Indialantic home preserves elements of historic beachside hotel
Casa Bella born from Tradewinds

by Maria Sonnenberg

In the 1920s and ’30s, Indialantic’s luxurious Tradewinds Hotel was a magnet for folks from all over the world. By the 1970s, however, the once grand hotel had faded into life as dormitory rooms for students at Florida Institute of Technology. Attempts to save the building from development failed, and in 1982, the Tradewinds was razed to make way for single-family residences.

Fortunately, at the same time the hotel was torn down, a house was being built on nearby Ninth Avenue, just two blocks away from the Tradewinds. The home’s original owner would prove the savior of an important part of Brevard beachside lore when he incorporated architectural details salvaged from the old Tradewinds into his new house.

“This is repurposing and appreciating history at its finest,” says current owner Roxanne Brillante-Justice. “A small piece of Indialantic’s history has been preserved in my home.”

Like the original owner, Brillante-Justice reveled in the house’s historic ties. When décor consultant Brillante-Justice tackled the decoration of the house, which she bought in 1998, her goal was to fashion a design that would pay homage to the old while catering to 21st century sensibilities.

“My goal was to take the medium road between formal and casual,” says Brillante-Justice.

The owner of As Nature Intended interiors, Brillante-Justice instantly fell in love with the solid pine doors and the decorative wrought iron that had been saved from the Tradewinds.

“The history of the house sold it for me,” says Brillante-Justice.

The house has paid back Brillante-Justice’s kindness with plenty of great memories, for it was in the courtyard of Casa Bella, as Brillante-Justice named her home, that Roxanne married David Justice.

From the street, Casa Bella keeps her historic treasures to herself, thanks in large part to the wall of bougainvillea that David planted in front of the home’s courtyard entrance. The original house design featured an arched iron gate that now serves as wall décor behind the charming Indian-inspired teak settee in the large courtyard.

from floridatoday.com