2002-3354 ORDORDINANCE NO. 2002-3354
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING SUBPART B OF THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY CODE;
AMENDING CHAPTER 118, "ADMINISTRATION AND REVIEW
PROCEDURES," ARTICLE X, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION," DIVISION
4, "DESIGNATION," SECTION 118-593, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DESIGNATION," SUBSECTION 118-593(E), "DELINEATION ON
ZONING MAP" BY DESIGNATING THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND
MONUMENT ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE TO BE KNOWN AS THE
"FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND HISTORIC SITE,"
LOCATED BETWEEN THE MACARTHUR AND VENETIAN CAUSEWAYS IN
BISCAYNE BAY, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN THE
ORDINANCE; PROVIDING THAT THE CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE
AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT
ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE; ADOPTING THE DESIGNATION
REPORT ATTACHED AS APPENDIX "A"; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION
IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY CODE;
REPEALER; SEVERABILITY; AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, on November 13, 2001, the City's Historic
Preservation Board held a public hearing and voted unanimously (6-
0; 1 absence) in favor of recommending that the City Commission
designate the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island, located between
the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways in Biscayne Bay, as an
Historic Site; and
WHEREAS, on January 22, 2002, the City's Planning Board held
a public hearing and voted unanimously (7-0) in favor of the
proposed designation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami Beach Planning Department has
recommended this amendment to the Land Development Regulations of
the City Code; and
WHEREAS, these recommendations of approval for the designation
of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an Historic Site
were based upon the information documented in the Designation
Report prepared by the City of Miami Beach Planning Department
attached hereto as Appendix "A."
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDAINED BY THE MAYORAND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA:
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT
ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE.
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are hereby designated
as an Historic Site of the City of Miami Beach and shall be known
as the "Flagler Memorial and Monument Island Historic Site." The
legal description for the designated property is described in
Section 2 below. The Designation Report attached hereto as
Appendix "A" is hereby adopted.
SECTION 2. AMENDMENT OF SUBSECTION 118-593(E).
Subpart B of the Land Development Regulations of the Miami
Beach City Code, Chapter 118, "Administration and Review
Procedures," Article X, "Historic Preservation," Division 4,
"Designation," Section 118-593, "Historic Preservation
Designation," Subsection 118-593(e), "Delineation on Zoning Map,"
is hereby amended to read as follows:
Section 118-593. Historic Preservation Designation.
, , ,
(e) Delineation on zoning map. All sites and districts
designated as historic sites and districts shall be
delineated on the city's zoning map, pursuant to section
142-71, as an overlay district. Such sites and districts
include:
2
(10) ROS/HPS-10: The Flagler Memorial and Monument
Island Historic Site, more particularly described
as follows: A tract of land known as ~MONUMENT
ISLAND," located in Section 33° Township 53 South,
Range 42 East, bounded by the High Water Mark, and
more particularly described as follows: Commence
at the point of intersection of the west line of
West Avenue and the south line of 14th Street, as
shown in the PLAT OF THE SUBDIVISION OF THE NORTH
230 FEET OF LOT 1 OF THE SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 80 OF
THE ALTON BEACH REALTY COMPANY recorded in Plat
Book 34, at Page 25, Public Records of Miami-Dade
County, Florida; thence run South 88° 26' 30" West,
along the south line of said 14th Street for a
distance of 637.12 feet; thence North 1° 33' 30"
West for a distance of 5.41 feet; thence North 86°
10' 02" West across Biscayne Bay for a distance of
2,552.29 feet; thence South 40° 12' 50" West for a
distance of 260.10 feet; thence South 55° 56' 20"
