Historic real-estate office building still stands

+ Historic real-estate office building still stands
One of the first real-estate offices on Longboat Key was started by Luther Garaux in the 1940s and was located in a two-story building at 5144 Gulf of Mexico Drive. The building still stands and is now, fittingly, an apartment complex. Garaux’s grandson, Mike King, said Garaux continued the business for many years before his death in 1959.

“No member of the family had his talent, and also at that time, Arvida was becoming dominant so the business closed,” King said. “I think it was in the ’70s that my grandmother sold the property.”

Garaux specialized in waterfront properties.