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❑ mh END OF AN ERA 11/10/1994
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 1994, The Miami Herald
DATE: Thursday, November 10, 1994 EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: NEIGHBORS MB PAGE: 4 LENGTH: 16 lines
ILLUSTRATION: photo: The Singapore Hotel in Bal Harbour after the
bulldozers moved in (a)
MEMO: CUTLINE
END OF AN ERA
PATRICK FARRELL / Herald Staff
After the bulldozers moved in, the Singapore Hotel in Bal Harbour went
the way of many other old-time beach resorts. The Singapore, at 9601 Collins
Ave., opened in December 1958. Replacing the old hotel will be the Majestic
Tower at Bal Harbour, a 22-story, luxury condominium with 165 units.
TAG: 9403190709
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mh BIG CONDO TO REPLACE 01/04/1994
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 1994, The Miami Herald
DATE: Tuesday, January 4, 1994 EDITION: FINAL
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: 1B LENGTH: 71 lines
ILLUSTRATION: photo: Babe and Ethel Marshall (SINGAPORE HOTEL) ,
SINGAPORE HOTEL, bartender Tim Gable and Juan Ortiz (SINGAPORE;
map: Singapore Resort Hotel
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: RAFAEL LORENTE Herald Staff Writer
BIG CONDO TO REPLACE
BAL HARBOUR HOTEL
•
The Marshall sisters of Lowell, Mass., have spent many winter days sitting
by the pool of the Singapore Resort Hotel in Bal Harbour. Next winter, they'll
have to stay some place else.
dP
The Singapore, built in 1958 at 9601 Collins Ave. , is being torn down at
Vb the end of this tourist season to make way for the Majestic Tower at Bal
Harbour, a 22-story luxury condominium. And with it will go a slice of South
Florida history.
From the red carpeting and the plastic plants in the expansive lobby to
the song and dance variety show in the Bali Hai lounge at night, the
oceanfront Singapore is a throwback to the days when South Florida's beaches
and hotels were king. Back then, condominiums didn't rule the skyline, and
visitors to the Singapore and its lounge included Sammy Davis Jr., Liza
Minnelli, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Rawls.
"Next year this beautiful place will go down," said Babe Marshall, who
along with her sister Ethel, has been coming to Dade beaches for over 30
years. The retired classical ballet teachers probably will stay at the
Sheraton Bal Harbour next year.
At one time, Bal Harbour had more than a half-dozen hotels, including the
Kenilworth, the Ivanhoe and others. Today there are only three: the Singapore,
the Sheraton and the Seaview Hotel.
The seven-story Singapore opened in December 1958, when a vacationer
would pay about $20 a night in January, compared to about $100 now, said Art
Bouchard, the manager. The 238-room hotel brought a South Pacific theme to the
Atlantic shore.
It was sold in 1960. It spent the next two years in court
because of financial problems before closing in July 1962.
By 1965, the Singapore was in the hands of associates of mobster Meyer
Lansky. Lansky, who was considered one of the deans of illegal gambling in the
area, for many years used the Singapore as his headquarters.
Lansky and his entourage used to get haircuts at The Golden Razor, a
barber shop in the Bal Harbour Shops across the street, said Stanley Whitman,
developer and owner of the ritzy mall.
After a mobster was killed in a barber shop in New York, people started
to get nervous during Lansky's visits, Whitman said.
Today, the Singapore is facing the fate of many other hotels in the area
that have been torn down or converted to condominiums. It is falling because
building condominiums is more profitable.
Regardless of the reasons for the Singapore's demise, its longtime guests
and employees will miss the old building.
"It's a shame. They need to have more of these places available," said
Linda Pennfield, a New Yorker who's been coming to South Florida for a winter
break for over 10 years. "It's a shame that they're losing their hotels. "
Tim Gable, the pool-side bartender, said the Singapore has been his life
since he started in 1976.
"It's a good life, except on rainy days," Gable said. "I feel bad that
things have changed."
Gable has seen many changes, including the deaths of many of his regular
guests. "You get attached to some of these people
because they're not only customers, they get to be family."
CUTLINES:
AL DIAZ / Miami Herald Staff
END OF AN ERA: Bartender Tim Gable, with Juan Ortiz, has seen many
changes -- including the deaths of many regular guests. 'They're not only
customers, they get to be family, ' he says.
AL DIAZ / Miami Herald Staff
LOSING A SLICE OF HISTORY: Babe and Ethel Marshall of Massachusetts have
vacationed at the Singapore for many years.
KEYWORDS: SINGAPORE END
TAG: 9401010580
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