West for a distance of 211.18 feet to the POINT OF
BEGINNING of the tract of land herein described;
thence along the following courses: South 83° 50'
56" East for a distance of 71.15 feet; North 55° 48'
20" East for a distance of 99.61 feet; North 46° 34'
38" East for a distance of 79.90 feet; North 55° 10'
14" East for a distance of 73.47 feet; North 48° 21'
04" East for a distance of 58.45 feet; North 34° 35'
34" East for a distance of 84.93 feet; North 12° 09'
31" East for a distance of 74.10 feet; North 4° 53'
49" West for a distance of 32.15 feet; North 29° 25'
26" West for a distance of 26.28 feet; North 50° 58'
18" West for a distance of 152.34 feet; North 65°
58 36" West for a distance of 29.55 feet; North 83°
03 21" West for a distance of 38.13 feet; South 86°
17 27" West for a distance of 40.84 feet; South 62°
55 22" West for a distance of 42.88 feet; South 20°
02 40" West for a distance of 71.04 feet; South 43°
06 37" West for a distance of 37.11 feet; South 59°
17 28" West for a distance of 147.67 feet; South
50° 08' 01" West for a distance of 62.59 feet; South
16° 24' 16" West for a distance of 43.27 feet; South
16° 45' 18" East for a distance of 93.91 feet; South
34° 52' 53" East for a distance of 65.54 feet; South
42° 40' 51" East for a distance of 105.03 feet to
the POINT OF BEGINNING. Said lands located, lying,
and being in the City of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade
4
County, Florida, and containing 3.6723 acres (more
or less), together with full riparian rights.
, ,
SECTION 3. INCLUSION IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF
THE CITY CODE.
It is the intention of the City Commission, and it is hereby
ordained that the provisions of this ordinance shall become and be
made part of the Land Development Regulations of the Code of the
City of Miami Beach as amended; and that the sections of this
Ordinance may be renumbered or relettered to accomplish such
intention.
SECTION 4. AMENDMENT OF ZONING MAP.
The Mayor and City Commission hereby amend the Zoning Map of
the City of Miami Beach as contained in the Land Development
Regulations of the City Code by identifying the area described
herein as HPS-10, Historic Preservation Site Ten.
SECTION 5. REPEALER.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith be
and the same are hereby repealed.
SECTION 6. SEVERABILITY.
If any section, subsection, clause or provision of this
Ordinance is held invalid, the remainder shall not be affected by
such invalidity.
SECTION 7.
EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Ordinance shall take effect ten days following adoption.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 20th
ATTEST:
CITY CLERK
Ordinance No. 2002-3354
APPROVED AS TO FORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUTION:
day of ~ March
~/ MAYOR
, 2002.
~IT AT~
DATE
F, \PLA~\$HPB\FLAGLER\ORDPBCC .WPD
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE OF ZONING MAP CHANGE
The City of Miami Beach proposes to adopt the following Ordinance:
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING
SUBPART B OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY CODE; AMENDING CHAPTER 118,
"ADMINISTRATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES," ARTICLE X, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION," DIVISION 4, "DESIGNATION,"
SECTION 118-593, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION DESIGNATION," SUBSECTION 118-593(E), "DELINEATION ON ZONING
MAP" BY DESIGNATING THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE TO BE KNOWN AS
THE "FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND HISTORIC SITE," LOCATED BETWEEN THE MACARTHUR AND
VENETIAN CAUSEWAYS IN BISCAYNE BAY, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN THE ORDINANCE; PROVIDING THAT
THE-CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND AS AN
HISTORIC SITE; ADOPTING THE DESIGNATION REPORT ATTACHED AS APPENDIX "A"; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN
THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY CODE; REPEALER; SEVERABILITY; AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a first and final reading public hearing on the Ordinance will be held by the City
Commission on WEDNESDAY, March 20, 2002, at
5:01 p.m., or soon thereafter, as possible, in the City
Commission Chambers, Third Floor, City Hall, 1700
Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida.
The historic site proposed for designation is shown on
the Map within this Zoning Map Change.
