posted February 01, 2010 06:31 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by ApolloAlex:
I am currently planning my family's next trip to Florida...

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posted October 06, 2010 08:17 AM            

I've been following this thread for a little while, and have been doing some more digging, to try to place some of the motels discussed here, and their history and evolution. I thought I would post back my findings, in case they were of interest or use to anyone else. As far as possible, the details below have come from original published sources (books/newspapers/reports/memoirs etc) and not from hearsay or speculation on the web, though that has been very helpful in pointing me in (mostly!) the right direction.

Any errors or omissions are my fault; factual corrections and comments would be welcome to make this as accurate as possible for anyone else trying to track down historical places to stay around Cocoa Beach.

The old Holiday Inn, as managed by Henri Landwirth, now appears to be the International Palms resort, on A1A.

Across the road is the La Quinta, which used to be Cape Colony, with which the original Mercury 7 astonauts were involved. There is a suggestion that this site used to be the old, original Holiday Inn but there was insuffcient space to expand so they sold up and moved across the street, making the original motel available for purchase by the Original 7. However, a book on the history of Cocoa Beach suggests the Cape Colony was a new build, at the time the largest motel in the area, casting doubt on the above suggestion. Also, there is suggestion is that the Original 7 planned to invest the money paid by Life Magazine for their exclusive stories in this motel, but this was frowned upon by the upper echelons of management at NASA. The above-mentioned book suggests the Mercury 7 were forced out of part-ownership of the motel before construction was completed. Again, this conflicts with reports of the Original 7 staying there whilst still owners.

Trying to find definitive evidence as to which account is correct and the timelines has been complicated. However, I came across this, in Wally Schirra's 2003 book: "Leo DeOrsey had proposed to us that we build a motel in Cocoa Beach... Henri Landwirth, also a part-owner, quit his job at the Holiday Inn to become the manager. We named the motel the Cape Colony Inn. ... The motel didn't do as well as we hoped and Leo suggested we sell... End of story, almost. Henri had to leave Cocoa Beach because of a no-compete clause in the contract to sell the Cape Colony. He and John Glenn later became partners and today they own two very profitable Holiday Inns adjacent to Disney World in Orlando.". That would appear to clear that one up...

As I understand it, the hotel and pool area have been altered and updated but the basic building has remained largely unchanged since the Mercury days and the upper apartment section was reputedly the home of the families of the Mercury 7 while they were in town for the launches. Next door (now a beach shop?) appears to have been the office building complex that became a fully functional press suite.

Next to the Holiday Inn, to the south, is the Ocean's Landings Resort; this used to be the The old Atlantis Beach Lodge. Before this, the Atlantis Beach Lodge was the Carriage House Motel and before this, was the Ramada, famous particularly for Wolfie's Deli, home of the infamous Gemini III Corned Beef and Pickle on Rye sandwich.... Other sites suggest the Ramada was subsumed by the Holiday Inn on expansion but from what I've read, pulling together various pieces and threads, I think the above is more probable unless anyone has evidence to the contrary?

The fourth motel often debated in discussions around early space program lodgings was the original Hilton at Cape Canaveral. Most sites list this as demolished, and confirming the original location hasn't been straightforward. However, from a book on Cape Canaveral it appears that the Cape Canaveral Hilton was not demolished, but acquired by Dr Carl McIntire. As far as I can make out, he moved his bible college (Shelton College) there for a while and re-launched as the “Gateway to the Stars, the Bible Conference and Freedom Center". The book notes that, after the end of the Apollo Program ended, real estate prices crashed and the site was picked up fairly cheaply; other sources state the site was acquired in 1971 as the program was winding down. The college itself (at the Cape site) closed in 1992. Archived documents give the address of the center as 8701 Astronaut Boulevard, Cape Canaveral. This is now the site of the Radisson Resort at the Port. I have no evidence if this is the original building but the site seems plausible. Certainly the current appearance of the area fits with the description from a former student who describes "a residential neighborhood filled with split-levels, basketball hoops and two car garages". Mention is made of the "Under the Stars" hotel; I'm unsure as to whether this is what the Hilton became before the buy-out, or what the college became after it closed in 1992. I have also found a second reference confirming the Radission as the location of the Cape Hilton in a site featuring Cocoa Beach trivia.

Some other motels from the same era:

The Satellite Motel (home of the apparently oft-frequented Pillow Talk Lounge) with it's famous Globe sign has now gone, having been demolished. The site is now, as far as I can tell, occupied by the Resort at Cocoa Beach.

The Starlight motel was the first major motel to be built at Cocoa Beach, built in 1956. I believe this was/is next to what is now the Oceans Beach Resort mentioned above. I am working on pinning down the exact location. This appears to be where Henri Landwirth first got a job as a motel manager in Cocoa Beach. I note the recent comments of the poster above and would welcome clarification on which empty building was being referred to...

Silver Sands motel appears to be still in existence at 225 N Atlantic Avenue though I can't confirm with certainty yet if this is the original site/building. The Sea Aire motel, from the same area, also seems to be in existence at the original location, at 181 N Atlantic Avenue.

The Apollo motel is now a Best Western, at 5600 N Atlantic Ave. The Durango steakhouse in the same area used to be the Mousetrap Restaurant and Bar, which was a frequent haunt of the NASA staff. Again, I presume this is the original building (rather than a new site or simply re-use of the name) but have yet to confirm this. The location of the Apollo would indicate that the Apollo motel and the Polaris motel, also mentioned in these discussions, were actually one and the same, during different eras.

Finally, the Sea Missile Motel appears to have been located at the corner of Cocoa Beach Causeway and A1A, now the site of the CVS opposite Ron Jon's surf shop.

posted October 11, 2010 07:23 AM            

In August I stayed at the Sea Aire Motel. It is still run by the same family who built it in the early 1950's. I chatted with Gary, the manager who is the grandson of the original owner(s). One of the interesting things he told me that was that Werner Von Braun stayed in Room 10 - a fact apparently well known to German tourists, who Gary said seek out the room for that reason.

posted March 09, 2011 05:38 PM               

I have a few good sources but would like to enhance the richness of my research. I've already come across some very amusing anecdotes, one concerning a boat in the swimming pool. (I would love to know more about that, by the way.)

My ultimate goal is to preserve locations that remember the lives of those who were seminal in the development of Florida's space coast. If anyone has anything they would like to share, it would be very much appreciated.

posted March 12, 2011 05:44 PM               

In fact, it was the Cape Kennedy Hilton in Cape Canaveral that was in the location area of the now-Radisson during the Apollo era.

posted March 12, 2011 07:14 PM               

The now-Radisson Resort at the Port is of the same location as the old Hilton was on.

Yes, indeed, just about all the old Hilton foundations and structures were completely re-built. The resort's convention center, if I recall, still maintains a similar structure in use today.

I think the bar that Worden made reference to at the old Hilton was the Pieces of Eight Lounge near the motor inn's romantic Gaucho Steak Room.

During the Cape/Hilton days, the Norm Schooping Trio, with Norm at the piano, was one of the most popular Space Coast beach entertainment spots.

posted June 23, 2011 04:40 AM            

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3