From Marcia Littlejohn photo collectionFrom Marcia Littlejohn ph... collection December 2011 Beach Club 1954Beach Club 1954
The
Indialantic Casino was constructed on this site in 1923. Designed by architect William Christen and
developed by Herbert Earle, it became the center for social activity in the
Melbourne area. Events included a
Midnight New Year’s Eve dinner, Fourth of July celebration, and the Miss
Melbourne and Miss Florida Beauty Pageants of 1925. The two-story Mediterranean
Revival style building offered rooms for winter guests, areas for club
meetings, socials, and galas such as wedding receptions, banquets, and
cotillions. In 1924 weekly rates for ocean-view room and board were $20 single,
$35 double. By 1935 the Casino operated
in conjunction with the nearby fashionable Hotel Indialantic, later known as
The Tradewinds. The Casino boasted shops, an Olympic-size saltwater pool, a
landmark concrete diving tower and wading pools. The pool was used for training military personnel from
the Banana River Naval Station in 1942. Following
a major renovation in 1942, Karl Abbott changed the name to Bahama Beach
Club. From 1949 until purchased by the
town of Indialantic in 1967, it was an exclusive private club under owner
Walter Rolland. In 1970 the Indialantic
Fire Department razed the storm-damaged building.
  
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