All persons are invited to appear at this meeting or be
represented by an agent, or to express their views in
writing addressed to the City Commission c/o the City
Clerk, 1700 Convention Center Driv& First Floor, City
Hall, Miami Beach, Florida 33139.
A copy of this Ordinance, and all documents related to
the proposed historic site, are available for public
inspection during normal business hours in the City
Clerk's Office. Inquiries may be directed to the
Planning Department at (305) 673-7550. The hearing
on this Ordinance may be continued at this meeting
and, under such circumstances, additional legal notice
would not be provided. Any person may contact the
City Clerk at (305) 673-7411 for information as to the
status of the Ordinance as a result of the meeting.
Pursuant to Section 286.0105, Fla. Stat., the City
hereby advises the public that: if a person decides to
appeal any decision made by the Commission with
respect to any matter considered at its meeting or its
PROPOSED DESIGNATION OF THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND
MONUMENT ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE
hearing, such person must insure that a verbatim
record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based.
This notice does not constitute consent by the City for the introduction or admission of otherwise inadmissible or irrelevant
evidence, nor does it authorize challenges or appeals not otherwise allowed by law. -
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, persons needing special accommodation to participate in this
proceeding should contact the City Clerk's Office at (305) 673-7411 for assistance, no later than four (4) days prior to the
proceeding. If hearing impaired, telephone the Florida Relay Service Numbers, (800) 955-8771 (TDD) or (800) 955-8770 (Voice),
for assistance. , .... Ad At 0082_,
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION ITEM SUMMARY
Condensed Title:
First and Final Reading Public Hearing - Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an
Historic Site
Issue:
The Administration is requesting that the Mayor and City Commission consider the proposed designation
of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island, located between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways
in Biscayne Bay, as an historic site.
Item Summary/Recommendation:
Adopt the Ordinance on first and final reading public hearing.
Advisory Board Recommendation:
On November 13, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved a motion (6 to 0, 1
absence) to recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an
historic site, in accordance with staff recommendations.
On January 22, 2002, the Planning Board unanimously approved a motion (7 to 0) to recommend approval
of the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site.
On February 20, 2002, the City Commission adopted a resolution to schedule a first and final reading public
hearing on March 20, 2002, to consider the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as
an historic site.
Financial Information:
Amount to be expended:
Source of
Funds:
Finance Dept.
City Ma'nager '
AGENDA ITEM
DATE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
www.ci.miami-beach.fi.us
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO:
From:
Subject:
Mayor David Dermer and Date: March 20, 2002
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~f~
City Manager
First and Final Reading Public Hearing - Designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island as an Historic Site
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING SUBPART B OF THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY CODE;
AMENDING CHAPTER 118, "ADMINISTRATION AND REVIEW PROCEDURES,"
ARTICLE X, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION," DIVISION 4, "DESIGNATION,"
SECTION 118-593, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION DESIGNATION," SUBSECTION
118-593(E), "DELINEATION ON ZONING MAP" BY DESIGNATING THE
FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND AS AN HISTORIC SITE TO
BE KNOWN AS THE "FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND
HISTORIC SITE," LOCATED BETWEEN THE MACARTHUR AND VENETIAN
CAUSEWAYS IN BISCAYNE BAY, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED IN
THE ORDINANCE; PROVIDING THAT THE CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE
AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND
AS AN HISTORIC SITE; ADOPTING THE DESIGNATION REPORT ATTACHED
AS APPENDIX "A"; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY CODE; REPEALER;
SEVERABILITY; AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
RFCOMMFNnATION
The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission, upon first and final
reading public hearing, adopt the proposed amending Ordinance.
ANAl YSIS
On March 13, 2001, the City of Miami Beach Planning Department requested that the
Historic Preservation Board consider directing staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation
report with recommendations regarding the possible designation of the Flagler Memorial
and Monument Island, located between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways in
Biscayne Bay, as a local historic site. This request was believed appropriate by staff due
to the historic character and visual landmark nature of the monument.
