's Cocktail Lounge appears to be the setting for a very interesting conversation between NASA astronaut Gus Grissom and NBC space correspondent Jay Barbree.

• Contraband Corned Beef Sandwich

• Vintage Images of Space Coast Restaurants

• Ramon's Rainbow Room at the Glass Bank Cocoa Beach.

posted 04-24-2017 09:50 PM               

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'.

posted 04-25-2017 02:32 PM               

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.

posted 04-26-2017 07:14 AM               

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."

posted 04-26-2017 08:25 AM               

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

posted 04-26-2017 12:27 PM            

"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."

posted 05-04-2017 01:50 PM            

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?

posted 05-23-2017 04:39 PM               

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.

posted 07-15-2017 07:41 AM               

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.

posted 07-15-2017 12:25 PM               

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.

posted 11-11-2020 10:38 AM            

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.