Luxury condos rule the skyline now. Sunny Isles started with a different look

Today, the Sunny Isles Beach skyline is among the most luxurious in South Florida. Skyscraper after skyscraper. High-end condos lined up in a row along the bay and ocean shores.

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But a couple of decades ago, the buildings in the seaside city, north of Haulover and east of Aventura, were far from fancy.

Motel Row gave families an affordable place to stay. During the day, kids frolicked by the pool. At night, parents crowded into the lobby theater to catch a comedian or a band.

Most of the themed motels, with their kitschy architecture, are gone. They’ve been replaced by soaring luxury towers.

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MORE: Here’s what Motel Row looked like before Trump and other big buildings remade the skyline

Let’s look back at the Suez, Dunes, Castaways and others from the photo archives of the Miami Herald:

MORE: Before the glitzy high-rises, Sunny Isles was famed for its kitschy motel row

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