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 Posted - 03/27/2007 : 08:29:21 AM
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It's official: Atlantic Shores Resort in Key West, Florida is closing its doors permanently as of May 31, 2007
The final "Cinema Shores" Thursday movie night is this coming Thursday, March 29 so get it while it lasts.
The employees are talking about it, it's not a false start this time.
Read all about it:
http://www.keysnews.com/302191036381245.bsp.htm
Atlantic Shores to be no more this summer
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff
25 MARCH, 2007 - KEY WEST — No more Tea Dance. No more movie night on Thursdays. No more naked sunbathing.
The Atlantic Shores Resort will close its doors May 31, and the wrecking ball will go to work by summer. The construction of a new hotel called the Southernmost at the Beach Resort will begin shortly afterward, co-owner Michael Browning said. The Shores' last movie night is this Thursday.
The new, 80-unit Conch-style hotel will have a pool, bar and small conference center overlooking the ocean.
"We are making changes that everyone will agree are for the better," said Dale Rands, a developer of the project. "We are a unique property on the island. ... We will be able to accommodate a wide variety of tourists."
The new 350-square foot rooms will go for about $350 a night in season, compared with the current $175, Rands said.
"This island is going upscale," Browning said. "These are going to be really nice rooms."
For roughly 20 years, the Atlantic Shores has been a haven for the counterculture and helped to keep Key West the funky live-and-let-live community that has made it an international tourist destination. The laid-back pool bar has become a must-see for tourists. Naturists flock to the pool bar daily to sip cocktails and avoid tan lines. The hotel has also played an active part in Fantasy Fest, hosting balls and parties during the weeklong annual event.
"It is a Key West institution," said Dick, who goes to the pool two to three days a week and wouldn't give his last name. "It's a place where adults can go and not be bothered with screaming children running around. You can go there and get a drink and talk with some real nice people. It's a locals' hangout ... it's the type of place where no matter if you are rich or poor, gay or straight, everyone is treated the same. ... I'm going to miss it. Where are we going to go?"
Jonathan Shonting, who runs the concession booth at the pool, echoed Dick's comments.
"What was cool about the Shores was that you would get a couple staying at the Casa Marina sitting around having a drink with some kid from the Youth Hostel, naked," Shonting said.
Every Sunday, the hotel hosted a Tea Dance with lights, music and a drag queen. Locals congregated in the parking lot on Thursday nights to drink, eat popcorn, win prizes and watch movies on the big screen.
Vidal, a drag queen whose stage name is Angelica Duval, has performed at Atlantic Shores for the past five years, for a salary plus tips.
Vidal said there's a lot of rich history there, including when the late politico Wilhelmina Harvey cut the hotel's ribbon for a new back deck in 1996.
"It's a shame," Vidal said. "It's the end of an era."
But the drag queen is not worried about losing the gig.
"We always go through cycles [with tourism], and we always come up with something better."
As the Atlantic Shores is set to close, White Street Deli has since taken over the concept of having a weekly movie night.
The reconstruction of the hotel was put on hold for more than a year, after a lawsuit over the design of some of the buildings. The developers initially proposed putting condos there. Neighbor Charlie Ramos sued them, claiming one of the buildings would be too tall, violating city rules. Ramos also criticized the proposed design, which was similar to the art deco-style of the neighboring Santa Maria condos.
The condo market softened and the developers decided to keep it a hotel.
tohara@keysnews.com
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Edited by - Moderator on 03/27/2007 11:27:40 AM
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Atlantic Shores in Key West closing May 31st, 2007
