On the north end of Longboat Key, Gordon and Lora Whitney began the era of family recreation resorts when they purchased one thousand feet of beachfront property from gulf to bay, creating the Whitney Resort, which operated from 1935 to 1952. Paul Neal and Company later bought the property for condominiums in 1967, and in 1968 built the Whitney Beach Condominiums there, the first multi-family condominium on Longboat Key, now preserving the architectural character of earlier times. The first shopping center was also built on the adjoining property to the north. This site marked Longboat Key’s transition from fishing and truck farming to recreational resorts and condominium living.