Longboat approves Whitney Beach historical marker

The Town Commission agreed with the Whitney Beach Condominium Association and the Longboat Key Historical Society that there should be a sign to commemorate the importance of Whitney Beach.

By Bret Hauff
| 8:00 a.m. April 11, 2018

Whitney Beach at the north end of Longboat Key

Longboat Key
News

A historical marker commemorating the 50-year history of the Whitney Beach Condominium Association will soon be erected at the entrance to the one of the island’s first multifamily condominium associations.

The Town Commission OK’d the sign at its April 9 regular meeting, validating the efforts of the Whitney Beach Condominium Association to commemorate the island’s transition from a fishing village to a resort town.

Proposed sign text

BIRTHPLACE OF RESORTS AND CONDOMINIUMS

The era of family recreational resorts on Longboat began here on the north end of Longboat Key when Gordon and Lora Whitney purchased 1,000 feet of beach front property from gulf to bay which became the Whitney Resort, 1935-1952. Paul Neal and Company, later named Neal Communities, purchased the property in 1967 and built the first multi-family condominium on Longboat Key in 1968, the Whitney Beach Condominiums. The first shopping center was also located on the abutting property to the north. This plaque, erected in 2018 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Whitney Beach Association, commemorates the events that marked the transition of Longboat Key from fishing and truck farming to recreational resorts and condominium living. It also commemorates the acquisition of an original cottage from the Whitney Resort and moved to Broadway Street in “feisty” Longbeach Village, now the home of the LBK Historical Society.

Longboat Key Historical Society and Town of Longboat Key

Town staff estimates the sign will cost around $800. The installation timeline is still uncertain.

Herman Kruegle, a member of the condominium association board, appended his remarks to the staff presentation. Kruegle argued that Whitney Beach’s “old-Florida design and feel” made it worth recognition.

The idea to cast Whitney Beach’s history in a sign came when Kruegle and Whitney Beach Association Vice President Denton Crews started talking about writing a book about the historic neighborhood, Kruegle said.

It’s the latest push to preserve Whitney Beach history. Two 1930s-era cottages from the original Whitney Beach Resort were moved to the Village and later to Broadway Street, where they are awaiting rehab by the Longboat Key Historical Society.

Then came the Whitney Beach gala held March 9 to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of Whitney Beach as it stands today. It was after that party that Kruegle said he and Crews began solidifying their plan.

“I think it’s a great addition to the other historical markers on the island,” Kruegle said. “We think this is in keeping with LBK and its history.”

The proposed historical marker would be set on the east side of Gulf of Mexico Drive on the property line between the Whitney Beach Condominiums and Whitney Beach Plaza.