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The Past………
In the early 1930’s, a group of visionary men shared a dream. They visualized an indoor “ocean,” with tanks large enough for underwater filming and a realistic replication of underwater marine life as it existed in the wild. Named Marine Studios, and later Marineland, the world’s first oceanarium became the state’s most successful tourist attraction and a location with a special allure for scientists, writers, artists and entrepreneurs. The Marineland founders brought together a background of adventure exploration, filmmaking and economic privilege to create a legacy that continues to endure. The project was born from the unique partnership of W. Douglas Burden, great-great-grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt; Burden’s cousin, Cornelius Vanderbilt (CV) Whitney; Sherman Pratt, descendant of a founding Standard Oil partner; and Count Ilia Tolstoy, grandson of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.
Architecture and Design
Designed by St. Augustine architect, Fred Henderich, Marineland features the Nautical Modern style, incorporating Art Deco, streamline and nautical features.
The scale and size of Marineland’s tanks was an engineering feat that had never been accomplished before. The Round Tank, which is 75 feet in diameter and 11 feet deep, and the Rectangular Tank, which measures 100 feet long, 40 feet wide and 18 feet deep, are surrounded by 200 portholes of glass for viewing and filming. As the first location in the world that offered a view of underwater marine life in a natural habitat, it provided a window on a world of mystery and beauty. And today, Marineland continues to explore new frontiers of marine scientific and dolphin research.
The Present……
Marineland Restoration and Redevelopment
Presently, Jacoby Development is redeveloping Marineland as a research resort destination. Plans feature a historical restoration of the Marineland attraction, which is included in the National Register of Historic Places, and development of new dolphin habitats. The adjacent land may include an ecologically sensitive housing project, research resort hotel, marina, spa and beach club.
Marineland was conceived as a project to provide a window to the ocean. Today it continues to serve as a link between the public and the marine world, promoting awareness of our fragile marine and coastal environments and inspiring a commitment to protection of these precious resources. Marine Studios opened in Florida 1938 as the world’s first underwater motion picture studio and “oceanarium.” Designed to show marine life in their natural habitat, the founders designed an extraordinary project to serve as both a tourism attraction and a location for underwater cinematography.
Today, Marine Studios is being restored to again function as a motion picture studio and underwater film facility. Under the leadership of Jim Jacoby, President of Jacoby Development, Marine Studios will draw on the rich legacy of its past while also breaking new ground with innovative technology for production, distribution and communication.
The Future…?
With such an environmentally sensitive piece of property, it takes caring, and a true concern for nature and all the inhabitants, both man and animal, fish and reptile to create a harmonious community where all can live together and make things better than they were. It is with this in mind that a slow process is evolving, as to not only create the best use of the land, but how to use the land for the best of everyone. How do you keep an icon, such as Marineland alive from a financial standpoint…… but doing it so all can enjoy what it has stood for over the years, as well as providing housing and a destination for all. Conceptual ideas by the dozens have been considered to find the best solution to maintain this balance. What is it that draws us to the sea? What inward spirit makes want to swim with the Dolphins? Is there an untold relationship with them we have not known or considered? Maybe some of these questions can be answered if we have the opportunity to spend the time learning how to “Talk to the Dolphins” If we can live closer to them, will we learn more?
With this in mind, a beginning is forming and is presented as a possibility.
- A 35-unit condo hotel amid a restaurant and pool complex on the ocean with underground parking
- Four-story, 6-plex condo buildings, with a total of 36 units, overlooking the ocean, each with its own private 2-car garage and security elevator.
- Three 4-story, 21-plex condo buildings, with a total of 63 units, overlooking the ocean, with open underground parking
- Three-story condos at the Marina, with a total of 64 units with views of the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, with open underground parking
- Two-story townhomes with a total of 48 units with individual garages
- 40 Single family homesites
- Indoor /outdoor restaurant/clubhouse with pools and fitness center for owners
- 50,000 square feet Village for shops, boutiques, café’s and restaurants
- 70-slip Marina
- Dancing fountains for play and relaxation
- Miles of nature trails over bridges, around lakes and through preserves
- Architectural themes of West Indies, Mediterranean and Arts & Craft
- All this amid a new Marineland Dolphin Habitat & Whitney Labs for Marine Bioscience Center for Marine Sciences (www.whitney.ufl.edu), and the ideas keep emerging…
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