Vintage Postcard – Twilight Motel

Twilight Motel
Palmetto, Florida
At Junction of U.S. 41 and 19, the southern entrance to the Skyway Bridge.
100 modern rooms and efficiencies – olympic size swimming pool – free T.V. – free air conditioning – restaurant – lounge – convention facilities.

Color photo by Clyde Eagleton
C-14048

Horizon Studios – St. Armand’s, Sarasota, Fla.

This card has been stamped

Harry A. Bell
Twilight Motel
Palmetto, Florida

It has not been used. I love this card for the feeling it has. A late-afternoon photoshoot. Long shadows. Girl in bikini sitting on the diving board, talking with a nice chap on the side of the pool. Others look on (including that bathing-suit-shy couple on the balcony). And best of all? The creeper shadow on the lower left corner. Love it. Love.

The March 15, 1959 Daytona Beach Sunday News-Journal (here on Google News) noted that a tornado hit the area on October 31, 1958 and badly damaged the Twilight Motel. It notes the hotel had 88 rooms and was valued between $850,000 and $1 million. Damages were in excess of $250,000. There were no guests at the time the storm hit, as the rooms were being “redecorated for the winter season.” Debris from the Twilight Motel was found three miles away after the storm.

Oh, sad day friends. The building still stands, but it looks horrible (thanks, Google Street View):

The little building in front of the motel was recently known as the Little Palm Inn. For-sale description from over a year ago: Poolside Restaurant in motel on busy US 41 north of Palmetto. Seats 125. Parking 45. New metal roof. Large kitchen w/ 2 walk-in coolers, 1 walk-in freezer, stacked gas-fired Pizza Ovens, 10 burner gas stove, large hood, mixer, microwave, salad keeper, 3 sinks. Tenant pays all utilities. Motel under complete renovation – 20 units ready to open. When completed 85 units.

The motel was constructed in 1957. The official address is 3512 N Us 41, Palmetto, FL 34221. Current market value is $518,809. The current owner is listed as Cs Citrus LLC, 4445 Willard Ave 12TH, Chevy Chase, Md, 20815. There was an invalid sale posted in October of 2011 (forced sale or sale under duress; sale to prevent foreclosure, occurs prior to date shown in judgment order for public sale) for $250,000.