Bok Tower Sanctuary - October 1949

One of my favorite eras in the history of Florida tourism is the period between WWII and the arrival of the interstates. The nation was entering an unparalleled era of growth, opportunity and optimism. Visitors holding off on those expensive trips to exotic places (yes, Florida) were now road-tripping with dollars and looking for something to do.

Garden-based attractions were at their strongest in this period — Cypress Gardens, Sunken Gardens, Eagles Nest Gardens, Oriental Gardens, Killearn Gardens, Ravine Gardens, Sarasota Jungle Gardens, Hialeah Tropical Park, Everglades Reptile Gardens, Monkey Jungle, Parrot Jungle, Busch Gardens — the list goes on (including all the Springs and their pastoral settings).

Known geologically as the Florida Ridge, the orange sand hills around Lake Wales and Winter Haven provide an excellent environment for orange groves. This part of the state up and down US 27 was one blanket of groves in 1949.

The roads leading to the Mountain Lake Sanctuary and the “Singing Tower” were desolate and passed through acres of groves. We're almost there!


Mountain Lake Sanctuary was the vision of naturalist Edward Bok, a Netherlands native and editor of Ladies Home Journal. Dedicated by Calvin Coolidge in 1929, the carillon tower is made of Creole & Etowah marble from Georgia as well as Coquina rock from Florida. It contains 71 bells covering a range of 4-1/2 octaves. The largest bell weighs 23,000 lbs.

Although architecturally neo-gothic in conception, the Florida imagery (found throughout the building) is decidedly Art-Deco. Cypress trees festooned with moss, pelicans, herons, palms, eagles and doves are carved into stutues and panels that surround the structure.

This carved window grille depicts a youth watering plants.

This is a nice view showing the contrast of rock. One of the stone eagles can be seen perched on the balcony to the bottom-right of the right window.

The Florida relief is above the fireplace in the Tower Room. Only members are allowed inside. The interior is a whole other story.

The Erect Declining Dial or vertically mounted sundial. Surrounding it are reliefs of the zodiac signs and the dedication plaque by Calvin Coolidge.

A view of the lake and gardens next to the Tower. What makes this sanctuary extra special is the view west from its meadows located on top of Iron Mountain (or hill depending on where you're from).

Here's an idyllic view from the top of Iron Mountain — The highest point in peninsular Florida (324 ft.). It's a great spot to meditate and reflect. You can get dizzy from the thin air. Bok quotes Burroughs on the entrance sign: “I come here to find myself. It is so easy to get lost in the world.”

And if you're feeling lost, you can follow Bok Tower Gardens on Twitter. Check it out on Google satellite view.

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Busch Gardens' Hospitality House - 1963

Flamingos and swans accentuate the Hospitality House at Busch Gardens, Tampa in this 1963 original slide. It was designed by William Harvard, a modernist architect who was active on the west-central coast of Florida (He designed the "upside-down pyramid" at the pier in St. Pete, and many MCM homes in the area). Opened in 1959, it was a place to receive two free Budweisers or Michelobs and relax. There were 4 employees and 4 parrots. In January 2009, InBev, the new Belgian owner, stopped the tradition of free beer at the Hospitality House. Ouch!

A trio of smartly-dressed women pose in front of the "Stairway to the Stars" — a somewhat rickety escalator that carried you to the roof of the brewery to begin the famous brew tour. In the early days, there were seals in a pool below. The brewery always reminded me of Willy Wonka's factory. Lots of mint-green tiles and brass boilers. You looked down from windows near the ceiling.

Float at the Fun 'n Sun Parade, Clearwater, FL – March 1960.
A large Hospitality House model shares the attention with the Anheuser-Busch logo, and a number of Ann Margaret lookalikes. Colorful palm trees and swans, flamingos and herons add to the effect. Not sure what the rock-like motif is for, but with pretty girls like the one in front of the eagle, who cares?

Float at the Fun 'n Sun Parade, Clearwater, FL – March 1961.
What a difference a year makes! The Hospitality House model has been re-done and is more true to the original, yet sits on a sea of pink, green and yellow. The natural birds give way to foil peacocks and flamingos while the palms are all snowy white. The dress code obviously changes to southern belle debutante! I can almost see the parade wave now. The eagle logo is also less stylized. McCrorys 5-10-25 store is fighting for my attention here, but the deco looks dated compared to Harvard's modern design.

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