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II, SIGNIFICANCE <br />Dates of Construction: <br />1964 <br />Architect: <br />William Conrad Kreidt, Sr. <br />Builder /Contractor: <br />Duffy Construction <br />Statement of Sianificance: <br />Context <br />By the mid 1950s, the United States experienced a culture that revolved <br />around the automobile. The average citizen could now possess enough <br />horsepower to see the country, riding along newly created parkways and <br />interstate highways. Inner cities became blighted as home ownership <br />became affordable, land was plentiful and subdivisions were built <br />overnight. The ubiquitous Ranch House with its prominent garage bay <br />further reinforced the "motor age." <br />From its very beginnings, the State of Florida promoted itself as a vacation <br />destination, with an exoticism promising almost otherworldly sights for weary <br />winter residents. The fifties in the Greater Miami area boasted such <br />attractions as Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Coppinger's Tropical Paradise, <br />Anirama, Famous Trees, Lost Lake and Caverns, Seaquarium, the Rare Bird <br />Farm, Riviera Tropical Gardens, Musa Isle, the Serpentarium and Parrot <br />Jungle. I To accommodate these travelers, hundreds of motels were built, <br />each competing for their guests with glitz and kitsch, created by huge neon <br />signs and whimsical sculptural decorations that reinforced their themes. <br />The word "motel" is first thought to be associated with the Milestone Mo -tel <br />in San Luis Obispo, California that opened in 1926. The word "motor" <br />combined with "hotel" inferred that these accommodations were designed <br />for the highway traveler. During the early development of the industry, there <br />were also a number of other labels that described these highway respites <br />that included: motor court, tourist court, motel court, hotel court and <br />cottage court2. <br />1 Gary R. Morimino, Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida. (Gainesville: The <br />University of Florida Press, 2005. p.92 <br />Z Ellen J. Uguccioni, Biscayne Boulevard/ Miami Modern (MiMo) Historic District) Miami: Janus Research, (City <br />of Miami Local Historic Designation Report) Planning Department, City of Miami, p.7 <br />6 <br />