The Dunes

At 17001 Collins Avenue The Dunes Motel was built in 1955. Advertisements for this roadside motel highlighted state-of-the-art amenities including:

	Two large heated swimming pools, with free Ester Williams-like water shows
	Television theater, solarium and card room
	Shuffleboard courts
	Rumpus room for the kids
	Beauty salon and barbershop
	Sundry shop
	A social director and dance instruction

The motel was also fully air conditioned and heated, and every room had a private bath and shower.

Demolished in 2003 The Dunes was an icon in Sunny Isles for many years. Its signature cachet relief sculpture of the Egyptian chariot and horse on the façade.

Now preserved in photographs and memories people that stayed there and frequented its spacious grounds..



The Dunes took advantage of its location in advertisements as evidenced by an excerpt from one of its brochures:

"In the quieter section of Miami Beach, away from the traffic and noise, the Dunes is only a few short minutes from the race tracks, golf, tennis, Jai-Alai frontons, dog tracks, sport fishing, airport, railroad stations, concerts, parks, theaters and department stores. Easy access to the Keys, the Everglades and the Gulf Coast make the Dunes the favorite take-off spot for the holiday motorist."



Modest rates and advertisements that included pictures of its oceanfront pool, enticed tourists from all over the United States and the World to choose the Dunes as their vacation destination.




The Dunes offered a varied menu and was famous for its food and entertainment.

A typical breakfast: Slice fresh pineapple or melon in season, ham and eggs, or griddle cakes with maple syrup.

A typical dinner: Florida fruit cup, gefilte fish, chicken matzo ball soup, mushroom barley, mixed green salad, Seafood, broiled trout, red snapper, deviled crab, Poultry, roast Cornish hen in wine, roast beef, roast leg of lamb, mint jelly, broiled calf's liver, roast Long Island duck, veggies, broccoli hollandaise, French fried potatoes, string beans, potato pancakes, desserts, lemon chiffon pie, strawberry shortcake, chocolate nut sundae, beverages, ice tea, postum, and sanka.

Entertainment: In December 1967 a Miami Herald ad promoted a comedian, Tubby Boots in a Big Variety Revue performing twice nightly. In this ad the "hook phrase" TUBBY BOOTS EXPLODES would catch the reader's eye. Other hook phrases promised Tubby Boots Goes Topless and Tubby Boots Does the Go Go! Who could resist?

What did it cost in 1955?
Starkist Tuna (6 ½ oz.): $.25lb
Oreo Cookies (11 ¾ oz): $.39
Apple Cider (1/2 gal): $.49
Ivory Soap (2 bars): $.29
Slinky: $.88
Mickey Mouse lunchbox: $.88
Baseball Glove: $9.95

Also in 1955:
Polio Shots are given for the first time
Crest, the first toothpaste with fluoride clinically proven to fight cavities, was introduced
Disneyland opened in California; over 1 million visitor in 7 weeks
President Eisenhower takes part in the first televised press conference
Albert Einstein dies at age of 76
There are 2,635 AM radio stations, 553 FM and 411 TV Stations.

Compiled by Marlene Calero and David Udoff

Citizens knowledgeable about Sunny Isles Beach History and "Motel Row" era, please contact City Hall at: (305) 947-0606
 

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