1965 Plat Map of Indialantic, Brevard County, Florida

Early Days of Indialantic.

This is an unrecorded c. 1965 plat map of Indialantic, in Brevard County, Florida. It presents an overview of the town when it, like other nearby communities, was being transformed by the Postwar development of the region as a major center for the U.S. military (particularly missile testing) and later NASA.

A Closer Look

This map is oriented towards the west, with the Atlantic Ocean in the foreground and the Indian River at top. Streets are labeled throughout, while blocks and lots are numbered with sizes indicated. Some lots are noted as having special purposes, such as the oceanside 'Bowling Pavilion' at bottom and the 'Town Property' next to the causeway at top. The causeway connecting to Melbourne is a vital piece of the town's history, originally built of wood but replaced in the immediate Postwar period by a steel drawbridge (itself replaced in the 1980s by an elevated concrete causeway).

The Indialantic / Tradewinds Hotel

This map retains the location of the Indialantic Hotel (later renamed the Tradewinds Hotel), which closed around the time this map was likely produced in the mid-1960s, represented by a large blank space along Shannon Ave., near center here. The hotel, along with a nearby casino (the 'bowling pavilion' and adjacent lots, now Nance Park) and the causeway, was the starting point for the community and later town of Indialantic, part of the wider 1920s Florida Land Boom. The hotel, casino, and later additions, such as a golf course, made Indialantic into a proper resort destination, attracting celebrities, bigwigs, and wealthy seasonal travelers of the era. At the same time, a community of homeowners settled on lots around the hotel, laying the foundation for the town of Indialantic.

As elsewhere in Florida, Indialantic enjoyed another burst of development in the wake of World War II (1939 - 1945), with a Naval Air Station located in Melbourne attracting many newcomers to the area. Indialantic was also aided by the designation of nearby Cape Canaveral as a missile launch site in the early 1950s and, in the 1960s, as America's launch site for manned space flight. Indialantic and nearby towns grew rapidly with the influx of military officers, scientists, and engineers, with their families. The hotel and casino (renamed the Bahama Beach Club and operated as a private club) fared less well; though still attracting notable visitors (including some early astronauts) and locals, by the 1960s, the facilities were becoming dated, and both closed in the mid-late 1960s. The hotel was used as a dormitory by the Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) for a time, but was eventually deemed unsound and demolished in the mid-1980s, after which a housing subdivision called Tradewinds Terrace was built on the site (the casino was similarly razed in 1970).

Publication History and Census

This map was seemingly prepared by the town's government itself, likely for planning purposes. It most likely dates from the mid-1960s, but could be earlier or later. However, as Indialantic was only incorporated as a town in 1952, it could not be earlier than that. We are unaware of this map appearing in any institutional collections or on the market. The OCLC notes a map with a similar title and dimensions held by the Library of Congress ('Town of Indialantic, Florida: Indialantic zoning map') dated to 1981 ('Map adopted February 1959. Redrawn March 1976. Approved March 1976. Printed April 1981.'), which may be related to the present map.

Condition

Very good. Light wear along original fold lines. Closed margin tear professionally repaired on verso.

References

OCLC 10275029 (Possible later edition).