South Beach Miami

#South_Beach_SoBe_Miami

The area was started as a coconut plantation in the 1870s, but failed as the rabbits and their other "friends" from the animal kingdom would eat the young shoots
Once this venture ended, the land was acquired by John Collins (and his business friends) who provided the financial backing to connect the island to the mainland
 With this Collins Bridge (worlds longest wooden span that opened in 1913) it started the development of this island from its mangrove swamp beginnings 

 

East Coast Railway
Henry Flagler was the co-founder of Standard Oil, so used his acquired fortune to follow his vision to build a transportation and resort empire in the state of Florida
After he bought this small rail line he progressively expanded south, also building luxury hotels at the stops along the route
 This included St. Augustine, Ormond Beach, Palm Beach and finally Miami

Julia Tuttle
Was a local landowner who convince him to extend his service further south by offering a significant amount of her land for a hotel and his railroad infrastructure
But it took a severe freeze in Central Florida (1894-1895) that spared the crops of Miami, to make up his mind to invest in the region

The Impact
Once the trains arrived the development was instantaneous
 With Flagler helping by building water / power systems, streets and his Royal Palm Hotel
The city then Incorporated in July 1896

Overseas Railroad
Not to be deterred and thinking like an entrepreneur, he decided to extend the track
from the Florida mainland to Key West
The reasoning was to take advantage of its deep-water port that would benefit with the increase in trade, because of the opening of the Panama Canal
This project was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" which spanned 205 kms (128 miles) with a majority of it over open water via a series of bridges and viaducts
It was completed in 1912 after seven years of construction only to be heavily damaged
 by a hurricane in 1935.

After this natural disaster the company was left in dire financial straits, so sold off the remaining roadbed plus bridges to the State which converted them into Route 1 Overseas Highway

Miami Beach experienced an economic boom in the "Roaring Twenties" attracting wealthy business people and celebrities

After the 1926 Hurricane and Great Depression
The area was built in the Art Deco style, which was a vibrant move forward after all the negativity
 of the past few years
With this bold idea, the city was hoping to attract investors plus tourists as an exciting destination  

Flamingo Hotel
The start of the resort business for the area (by using some interesting marketing ideas) to attract the wealthy and the famous was by the pioneer developer Carl Fisher
He used Biscayne Bay for speedboat races and other themes on his site

Fun Facts
A) Imported Birds; six flamingos from Africa for the park at the hotel
B) Rosie; nickname for the mascot and baby elephant to promote the property
 as an exotic vacation destination
C) Presidential Visit; Warren Harding was persuaded to stay for the entire winter season
 with the persistence of Fisher
He offered "free accommodations" plus highlighting the areas recreational facilities of golf and fishing 
The publicity was a success for both the hotel and for Miami Beach
 as Harding praised the area

 Dark History
A) Rum Runner; Duncan "Red" Shannon was killed by the US Coast Guard
on the water in front of the resort
B) No Jews; in 1935 some players from the New York Giants baseball team were refused entry, until the manager threatened to remove the entire team

South Beach at one time became a retirement community, but later was known for its drug activity 
With its geographical location to the Caribbean, it was an ideal entry point
  for drug smuggling from South America
Then lets add in the cities large Spanish speaking population that would help facilitate
 communication plus assist the trade networks for the cartels, you had an ideal setup
With the film Scarface and the TV Show Miami Vice, it told the outside world not to visit 

But then a major revitalization began in the late 1980s which helped get the Art Deco Historic District designated as a National Register with over 800 preserved buildings
 
Also the city had a growing role as an International Financial Centre with legal business dealings in Latin America, which led to a construction boom in high-rise office towers
Then to diverse from just tourists the Convention Centre was built
 which led to hosting many large gatherings 

Man-Made Land
The area is not "natural" but from extensive dredging and is periodically replenished with sand
from the seafloor to prevent beach erosion

Venice of America
The six Venetian Islands (Biscayne, San Marco, San Marino, Di Lido, Rivo Alto and Belle Isle) were made almost entirely from sand pulled up from the bottom of the Biscayne Bay, which then created the exclusive waterfront real estate

US Army Corps of Engineers
Starting in 1968 this organization has been the "sand recycler" for here, but they know it is a race against time with the increased strength of tropical storms and hurricanes
One solution is to (full circle event) to restore mangrove trees and other aquatic vegetation to work as the natural systems to reduce the storm risks

"The Most Beautiful Boot Camp in America"
During World War 11 (1942-1945) over a half a million soldiers trained in Miami Beach as it was designated as an Army Air Corps Base
The hotels were converted into barracks plus the dining areas became mess halls with the troops using the beaches, the ocean and even the pools for training purposes plus received specialized
instruction on chemical warfare

As i found this layered concrete mural, some fun facts of the Marine Life to be found here

A) Bottlenose Dolphins; only fifty percent of the brain is sleeping during that time
 so they can continue to breathe
B) Sea Turtles;  they get rid of access salt from their bodies by "crying"
which can look like they are shedding tears 
C) Seahorses; have no stomach, so must eat almost constantly to stay alive
D) Clownfish; can change sex in their adulthood

After Hurricane Andrew, local architect William Lane was commissioned to design
(what would become) the iconic lifeguard towers, which have become symbols of South Beach

Each of the 36+ towers have an unique design, shape and color scheme
Falling back on its mid-century architecture history of the area
 plus of course the Art Deco past

Fun Facts

Original Famous Residents
A) Benjamin Green; a pharmacist who came up with the formula for Coppertone

B) 5th Street Gym; training site for boxer Muhammad Ali

C) Gianni Versace: his legacy lives on as his mansion, The Villa Casa Casuarina  now operates as a luxury boutique hotel (with its swimming pool and its 24-karat gold tiles)

D) Peacock Inn; Charles & Isabelle opened the first hotel in Miami (1882)
 The site is now Peacock Park, to honor these trailblazers role in the growing of Coconut Grove

E) Al Capone; put the property in the name of his wife to avoid public scrutiny, as this "famous" gangster was not welcomed in the city
After his release from prison (tax evasion)  he lived his final years in Miami,
 after passing his body was buried in Chicago