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Gulfport,
Mississippi --
2230 Beach Drive |
OPENED
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OWNERSHIP
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AMENITIES
- 1948 |
STATUS
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Bill Farner
and
Charles Mooney |
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- 100
rooms
- swimming
- sun
bathing
- shuffleboard
- playground
- lawn
furniture
- adjoining
restaurant
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Like
a modern Residence Inn, the Gulfport Alamo Plaza accommodated
its guests with all the comforts of home in one of its many
"tourist apartments." Modern operators would have
us believe that they invented the "extended stay"
concept, but Alamo Plaza pioneered the idea as early as 1929!
Gulfport's
Alamo Plaza had the good fortune of being near a large military
base and across the street from the Gulf of Mexico. Its location
was no accident, for its developers/owners, Farner and Mooney,
had an "in" with the local military brass. Apparently
the powers that were, invoked eminent domain proceedings in
order to have the Alamo Plaza constructed! The base needed additional
temporary housing for troops and other visitors which the Alamo
Plaza would provide. At any rate, the Plaza's location afforded
it a steady stream of guests and years of profitable operation
for its long-time owners. |
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Overlooking
the beautiful Gulf of Mexico, Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts offers
the best in accommodations for the vacation of a lifetime. Facing
directly on the beach and U.S. Hwy. 90, Alamo Plaza has swimming,
sun bathing, shuffleboard, playground, lawn furniture, room
TV, color television lounge, and nearby restaurants. |
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In
the end nothing could save it from developers' greed and lust
for land. Mississippi's Gulf coast had been transformed into
a nest of gambling establishments, and the local economy had
been changed from restful tourism to one characterized by garish
casinos. A small band of local citizens put up a fight that
only forestalled the inevitable. They had attempted to halt
redevelopment of the site, claiming special status for the stately
Like Oaks that graced the Alamo Plaza's lawn. Alas no one saw
any value in preserving the Plaza itself. Finally, the entire
plot along with part of what was once an area of gracious homes
was leveled in 2003 to make way for two fourteen-story exclusive
200 unit high-priced condominium towers. |
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Postcards:
1949, circa 1950s |
Photographs:
1997, 1998, 2000 |
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