At the same meeting, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed such request and
unanimously approved a motion (6 to 0; 1 vacancy) to direct staff to prepare a preliminary
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 2 of 14
evaluation report with recommendations regarding the possible designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island as a local historic site.
On June 12, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed the preliminary evaluation
report with recommendations prepared by the staff of the Planning Department regarding
the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as a local historic site. The
Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved a motion (5 to 0; I absence, 1 vacancy)
to direct staff to prepare a designation report and schedule a public hearing relative to the
designation of this new historic site to be known as the Flagler Memorial and Monument
Island Historic Site.
On November 13, 2001, the Histodc Preservation Board unanimously appreved a motion
(6 to 0; 1 absence) to recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler Memodal and
Monument Island as an historic site, in accordance with staff recommendations.
On January 22, 2002, the Planning Board unanimously approved a motion (7 to 0) to
recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as
an historic site.
On February 20, 2002, the City Commission adopted a resolution to schedule a first and
final reading public hearing on March 20, 2002, to consider the designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site.
The City of Miami Beach submitted a Special Category grant application in the amount of
$250,000 for the Grants-in-Aid program of the Department of State Division of Historical
Resources on May 30, 2001. The State historic preservation staff ranked the Flagler
Memorial as a high priodty for both its historical and artistic significance and recommended
full funding of the project. The State staff noted that the monument's serious decay over
the past decades requires the earliest possible stabilization and restoration to prevent
future damage. Due to its remarkable history, including its association with two prominent
early Florida pioneers, State staff also considered the Flagler Memorial to be eligible for
designation as an individual histodc site on the National Register on Histodc Places. Upon
local designation, the Planning Department will commence with a detailed review of the
National Register nomination benefits and report its findings accordingly.
Unfortunately, the Florida State Historic Preservation Advisory Council did not award funds
for the Flagler Memorial project during the last grant cycle due to State budget funding
restraints and concerns over the absence of adequate preventative maintenance of the
monument over the past several years. In order to strengthen the grant application for the
next grant cycle, the Historic Preservation Advisory Council recommended that further
analysis of the most appropriate conservation systems should be conducted for long term
protection of the monument as a consequence of its high saline environment, as well as
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 3 of 14
the development of a strong public/student education component to the project. Further,
the Historic Preservation Advisory Council expressed concerns about the current lack of
a future maintenance program for the monument and island and the need for such funds
to be allocated to ensure the continued upkeep and well being of the monument once the
rehabilitation is completed. These issues will need to be further considered by the
Administration prior to the resubmittal of the Special Category grant application that is due
by May 31,2002.
In fiscal year 2000, the City Commission endorsed, at the request of the City
Administration, the establishment of a Capital Improvements Program for the restoration
and ongoing maintenance of City monuments, sculptures, and fountains. Approximately
$30,000 was allocated for the maintenance of such structures in fiscal year 2001, thus
increasing the amount of budgeted funding available for maintenance.
Fundraising efforts for the restoration of the Flagler Memorial have been initiated by the
City of Miami Beach Office of Arts, Culture and Entertainment in conjunction with the Art
in Public Places Committee and in consultation with and the support of the Planning
Department. The private sector funding organizations include Ocean Drive Magazine and
Charles E. Smith Residential Realty. The Miami Beach Arts Trust serves as the fiscal
agent. The first significant fundraising event was held on May 23, 2001, and by year-end
$13,800 had been raised for the restoration of the Flagler Memorial. At the Ocean
Drive/Charles E. Smith fund raising event held on February 19, 2002, Chades E. Smith
Residential Realty presented a $10,000 check to Mayor David Dermer with an offer to
match any additional contributions through the end of the month as an effort to stimulate
further pledges for the restoration of the monument.
Additionally, the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County Department of
Environmental Resource Management jointly applied for and received a grant from the
Florida Inland Navigation District for the restoration and stabilization of Monument Island.
