Key Biscayne in the winter of 1986

September 21st, 2012

In 1986, a gentleman came down from Upstate New York with his newfangled video camera and decided to document his experience in Key Biscayne. In these two videos you can get a brief glimpse of what the island looked like back then.

Click on the time links to skip to that part of the video.

00:00 – Hanging out with the birds at the Sheraton Royal Biscayne, currently where the Ritz Carlton is located.
0:32 – Hotel hallways and gentleman
1:35 – Tour of the hotel
3:48 – Looking toward Crandon on what is now Grand Bay Drive
5:21 – Entrance to the Sheraton with fountains
6:09 – Staring north on Crandon outside the Sheraton. The Village Green is still Shady Grove. Crandon is a sleepy street
6:40 – Tour of Le Phare
9:11 – Cashier at Vernon’s says hello
9:27 – Doobie Brothers cranking at the Sheraton Pool, tour of the pool and beach
11:45 – Check out those prices at the pool bar. Unheard of for a hotel today, but the Beach Club still has comparable prices
15:29 – “Would you like a cocktail?”
17:55 – Back to the aviary
19:07 – Sheraton parking lot, looking north to Sonesta
20:08 – Heading east towards the Key Biscayne hotel, now the Ocean Club property
21:40 – Arriving at the Key Biscayne Hotel
22:18 – Inside the Key Biscayne Hotel
25:30 – Key Biscayne Hotel pool area
26:05 – Bar at the Key Biscayne Hotel shaped like a boat
27:40 – Lawn/golf area looking toward the beach at the Key Biscayne Hotel
28:35 – KB Hotel villas
31:44 – The Beach in front of the KB Hotel
34:18 – On Ocean Dr, which extended from Galen to Seaview.
35:10 – Back to the Sheraton, to see the shops

00:00 – The aviary at the Sheraton
0:55 – Driving out of the Sheraton towards Crandon. At 1:02 you can see Galen Breakers on the left, and at 1:46 you can see Crandon Tower
2:00 – Crandon Blvd looking north
2:30 – Brief glimpse of the Square Shopping Center, no traffic lights
2:40 – Pulling up to the light at Key Colony. Notice the old Key Colony entrance at 3:00
3:15 – Back to the aviary
3:40 – Looking towards the beach at the Sheraton
3:56 – Beach in front of the Sheraton
6:48 – Beach looking north toward Crandon Park
7:08 – Looking south on the beach. Notice the Ocean Club is not there
7:40 – Quick shot of the Sonesta and Sheraton from the beach. More at 8:39
9:30 – 16:00 – Hanging out at the Sheraton pool and beach
16:20 – Shops at Key Biscayne Shopping Center
16:45 – In front of the Jewelry Store
17:10 – Looking north from the jewelry store. Notice the new Winn Dixie building is not built. Amocco gas station is in view
17:21 – Looking south from the jewelry store
18:10 – Old coach car. Possibly a Pontiac 2D from 1927
18:20 – In front of the Krest 5 & 10, the Winn Dixie would be to the left
18:35 – Woman rides bike with toddler, no helmets
18:49 – Back at the Sheraton pool. Photoshoot going on, very windy. At 23:30 you can see the models
30:27 – Bal Harbour Shops
38:40 – At the Donut Gallery. Lori says hello at 39:45
40:02 – Looking south from Harbor Plaza. Brief shot of the Oasis at 40:13. The hardware store is at the current Golden Hog at 40:18
40:35– Back to the aviary
42:25 – Random shots at the Sheraton

That’s it. If you have any insight on this video or other things of historical significance we’d love to hear from you. Check us out on Facebook, or drop us an e-mail.