The Key West Citizen Newspaper, February 28, 1953, Page 6

* KEY WEST, FLORIDA B ith In: rg? | shag In Keys bought Keys land before the 1920’s | Climaie, Water, | Florida beom, | | Proximity To He and Mrs. Crane, Californians | Northern Cities {by birth, were staying in Miami | then and heard about property for | BY SUSAN MCAVOY REAL ESTATE EDITOR | sale on Key Largo. When they call- jed Key Largo, the only phone on the island was in the name of R. | C. Perky. i : That startea the srane pur- { cent ¢limate, vast | chase of Perky properties. The dd accessibility of | jate developer sold Crane one Keys put them in a parcel on Key Largo. Later | ue class. R. E. Cran€} Crane acquired most of the wher on the | 23,900 acres on the Keys from Perky up through Key Largo. Key | Crane is interested in having his | vast holdings developed by men | rane, who made his fortune in | and women who abhor “‘jazz at- nufatturing plumbing equip- | mospheres.”” he Eljer company, first! ‘“We want simple people who THE KEY WEST CITIZEN Saturday, February 28, 1953 < cent = aa é Look at all the new homes, motels and business buildings in Key West. You'll see only one in a hundred which has that look of character. At a glance you will discover quality and arehitectural excellence. Yours should be one of these outstanding buildings too, for we engineer the job to fit your taste and your pocket: book. Discuss yous building idear witt Ed Ambler now. AMBLER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY 1039 Catherine Street TELEPHONE 2-2022 like nice things to build and live on the land we acquired,” said the handsome, white-haired manu- facturer. “We can’t handle it all ourselves. We'll cooperate fully with anyone whe wants to develop it along lines agreeable to us. We want to be able to steer the de- velopment.” Sugarloaf Key, where Crane has built a modest home on the sight of a sponge dise factory is the first parcel of Crane land to be developed. With numerous canals, making each lot a water- front lot, the Key has on it sev- eral. houses designed by Lloyd Vann and built by Porter Wagor Russell. Earl Sykes is managing the development and sale of the GENERAL CONTRACTING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL | CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIRS © ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEEF.ING SERVICES AVAILABLE ... FREE ESTIMATES I COME IN AND TALK OVER YOUR NEW BUILDING, REPAIR OR ANY DIFFICULT CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS ME. BENNETT CONSTRUCTION CO. : 214 DUVAL ST. DIAL 2.2333 VENETIAN BLINDS 2 EXCLUSIVELY WITH i The MAXWELL COMPANY © Built to Fit Any Size Window! “Aluminum Stats Easily Removablel ROLLACHEAD CUSTOM-MADE VENETIAN BLINDS one reget rane Precision « made to fit your windows perfectly ... choose from decorator inspired colors ... either matching er contrasting tapes. PHONE US FOR FREE ESTIMATE The Maxwell Company 909 Fleming St. DIAL 2-6031 S. H. DRUDGE GENERAL CONTRACTOR y West's oldest, continuous contractor. Established 22 years. ontracts completed without @ ferteit. Including, Motel, #s, Homes, Apartments, Roofing and Remedeling. 0 AVE.E DIAL 2.3392 wee EQUIPMENT TO RENT enctete Mixer... Wheel Sarrews .. empressor and Hammer... Tar Keftle +++ Moist... Pump etc. eee GOODYEAR SUPPLY STORE going up at Duval and Petronia_ streets. canal. It is a one story, low-lying and graceful building with sereen- ed- porch, one master -bedroom, and long living-room, dining unit and kitchen. The Cranes’ three sons, Rad- hy He Invests Here just starting its development. “They had climate. We have not only climate, and waterfront, but we have accessibility from | the major cities. It’s only four hours from my home in Pitts- burgh to Florida, and about the same from the other major northern cities,” Crane said. The Cranes have their northern property he owns, He says: “We're just fumbling around ot A glance at the first develop- | ment on Sugarloaf belies his des- jeription of his and his son’s acti j Vities. i With the advent of electricity to; |the Lower Keys, early develop- | |ment can be expected there. Key | | Largo, however, where Crane | ford, David and Robert, and fami- | home at Kittanning, Pa. 40 miles | owns several thousand acres can lies fly down to Key West from Ohio where they in active leader- ship of the plumbing company. Last week Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crane were enjoying splashing in the pool despite the nip in the air felt by us non-tourists. Crane can remember when Los Angeles in his home state was up the Allegheny from Pittsburgh.. They spend six months a year, however, in Florida dividing their time between their Bal Harbor home