Of the $105,000 in total allocated funds, the City of Miami Beach contributed $25,000, the
Department of Environmental Resource Management provided $35,000, and the Florida
Inland Navigation District matched with $45,000. The scope of work for the grant includes
the removal of exotic plants, the introduction of native plant species, the provision of
additional ground cover, and the planting of mangroves to stabilize a portion of the island's
shoreline which is quickly eroding. The Department of Environmental Resource
Management anticipates the release of the project for the bid process in mid-March. The
estimated date of construction is scheduled to commence on June 1, 2002, with
approximately 90 days to complete the project.
The future of Monument Island has been discussed with nearby island residents.
Additional neighborhood input will be sought as design develop concepts and plans for the
proposed histodc site are further explored. Several of the issues raised so far focus on the
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 4 of 14
island's accessibility to the public, type of amenities to be offered (if any), development of
a landscaping plan, addressing shoreline stabilization, and establishing a budgeted
continuous maintenance program.
DESIGNATION PROCESS
The designation report for a proposed historic site is required to be presented to the
Historic Preservation Board and the Planning Board at separate public hearings. Following
public input, the Historic Preservation Board votes on whether or not the proposed historic
site meets the criteria listed in the Land Development Regulations of the City Code and
transmits a recommendation on historic designation to the Planning Board and City
Commission. If the Historic Preservation Board votes against the designation, no further
action is required. If the Historic Preservation Board votes in favor of designation, the
Planning Board reviews the designation report and formulates its own recommendation.
The recommendations of both Boards, along with the designation report, are presented to
the City Commission. Because in this instance the proposed ordinance involves an area
of less than ten (10) contiguous acres, the City Commission must hold one (1) public
hearing on the designation. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the City Commission can
immediately adopt the ordinance with a 5/7 majority vote.
RFI ATION TO ORnlNANCE CRITERIA
In accordance with Section 118-592 in the Land Development Regulations of the
City Code, eligibility for designation is determined on the basis of compliance with
the listed criteria set forth below.
(a)
The Histodc Preservation Board shall have the authority to recommend that
properties be designated as historic buildings, historic structures, historic
improvements, historic landscape features, historic interiors (architecturally
significant public portions only), historic sites or historic districts if they are
significant in the historical, architectural, cultural, aesthetic or archeological
heritage of the city, the county, state or nation. Such properties shall
possess an integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship,
feeling or association and meet at least one (1) of the following criteria:
(1)
Association with events that have made a significant contribution to
the history of the city, the county, state or nation;
(2)
Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's past
history;
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 5 of 14
(3) Embody the distinctive characteristics of an historical period,
architectural or design style or method of construction;
(4) Possesses high artistic values;
(5)
Represent the work of a master, serve as an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer, architect or builder who
contributed to our historical, aesthetic or architectural heritage;
(6)
Have yielded, or are likely to yield information important in pre-history
or history;
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Histodc Places;
(8)
Consist of a geographically definable area that possesses a significant
concentration of sites, buildings or structures united by historically
significant past events or aesthetically by plan or physical
development, whose components may lack individual distinction.
(b)
A building, structure (including the public portions of the interior),
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historic even if it has
been altered if the alteration is reversible and the most significant
architectural elements are intact and repairable.
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are eligible for designation as an
historic site as they comply with the criteria as specified in Section 118-592 in the
Land Development Regulations of the City Code outlined above.
(a)
Staff finds the proposed historic site to be eligible for historic designation and
in conformance with the designation criteria for the following reasons:
(1)
Association with events that have made a significant contribution to
the history of the city, the county. state or nation:
In 1913, just two years before the incorporation of Miami Beach, Cad
Fisher envisioned the south end of Miami Beach as an excellent
vantage point for motor boat races that he hoped to conduct in a
deepened yacht channel in Biscayne Bay. On July 1, 1913, Fisher
and the Lummus brothers signed a contract with the Furst Clark
Dredging Company of Baltimore to move six million cubic yards of
material out of Biscayne Bay to build up 1,000 acres of land on the
west side of Miami Beach and create a motor boat race course at the
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 6 of 14
same time. The dredging and filling of the bay were completed on
July 1, 1914.
