1656-12 Things we never knew about Miami Beach before THINGS WE NEVER KNEW ABOUT MIAMI BEACH BEFORE:
1. Bay used to lap right around Drexel Avenue.
2. On dedication of Biscayne Bridge over Biscayne Waterway, Mr.
Tomlinson was asked how it came into being -- he said that Carl
Fisher came in one day and spread out in front of him a map of
that section of Miami Beach. "Tommy; he said, "We have to have some
more ocean front property" and with that he took out his pencil and
made a circle - and that circle is now Surprise Lake - then he
said, "We will have to have some way to get in and out of that
lake for yachts and boats" and made another dash, and that dash
became Biscayne Waterway and withanother dash of his pencil
he created Surprise Waterway -
3. 1920 census had 644 people living in Miami Beach - at that time
the section where City Hall now stands northwards to Lincoln Road
was laid out by the Mi-mi Ocean View Company just like a park - with
streets and flowers and a person standing on 5th Street could see
all the way up to Lincoln Road as there were just flowers and
streets. 4, few of the buildings were Brown!-s Hotel at 2nd St,
and Ocean Drive, Hibiscus Apts. at 1st and Biscayne, the Woofjbrd
Hotel and the Breakers.
4. Miami Beach was connected to the mainland by a long wooden bridge,
at the location that is now Venitian Way. About a year later the
Flamingo hotel was started - Mr. Tomlinson laid out the pilings
for it - and while driving friends past the sight, the opinion
was expressed that it would never prove profitable.
5. When Mr. Tomlinson arrived in Miamithey were pumping out
the property that is now Bayshar-e Golf Course and it was
Mr. Tomlinson's job to lay out the bay line - Alton Road was a mangrove
line which he used in shaping the bay.
6. They used to have regattas in Mimi Beach which were watched from
a pavilion that ran alone 11th and 12th streets - these regattas
were started by Pete Chase and were big events on the social calendars
and yachts from all over participated in them.