in Miami and their house on Sugarloaf. The pioneer manufacturer is very modest ‘about: his plans with the thousands of acres of Keys | be expected to boom in the future. “The Florida ‘boom of the 1920's was just a little ahead of | itself. It took time to digest all the development of the ‘20's. Those men, however, had vision, | men like Perky. He didn’t live | to see the prosperity of the Keys, but he had foresight enough to Larry Dion, Goodyear distributor in the county, is build- ing this modern CBS one-story structure on the site of some old buildings he had torn down. The building will be completed about March 15, with grand opening scheduled for April 1. The store will offer a full-line of tires, bicycles, fishing gear, outboard motors and batteries, similar to those sold at the Biscayne boulevard store in Miami. Charlie Toppino and Sons are building the store—(Citizen Staff Photo). $200,000 Sale Of Marathon Ocean Beach To S. Switlik The sale of another notable piece of Florida Keys property was announced last week by the, ROUGH Delivered to office of Romer L. Baucum, real- tor, Marathon, when the new Marathon Beach area of 330 acres MUCK Key West at $10 Pee vera 48-0144 MIAMI, FLA. SOMETHING NEY! With Prices Rising ... We Are ANNOUNCING NEW LOW PRICES! SPECIALIZING IN TRAILER AWNINGS We invite the Trailer Public te come in end see us about mew awnings, repairing present awnings er recevering yeur awnings with new fabrics. ORDER YOUR CANVASS . AWNINGS BEFORE THE RUSH AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EASY PAYMENT PLAN We have 2 fine reputation for regular Home Awnings tee! Assure yourself ef careful custom styling and of heving your awnings instelied the day you went them, Se2 CAROLINE STREET fas sold to Stanley Switlik, Tren- ton, N. J., at a figure reported to be close to’ $200,000. The sellers, The Jesston Cor- portion, well known in the build- ing and development of the area north of Miami Beach, are George Winston, an aeronautical and structural; engineer and president of the Atlantic Dredging Com- pany, and Jess Hartman, and in- dustrial, engineer and a chain of super markets in Ha- vana. the transaction were Baucum for.the buyer and Mich- ael Covert for the sellers. Covert, a Miami Beach realtor, has act- €d for the H. Wilbur .Graves in- terests on the Beach for many , and has been active in sell- Sunny Isles properties. Switlik, New Jersey parachute nufacturer, is not a new invest- in Keys real estate, having ised in the past two years acres in Crawl Keys, 71 which, known as Burnt have been filled and im- with streets and yacht that the property is now building. Switlik expects ‘very soon the construction own winter home on this larathon Ocean Beach, is a of 330 acres, bordered on west by Sisters Creek, which ocean entrance to Boot Key Harbor, extending from the ocean to the harbor. There is a natura ocean beach of 1800 feet, which adjoins the Chester Tringler hold to the east, also being de as exclusive residentis . The whole area is serve two-mile highway, jus at a cost of $200,000 in beach will be im hile all its natural beau retained. Lots will vary @ quarter to a full ach with waterfronts. There 16 miles of wide anals and small lakes protected waters for large craft. be a business area set apart from the by 2 wate present work wi Floyd Lamb Co my with the Atis Dredging Company taking ov operation. TE + ROBERTS OFFICE SUPPLIES & [196 Duval Strect Phone 2-56 i Royal Typewriters Portables and Standards SALES - SERVICE RENTALS ; 2 rl ne cru . § fat ? 3 tes £ z adr al gE CONSTRUCT ROCKET RANGE British aircraft manufacturers dis- | closed Thursday that they are | building the world’s first privately- owned rocket range in sparsely | settled South Australia. An announcement by the Hawker Siddeley group said the launching ramps and other equipment al. ready are under construction at | Salisbury, a village near the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Subscribe to The Citizen ‘THE PAINT WITH EVERYTHING BUILTIN... = LSuminau With Sotin Luminell the job in done when other pots have pat begun 1 + pat finishes wots ond woodwork © ery room, Prime, wee! and nce" oct t bod in. Easiest 10 eppty Ws lowebiel Sovebebie! $5.25 QUART $1.65 PrPace BROS, | i Cor. Fleming and Elizabeth Sta. | buy up the tand.” Crane, himself had the vision to; | buy up the late Perky’s holdings, | ud he has the pleasure of seeing |in keeping him and Mrs, Crane the future rise before his eyes. | vital and healthy. | vigorous and active at 74, one feels that his interest in the future of the Florida Keys is major factor LONDON # — A combine of || Key West Floor Covering Co. 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