While a dredge named the "Norman H. Davis" was piling up bay
bottom to create the yacht channel near the Fisher and Lummus
properties in 1913, it was also creating two small islands immediately
to the west. The islands were created unintentionally as the dredge
deposited sand and deepened the channel on the bay side of Miami
Beach. Those two unintentional islands would eventually be
expanded in size to become Star Island in 1918 and Monument Island
in 1920.
Star Island was the first artificially created island in Biscayne Bay.
Previously, dredges had only filled and extended the natural
shoreline. The development of Star Island in 1918 inspired the
creation of Monument Island in 1920 and other new landfills or islands
in the bay. After the construction of the County (now MacArthur)
Causeway in 1921, Palm and Hibiscus Islands were created to adjoin
it in 1921 and 1924, respectively. Other manmade landfills or islands
were constructed in Biscayne Bay, which include the four Sunset
Islands in 1925, the Venetian Isles (Rivo Alto in 1922 and then Di
Lido, San Marino, and San Marco in 1923), and the Venetian
Causeway in 1926.
(2)
Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's past
history:
Henry Moralson Flagler. Railroad tycoon Henry Flagler (1830-1913)
was the co-founder of Standard Oil with John D. Rockefeller in 1867.
Flagler bought several railroads in northern Florida, formed the
Florida East Coast Railway, and extended the line down the coast
from St. Augustine to West Palm Beach in 1894, then Miami in 1896,
and finally Key West in 1912. To attract tourists, he built huge resort
hotels at each of the major stops along the railway, such as the Hotel
Ponce de Leon and the Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine, the Hotel
Ormond in Ormond, the Royal Poinciana Hotel and the Breakers
Hotel in Palm Beach, and the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami. Flagler's
hotels and railroad system, which linked the entire east coast of
Florida from Jacksonville to Key West, helped to establish agriculture
and tourism as Flodda's leading industries.
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 7 of 14
Carl Graham Fisher. Carl Fisher (1874-1939) was a high-living
Industrialist from Indiana who made a fortune with Prest-O-Lite
automobile head lamps and built the Indianapolis Speedway. In a
short period of time, Fisher transformed the barrier island east of
Miami into a playground for millionaires based on a genius for
marketing that eclipsed his colleagues in land sales and development
of Miami Beach.
Fisher revered Henry Flagler and had the Flagler Memorial built in his
honor on Monument Island in Biscayne Bay in 1920. Fisher admired
his fellow pioneer in large part because of Flagler's accomplishments
along the east coast of Florida, and particularly Miami, which enabled
Fisher and other developers to turn their eyes from Miami toward the
seemingly worthless swampland across the bay.
(3)
Embody the distinctive characteristics of an historical period.
architectural or design style or method of construction:
The Flagler Memorial is a wonderful cultural amenity in Miami Beach
and a "backyard" landmark to the neighboring Star Island, Palm
Island, Hibiscus Island, and the Venetian Islands. The early
incentives to adom the City's landscape with outdoor sculpture during
the 1920's waned in the decades to follow with the proliferation of
building construction in Miami Beach. Therefore, the retention of one
of the few remaining public works of art from this time period is even
more important. The Flagler Memorial is extremely valuable in
providing a sense of history and place during the City's first land
development period.
