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The number of motels rapidly increased during the 1930s, and then again in the two decades following World War II. Not surprisingly, the number of motels closely aligned with the number of registered automobiles, In 1956, there were 24 million passenger cars, and by 1958, there were 57 million car registrations. Motel operators across the country promoted themselves with exotic associations that spoke directly to the fantasies of the travelers. Nowhere is this more evident than in Florida. Beth Dunlop, the Miami Herald's architecture critic said this about the motels in Miami: Once these were the motels of Miami's tourists —the ones who came not for the beach so much as the weather, for Spring Training or the see the Serpentarium or other long gone attractions; they were destinations, the first choice rather than the last stop3. At the northern edge of Metropolitan -Dade County4, in the unincorporated area of Sunny Isles, the beachfront property began to be developed in earnest between the late 1940s through the 1960s, with a significant number of motels built along the waters edge. This stretch of land at the northern end of Collins Avenue between 158th and 195th Streets quickly earned the nickname, "Motel Row." These tourist destinations not only brought the temporary and seasonal visitor, but also long term residents, attracted by both the beauty as well as the entertainment, including restaurants, shopping, a casino, and of course the beach, The motels in the area each expressed a theme designed to be more exotic than the next. One such motel was The Sahara, a motel which still stands as a landmark along the main thoroughfare of Collins Avenue. The Sahara delights visitors by showcasing a desert theme, including five life -size dromedary camels along with desert wanderers who act as greeters to each passerby. Well -known local architect, Norman Giller, designed several of these motels5. A Brief History of Sunny Isles Beach The land constituting the barrier island that would become the City of Sunny Isles Beach was bought by Harvey Baker Graves in 1918, but it was not until 1922 that any significant improvements were made in the area. In 1925 the first great building accomplishment was completed, the Haulover Bridge, which connected Sunny Isles to Miami Beach for the first time. Little development took place over the next two decades, but in the late 1940s building activity accelerated with the construction of approximately ninety motels. Hallmarks in the development included the construction of the first 3 Ibid. ' Metropolitan Dade County's Charter was passed in 1957; at that time the county consisted of 27 municipalities. 5 Norman Giller died at the age of 90 in April 2008. During his prolific career he was among such practitioners of Miami Modern architectural design as Morris Lapidus (The Fontainebleau.) Giller also designed the unforgettable Thunderbird Motel in Sunny Isles. [The Miami Herald, Renowned MiMo architect Giller Dead at 90. 20 April 2008, p. 81 7