Glamourous!
Owned and operated by Herbert Pulitzer (heir to the Pulitzer publishing empire), the facility's January 1966 grand opening marked a milestone in Howard Johnson's history, for it was officially recognized as the 250th Motor Lodge.

Mr. Pulitzer was also heavily involved with launching the Howard Johnson Company's failed attempts to go international. Perhaps an unsavory character, his sordid affairs later became the subject of a series of "tell-alls."

Right: Pulitzer 2nd from left, H. B. Johnson center, Gen. Frederik Kruls, 2nd from right

Temple of Hospitality to be Temple of Religious Learning

Almost making it forty years as a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge, the once glamorous and ultra-modern Miami Beach location lost its HJ name in 2003. After that, the site became the Bayview Hotel and then in its final guise to offer lodging was known as the Hotel Biscaya.

Purchased by The Talmudic University of Florida, the 2.5 acre Howard Johnson's site will be transformed into what has been described as "a beacon to the entire Jewish community."

Alas the Gate Lodge will be demolished -- it is one of only two largely unaltered examples remaining (West Boylston is the other).