Lucy's Favorite Retreat Gets A Makeover

The Miami Herald stated that the Fontainebleau, a hotel in Miami that Lucille Ball favored, is being revamped for $500 million.

Though once a favorite retreat for Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball (not to mention James Bond in Goldfinger), the hotel designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus lost its luster in the 1970s.

Related Links and Blog Entries
The Fontainebleau's Official Website
MorrisLapidus.com
Flamboyant architect Morris Lapidus dies at 98
Lobby Designed By Lucy's Architect To Be Preserved

Airport Eatery + Lucy = Sucess!

In January, I reported about how the Kenai Muncipal Airport in Alaska planned to redecorate its dining room with images of Lucille Ball and other pop culture icons.

Guess what? The Peninsula Clarion reports that the dining room is now open and a BIG success due in part to its snappy, vintage decor:

As planned when the McBrides signed their five-year operating agreement with the city, the airport cafe is decorated with photos and memorabilia of celebrities including Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Elvis Presley, James Dean, The Three Stooges, Lucille Ball, and Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.

Related Links:
Kenai Muncipal Airport

House Lucy Rented Opened to Public

WestportNow.com reported that the Emily McLaury House, once rented by Lucille Ball, held an open house today. The house which was built in 1921 will soon be restored to its original condition and be used as workforce housing for a town employee.

Lucille Ball also rented the house during the 1960s, he said, during a time she may have been performing at the Westport Country Playhouse.

Follow-up: Lucy Takes Flight In Alaska

The Kenai City Council has approved the plans to decorate the Kenai Municipal Airport with the likenesses of Lucille Ball and other celebrities!

Read about it here:
http://tinyurl.com/st6d8

Read the original blog entry.

Lucy Takes Flight In Alaska

The Kenai Municipal Airport in Alaska will soon have plenty of famous folks hanging around. Lucille Ball, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and other admired celebrities will have their likenesses added to the dining room decor of the airport's restaurant.

The plan to update the restaurant's decor still needs to be approved by the city council, but if the plans go through travelers will be able to dine with Lucy every day of the week.

Get the full scoop, courtesy of the Peninsula Clarion.

Lobby Designed By Lucy's Architect To Be Preserved

The La Concha Motel Lobby in Las Vegas designed by Lucy's former architect, Paul Revere Williams, will be (if the current plans go through) preserved for posterity at a cost of about $1 million. Preservationists from across the country have been working to save the popular landmark from demolition all year.

The lobby described by The Chicago Tribune as resembling "a fly-in hamburger stand used by The Jetsons," is expected to become one of the biggest tourist attraction in Las Vegas after it is removed from its current location and reassembled in a new park and visitor's center for The Neon Museum.

Williams, known as the 'architect to the stars,' was the first African-American admitted to The American Institute of Architects.

Desi's Former Digs Popular

The Los Angeles Times reports that living in Baja (and surrounding areas) has become very popular:

For celebrity-trivia hounds, La Paz is where Clark Gable came to fish for marlin. Bing Crosby had a home in a La Paz fly-in resort, as did Desi Arnaz, who had his pool here built in the shape of a flamenco guitar.

Hollywood history aside, in 2003, La Paz was listed among the top 10 retirement destinations in the world by Money magazine.

Desi's High School Gets A Makeover

Miami High architecture to be restored
By Madeline Baró Diaz

South Florida's oldest high school, a landmark known for its 1920s-era architecture, is being restored to its Mediterranean-style splendor.

Miami Senior High School, whose student body over the years has included former Sen. Bob Graham, actor Desi Arnaz, Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem and other prominent South Floridians, will soon undergo a $93 million renovation.

The project, expected to be completed in 2011, will undo some renovations made to the school over the years that stressed function over style and attempt to make the Little Havana school new again.

This is an excerpt. Read the full article:
http://tinyurl.com/ldo6v

Cruise Leaving The Lucille Ball Building

Looks like Tom Cruise is out of Paramount AND the Lucille Ball Building!

"Now Cruise/Wagner, which has a staff of about 10 people, will be vacating its two floors in the Lucille Ball Building. Wagner told Daily Variety the company is talking to others about distributing its films, which will be self-financed."

This is an excerpt. Check out the entire article here:
http://metromix.chicagotribune.com/news/celebrity/mmx-0608230130aug23,0,6379812.story