(4) Possess high artistic values:
The construction of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island was
undertaken in 1919 and completed in 1920 at a cost of about
$125,000. Monument Island, originally about 3.33 acres in size, was
formed from the filling and expansion of a parcel of partially
submerged land deposited in Biscayne Bay in 1913. Cad Fisher
contracted with the John B. Orr ConStruction Company, a popular
South Florida builder, for the erection of the monument on the tiny
remote island. Nationally recognized sculptors, Ettore Pellegatta and
H.P. Peterson, were commissioned to sculpt the monument. The
Flagler Memorial and Monument Island were deeded to the City of
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 8 of 14
Miami Beach by Fisher's Alton Beach Realty Company on February
13, 1939.
The Flagler Memodal is supported by 225 piles driven down into rock
and surmounted by a concrete foundation. A terraced base, 24
square feet in size, rests on this foundation. The monumental, four-
sided tapered shaft of the solid masonry obelisk soars 96 feet and
culminates in a pyramidal apex. The obelisk features four graceful
statues of heroic size around its two-tiered base. They symbolize
Prosperity, Industry, Education, and the Pioneer. The figures rest
upon stacked, rectangular shaped pedestals with scored blocks.
Each two-tiered pedestal is inscribed with the figure's name in the
upper block with "Flagler" underneath. Including the pedestal on
which they stand, the statues are about 25 feet in height. In an aedal
photograph from 1922, taken just two years after the monument was
constructed, the shadow cast from the obelisk over the circular island
in conjunction with the perimeter wooden seawall creates the
appearance of a large sundial.
(5)
Represent the work of a master. serve as an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer. architect or builder who
contributed to our historical. aesthetic or architectural heritage:
John B. Orr. Born in Scotland in 1886, John B. Orr moved to Miami
in 1911 where he started in business as a plasterer, modeler, mason
contractor, and general contractor. He built up his business, the John
B. Orr Construction Company, with skilled workmen and opened
offices in Miami, Palm Beach, and Atlanta. During the Land
Development Boom of the 1920's, Orr was known for his superior
workmanship in ornamental detailing and building construction
throughout Florida.
Notable examples of Orr's work in plaster, stucco, and masonry
include: the Helene Apartments, Pancoast Hotel, and Nautilus Hotel
in Miami Beach (all now demolished); the James Deering estate (Villa
Vizcaya), Daily News Tower (today's Freedom Tower), El Jardin (now
the Carrollton School), McAIlister Hotel, Strand Hotel, Clyde Court
Apartments, Miami National Bank, and Lorraine Arcade Buildings in
Miami; the Everglades Club, Danse De Mer, and numerous
residences in Palm Beach; the Lake Court Apartments, Good
Samaritan Hospital, El Verano Hotel, Palm Beach Guaranty Building,
and Citizens Investment Building in West Palm Beach; the Casa
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 9 of 14
Marina Hotel in Key West; the Ft. Lauderdale Bank and Trust
Company Building in Fort Lauderdale; the Orange Court Apartments
and San Juan Hotel in Odando; the El Soreno Hotel in St. Petersburg;
the Bon Air Hotel in Augusta, Georgia; and the Wesley Memorial
Hospital and the Henry C. Heinz residence in Atlanta, Georgia.
As a general contractor, Orr constructed Allison Hospital (later
renamed St. Francis Hospital) and the canal front residence at 1818
Michigan Avenue in Miami Beach; the Scottish Rite Temple, Central
Arcade Building, and Tatum Building in Miami; and numerous fine
residences for wealthy clientele in Coconut Grove, Palm Beach, and
elsewhere.
Examples of the John B. Orr Construction Company's sculpture work
in Miami Beach include Carl Fisher's Flagler Memorial on Monument
Island in 1920 and various statues erected on the Nautilus Hotel
grounds just north of 41 st Street and Alton Road, such as 'q'he Polo
Player" in 1923 and "The Great Spirit" in 1924. Orr also built an
ornamental fountain for John Collins in 1924 still standing in today's
Liebman Square just south of 41 st Street on Pinetree Drive.
