Cocoa Beach Glass Bank, Mid-century modern bank building in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
The Cocoa Beach Glass Bank was a mid-century bank building in Cocoa Beach, Florida, known for its large glass walls that covered most of its facade. The transparent exterior let natural light reach the interior on all sides, giving the structure an open and lightweight appearance.
The building went up in 1961, at the height of the American space program, and was home to the First Federal Savings and Loan Association. Hurricane damage in 2004 left it in poor condition, and it stood empty for years before being demolished in 2015.
The restaurant on the top floor let diners watch rocket launches from Cape Canaveral through the glass walls in the early 1960s. That combination of a meal and a space launch was something people in Cocoa Beach came to associate with the excitement of the era.
The building no longer stands, so there is nothing left to visit on site. Those interested in its story can look into local archives or the Cocoa Beach public library for photographs and records.
After the demolition, local residents gathered fragments of the structure and turned pieces of glass and concrete into jewelry and decorative objects. In this way, small parts of the building found a second life in everyday items.
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