Constructed as the Cocoa Beach branch of the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Cocoa, the building served as a distinct Space Age architectural statement, echoing the missile and spaceflight activities at Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center just north of the city. Demolition began in November 2014, and by fortunate timing, the ChronoPoints team had acquired its first laser scanner only months earlier. The resulting high-precision laser-scanned point cloud data served two primary purposes: first, to document the building’s final moments digitally, and second, to provide a foundation for developing an accurate 3D mesh model of the structure’s exterior as it appeared in 1963.
Because the Glass Bank had undergone substantial alterations since its original construction, the project necessitated a comprehensive “Life History” analysis. Drawing on historic photographs, archival records, and oral histories, the team reconstructed the principal interior spaces, including the First Federal Savings & Loan lobby, mezzanine, Ramon’s Rainbow Room dining area, and the Express View elevator. As new information was identified, the digital model was progressively refined, benefiting from the careful and sustained contributions of successive modelers over time.
This project will continually evolve as new materials are acquired. The team extends its sincere gratitude to all who contributed photographs and drawings. This project is dedicated to the late Vivian Lindauer and to all interview participants whose recollections and insights truly breathed life into the digital model.
Laser Scanning
This video presents an overview of the point cloud data generated for the project. The initial laser scanning was conducted in November 2014, with a return in December 2014 to capture the upper portions of the building’s exterior. All scans were acquired using a FARO Focus S120 laser scanner.
Virtual Cutaway
Here, you can see a cutaway of the full interior of the Glass Bank 3D model. Below are several videos of the building in the Unreal engine. Each provides a unique perspective on the structure.
ChronoPoints placed the model of the Glass Bank into the Unreal game engine. This will enable users to explore the building and interact with artifacts on a traditional flat computer monitor.
This is a wonderful “Droste Effect” video of the Glass Bank circa 1963. It provides a view from the northeast office and it moves out toward the building’s exterior.
The ground floor of the Glass Bank was occupied by the First Federal Savings & Loan of Cocoa—Cocoa Beach Branch. You can visit the ground floor and mezzanine levels virtually as they would have appeared in 1963.
While first known as the Sky Room, the restaurant atop the Glass Bank would become Ramon’s Rainbow Room. It was associated with the famous Ramon’s Restaurant on St. Rd. 520 near A1A. If you were fortunate enough to dine at either location, you probably wish you could have their Caesar salad dressing on your salad this evening. The video also includes the view of a Cape Canaveral launch from the walkway atop the structure.
This video represents our initial virtual recreation of the Cocoa Beach Glass Bank as it appeared in 1963 – the exterior of the building and a basic ground floor. Additional images and oral history reflections enabled us to provide a more accurate model, as seen in the videos above.