Colony memories

One of Longboat Key’s landmarks, The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, will be closing Sunday, Aug. 15, after 41 years of operation.

As of Sunday, all hotel/resort operations and on-site businesses will close after Judge K. Rodney May ruled Monday in bankruptcy court that the Colony’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization with its unit owners will be converted to Chapter 7 liquidation.

The resort, hailed as the first tennis-centric resort in America, opened in 1969. Three years later, Colony owner and Chairman Dr. Murray “Murf” Klauber turned the Colony into the first condominium-hotel rental partnership agreement in the state. In 2004, Tennis magazine named the Colony the No. 1 tennis resort in the U.S. for eight consecutive years.

Colony General Manager and President Katie Klauber Moulton told The Longboat Observer this week she and her family are proud of the legacy they have created.

“What’s really important is my family spent 40 years creating a very special place that became a world-renowned destination,” she said.

Klauber also expressed pride in his life’s work.

“I am proud of what we have built and the millions of visitors we have welcomed to the Key,” Klauber said. “I am committed to seeing that this gem on the magnificent shores of Longboat Key is preserved and revitalized, and I hope to watch the Colony move into a new and exciting era where countless more memories can be made.”

Also this week, longtime Colony visitors shared their favorite memories of their time at the Colony.

Betty Burk, who travels from Paris to the Colony for family reunions, has been visiting for 31 years. She called the Colony’s closing “devastating.”

And Lynn Wexler, a Las Vegas resident who has been coming to the Colony for 30 years, said the Colony is unique in its down-to-earth family lifestyle.

“This place is about real people who play with their kids in the pool and where people can relax and know their children are safe. I attribute that to Dr. Klauber’s vision for that and I will miss it terribly,” Wexler said.

Now it’s your turn. What are you favorite memories of the Colony? Leave your Web comments below.