#412 b Things We Never Knew About Miami Beach Before 1940sTHINGS WE NEVER Kh~W ABOUT MI;2!I 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. "To~, 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 6Z% 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~i 0ceanView Company Just like a park - with
streets and flowers and a person standing on 5th Street could see
all the wa~ up to Lincoln Road as there were just flowers and
streets. ~few of the buildings were Bro~m&s Hotel at 2nd St,
and 0c~anDrive, Hibiscus Apts. at 1st and Biscayne, the Woo~brd
Hotel and the Breakers.
4. Miami Be~ch was connected to the mainland by a long wooden bridge,
at the location that is now VenitianWay. About a year later the
Flamingo hotel w&s 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 ~rofitable.
5. When Mr. Tomlinson arrived in Miami[t~heywere p~mping out
the property that is now Baysh~e Golf Co~rse and it was
Mr. To~linson'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 Miami Beach which were watched from
a pavilion that ran along llth 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.
Things I Neve~ Knew Abeu% Miami Beach -----
~ Miaai Beaeh was in~erpera%ed in 191% the territary had enly 33
registered vete~.e. Thirty ef the~ atteaded the "maes meeting~ at w~ich it
was de~_ded te c~eate a legal ~l.ge ... j. N. a~d J. E. Lwmu~ whe were
ame~g %be earliest develepers ef Miami Beaeh, never ~ade large fe~tune~.
Beth are ~ livtug and past 80 ... The first ~eney they berrewed te
fiaaaee their develepmmit was $1~0,000 free Carl O. l~lsher, fer whioh t~
paid eight pe~ cea% ~-~teres% a~d gave l~aher 10% asree ef swamp land aa a
beam. Teat lasd late~ was filled aad sew is werth a fertuae ...
Me~t ef the large betels first e~cted at ~ia-~ Beaeh were ea the sheree
ef Bieeay~e bay. New betel b-~_~_~er~ get as clese %e the eeeaa as passible ...
Whea Miami Beach was att~'aeting aatteaal atteatiea in 192~ during the Flerida
lamd bee~ the maJe~ betels c~uld be c~uated ea eaes f~nger~. New the~e are
37~ he%els ... First ef the ~aJer eceawereat betels at Miami Beaeh~ the
Panceaet was sew sad stylish 2~ years age. New it is being deaelished te ~Ake
ree~ fer a ~e~e metiers st~uetmee ...The Reaey Pla~a here1 was the first ia the
ceuatry te have eabe~as. New aearly ~l~ the new Flerida sea~ide betels have
First aeettag ef the Mlaai Beaeh Chamber ef Cemaeree was held in
fittingly, u~der a beaek mabrella ... Miami Beach paid $10 a freer feet fer
Lm~aus park, i%~ le~ge~t bathing beach, less than 40 years age. New it is werth
$4,000 a feet, er 40 ti~ee its erigiual test ... M~ami Beaeh,s Ce]~= park
was dedicated %e the ei%y ef Miaai by mistake, a~d it requi~ed years fer Miami
Beash te eerTeet the errer.
First dewelepaent ef Miami Beaeh was a Spaaish ~issiea in 1%67. The aext was
a eeeea~t plamtatiea ia 1870 ... Beth failed, erie d~e te baekslidiag Iadia~s,
the e%he~ %e baekalidi~g eeeenu% priests