AMI Historical Society Article

 

The Anna Maria Island Historical Society has generously shared a scrapbook of early history of the Key Royale development with the KRROA Board. While the material dating from the mid 1950’s has deteriorated with time and is in need of preservation, it tells a rich history of Key Royale (formerly School Key) through local news stories, photos and brochures produced by the developer.

 

For local history buffs or those simply looking for an early perspective on our neighborhood, the scrapbook provides interesting and sometimes amusing insight into the people involved, the challenges, and the the sales approaches to Florida real estate of the time.

 

The development of School Key began with the vision of a regular visitor to the Island from Minnesota. Peder Mickelson was a well established developer from the midwest who semi-retired to AMI, grew restless, and decided to take on one more development challenge. He purchased the 150-acre School Key for $25,000 in the early1950’s.

 

The key, pre-development, was a natural area with shoreline protected by Mangroves but inaccessible to humans. Most observers considered it a mosquito-infested swamp with more snakes than generally preferred. Michelson’s vision of creating a tropical paradise out of School Key was met with early skepticism but by 1957 he had built a bridge to the Key and made enough progress to turn skeptics to believers. Many of Florida’s “dredge and fill” projects of the era had been greeted with controversy (such as Tierra Verde in the St. Pete area) due to their impact on the marine environment. But, School Key (by now renamed Key Royale) appeared to receive enthusiastic local support based on the news reporting of the time in publications such as The Islander and the Bradenton Herald.

 

Following completion of permitting and early lot development around 1960, Mr. Mickelson added additional executives with experience in sales and real estate promotions to his development team. They launched sales with over a dozen model home plans and sales brochures touting “the Suncoast’s Finest”, and KR properties sold as fast as they were built. In 1964, lots were selling from $2900 - $4800 for non-waterfront, and from $4,360 - $12,500 for waterfront. Completed homes were advertised in the $11,700 - $20,360 range. 

 

The brochures promoted homes with names such as Beachcomber, Mariner, and later Appian Way and Hanover ’71, each with their own distinct features. Some notables include the Appian Way with its Italianate features and promoted in the sales material with a photo of a gentleman wearing a Toga (possibly an early influence for John Belushi?). Another favorite: The Hanover ’71 advertised with its “Party Porch” and “Leisure Room”.

 

The sales effort also attracted some broader national attention when one of the model homes was built as a version of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair Formica model home. The Formica Corporation built the model home in New York and authorized 4 regional examples around the country to display the latest in building materials. (Some of us may remember growing up in homes where Formica surfaces were the latest home design trend, and remember later our own remodeling projects aimed at removing it.) The Key Royale model Formica Home was reported to host as many as 100,000 visitors over the 18 months it was open to the public.

 

While there is much more to explore in the scrapbook material, any written description does not do it justice without the visuals. With this in mind, the KRROA Board is currently exploring ways we may reproduce portions of the scrapbook digitally for viewing on KRROA.org and possibly in a reprint for broader distribution. We are indebted to the Anna Maria Island Historical Society for preserving the scrapbook and for making it available to the neighborhood for broader viewing. Stay tuned for more, and remember to log into www./KRROA.org to stay in touch with neighborhood information.