The End Is The Beginning Once More
For the first time in decades, the sun arose this morning on a heap of rubble where once stood a welcoming vacation destination. The Howard Johnson’s in Fort Lauderdale is gone, and its towering presence is now a mound of memories for those who had once visited here.
What amazing and interesting things happened through the years? What joys and sorrows were known to visitors and staff? What emotions were revealed to us through smiles and laughter or betrayed by tears?
For those who visited Fort Lauderdale through the decades, there is no longer a structure to remind them of their own memories; there is no familiar landscape. The memory is now part of history, a history reduced to these last images. They are the digital remnants of an era now passed, but they are a reminder that all things change.
Soon, a new tower of memories will rise on this shore. New faces will inhabit the walls that shall grow and form before our eyes. Perhaps we shall come to know some of these people, to share their dreams, and to be a part of that new history to come.
The Last Days Of The Old “HoJo’s”
Below are copies of post cards that guests once sent home to friends and family, and after that you will see photographs taken during the the final days of the old Howard Johnson’s existence on Fort Lauderdale’s beach. Following the photographs, a short video of the day of demolition, followed by additional pictures taken the morning afterward.
The intersection of Vistamar and A1A is now primed for a new condominium tower, to be called Paramount. How poignant is it that this vacation destination should become as ephemeral as the visits of those who once attended her? Perhaps, with the rise of a high-price condo tower, a new permanence shall come to these shores.
The 1960’s: Howard Johnson’s At Its Peak
A postcard of Fort Lauderdale beach in the 1960’s, with the Howard Johnson’s figuring prominently as a backgdrop. Even further back, just right of the center, the old Holiday Inn, which was refurbished in 2010 to become ‘B’ Ocean.
An aerial view of the Howard Johnson’s, taken in 1968, shows the beach resort at its peak.
February 2014: The Final Days
The old HoJo’s restaurant is, itself, gobbled up by a backhoe as demolition proceeds, unabated. I last ate in this restaurant in 2003 with a friend. It was all but abandoned, even then. Photo taken February 10, 2014.
Portions of the stone façade are stripped from the concrete walls, and the load-bearing structure is removed to make it easier to demolish the tower. Photo taken February 10, 2014.
The once-welcoming tower is now an empty shell. Soon, the vacation hotel shall, itself, vacate this land to make way for new residences. Photo taken February 10, 2014.
Demolition Day: February 19, 2014
The Morning Afterward: February 20, 2014
The sun rises on what used to be a bustling beach resort, now only debris that must be cleared to make way for Paramount, the new condominium on Fort Lauderdale beach.
An ironic caption: Old signs direct drivers to lock their cars while on the parking lot, which no longer exists.
Lights out! An old lamp post is among the few remnants still standing following the demolition of the old Howard Johnson’s on Fort Lauderdale beach.
Before And After: The Last Days Of Howard Johnson’s
Howard Johnson’s, long closed, as seen on February 10, 2014, only nine days before it was demolished.
The morning afterward: The scene looking toward the beach awaits a new tower that will replace the old, and another era will begin.
