THE SETTLING OF SARASOTA (31st in a series)

Did you know that there was a naval attack transport, the U.S.S. Sarasota, that was built in California in 1944? It served in the southwest Pacific during WWII. The U.S.S. Sarasota transported troops, defended itself against air attacks, came to the aid of wounded ships, and took part in assaults and landings on Okinawa and the Philippines.

President Roosevelt died in Warm Springs, Georgia, on April 12, 1945, and Vice President Harry Truman became President. Germany surrendered to the Allied Command on May 7, 1945, and Sarasota celebrated. Japan surrendered unconditionally on August 15, 1945, after atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

During the winter of 1945-46, 40,000 winter visitors came to Sarasota, more than ever before. The housing shortage became acute because many of the servicemen were still here despite the ending of hostilities. The boom had begun.

The Trail Drive-in Theater, one of the first in Florida, opened in 1949 across from the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport. It held 780 cars; the projector was 245 feet from the 65’x47’ screen. It was family entertainment. First run movies were shown and the snack bar served chicken and shrimp dinners.

In 1949-1950, 500 houses, five churches, thirty-five stores, ten apartment houses, seven motels, two fire stations and a new radio station were built. Paver Park Homes were advertised for $2,500 down, $50/month.

Sarasota started its effort to become a center for the arts when the Circus Museum opened and the West Coast Symphony was established in 1949. There was an arcade on the pier at the end of Main Street with a pool full of tropical fish. You could buy fresh caught kingfish from Captain Anderson at $1 a pop when he docked to bring a group of deep-sea fisherman back on land.

The two blocks at the end of Main Street were known as “down town” and had several restaurants and lounges with entertainment. Famous artists and writers lived in Sarasota. St. Armand’s Key was alive with elite stores. You could swim, play volley ball on the beach and dance to the music of Rudy Bundy at the Lido Casino, often featuring Lenny Dee.

There were circus shows at the Ringling Hotel on U. S. 41, and Hollywood was here filming “The Greatest Show on Earth.” In fact, there were 15 circus companies with headquarters in Sarasota and more circus people were living here than in any other place in the world.

A group of architects who later became famous came to Sarasota in the early 1950’s led by Ralph Twitchell and including Paul Rudolph, Victor Lundy, Tim Siebert, Jack West and the developer, Philip Hiss.

John D. MacDonald, author and environmentalist, moved to Siesta Key in 1950. He wrote 75 novels, a number of which were the very popular ”Travis McGee” mystery series.

Sarasota was a bustling slice of Paradise in 1951.

(To Be Continued)..

(C) Copyright, 2009 - Leland Desmon.
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THE SETTLING OF SARASOTA (30th in a series)

The year was 1938, Franklin D. Roosevelt had been reelected President of the United States and Sarasota was the beneficiary of WPA projects for much of its employment.

Potter and Honore Palmer donated 2,000 acres of Bertha Palmers ‘Meadow Sweet Pastures’ ranch for a state park, a gift which became the core of the Myakka State Park. Hundreds of persons were employed constructing roads, building cabins and more. Improvements to the Osprey Avenue bridge, the construction of city sidewalks, and the development of Luke Wood Park were all WPA projects.

Construction of the Lido Beach casino as a WPA project was approved by the government on June 13, 1938 with the proviso that the city contribute $40,000 in cash and donate the land. Thirteen hundred feet of beach frontage was obtained from the Ringling Estate in a tax debt settlement; a $40,000 bond issue was floated and sold out within days. The casino formally opened on December 27, 1940. Nobody knows the total cost of the facility, but it was referred to as “The Quarter Million Dollar Casino.” Thousands of servicemen from the Sarasota and Venice air bases visited it often.

The Sarasota-Manatee airport was another WPA project that benefitted Sarasota significantly. In July 1940 the War Department approved the airport as a part of the National Defense Plan and additional grants came rapidly during 1940.

In March 1942, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses belonging to the 97th Bomb Group arrived for six weeks of final training. There were no barracks, tents were erected for sleeping and eating. Kerosene lanterns were used for much of the illumination. The 97th Bomb Group log read, “Three days of steady rain necessitated the use of palmettos for the construction of corduroy roads to permit entry to dispersal points.”

At the peak of the field’s operation, more than 3,000 men were stationed here. Captain Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the Enola Gay that delivered the first atomic bomb to Hiroshima was one of the first flight instructors at the airport.

On December 7, 1941, a total of 353 Japanese bombers, launched from six aircraft carriers, attacked the U.S. Naval Base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sinking 10 warships, destroying 188 aircraft and killing 2400 personnel. President Roosevelt called it, “A date which will live in infamy,” and the United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941.

This surprise attack changed the U.S. public opinion from isolationist to participant. Before the war ended, 6300 Sarasota County men and women had registered for the draft. The population of Sarasota County in 1940 was only 16,106.

(To Be Continued)..

(C) Copyright, 2009 - Leland Desmon.
The information on this page may not be reproduced or republished on any other webpage, website, or publication. Please LINK TO US instead.