Ettore Pellegatta. Ettore Pellegatta (1881-1966)was an Italian-bom
sculptor who worked in New York City, Washington, D.C., and South
Florida. Notable examples of his work include the lions guarding the
entrance to the New York City Public Library, located at the comer of
5th Avenue and 42nd Street, and the outstretched arm and head of
Mercury on the front facade of Grand Central Terminal. In 1915, he
moved to Miami to work on James Deering's estate, Villa Vizcaya. He
carved garden statues and decorations on many of the gates and
smaller buildings. He is noted for carving figures on the bow of the
landmark stone boat in front of Vizcaya in Biscayne Bay.
After leaving Vizcaya, the artist went to work with the John B. Orr
Construction Company. While Orr was under contract with Cad
Fisher, Pellegatta sculpted the four statues at the base of the Flagler
Memorial in 1920. He created various statues for Cad Fisher's
Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of 41 st Street and Alton Road, which
include a collection of sporting statues in 1923, "The Polo Player" in
1923, and "The Great Spirit" in 1924.
Pellegatta later established his own studio in the Paramount Building
in Miami where he carved six life-size nudes for the interior of the
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page ~r 0 of 14
theater. In Miami, he was responsible for the capitals at the Main
Post Office, the statues atop the Huntington Building, and the door
carvings on the First Federal Bank. He executed works for the Boca
Raton Country Club, and he worked on many of the public buildings
in Coral Gables, Boca Raton, Hollywood, Miami, and Miami Beach.
Pellegatta was brought up in the tradition of anonymous architectural
decoration as an integral part of the building trade. He believed that
building decoration should be done, as it always has been,
anonymously by good craftsmen who are thinking not of fame but
merely of doing good strong work that will last.
(6)
Have yielded. or are likely to yield information important in pre-history
or history:
Retention of the Flagler Memodal and Monument Island promotes the
general welfare of the City by providing an opportunity for the study
and appreciation of the early development of Miami Beach. The
Flagler Memorial is a landmark which represents the architectural and
cultural history of not only Miami Beach but also the entire South
Florida region. Adjusting for scale, the Flagler Memorial is the local
equivalent to the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, and it is a
monument designed to attract attention to a prominent figure in
American history.
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Historic Places:
Currently, the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are neither
listed individually as an historic site nor are they located within an
historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. However,
they appear to have clear potential to be determined to be eligible for
national historic designation.
(8)
Consist of a geographically definable area that possesses a significant
concentration of sites. buildings or structures united by historically
significant past events or aesthetically by plan or physical
development. whose components may lack individual distinction:
This criterion is not applicable to an individual histodc site
designation.
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page I I of ~ 4
(b)
A building. structure (including the public portions of the interior).
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historic even if it has
been altered if the alteration is reversible and the most significant
architectural elements are intact and repairable.
Although the Flagler Memorial maintains its original architectural integrity, it
suffers from vandalism and a deteriorated condition due to many years of
deferred maintenance prior to Miami Beach's recent economic revitalization.
Restoration and appropriate renovation of the Flagler Memorial and
Monument Island could be successfully completed by careful analysis of on-
site conditions and high quality historical photographs. Despite its
deteriorated condition, the Flagler Memorial is a beautiful landmark that is
prominently located between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways in
Biscayne Bay.
ANAl YSIS OF THI= AMENDING ORDINANCE
In reviewing a request for an amendment to the Land Development Regulations of the City
Code or a change in land use, the Planning Board shall consider the following:
Whether the proposed change is consistent and compatible with the Comprehensive
Plan and any applicable neighborhood or Redevelopment Plans;
Consistent -
The proposed designation is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan,
specifically with the Historic Preservation Element of the
Comprehensive Plan's Objective No. 1 which, in part, states:
"...increase the total number of structures designated as historically
significant from that number of structures designated in 1988, either
individually or as a contributing structure within a National Register
Historic Preservation District or a local Historic Preservation District."
Whether the proposed change would create an isolated distdct unrelated to adjacent
or nearby districts;
Consistent - The amendment would not change the underlying zoning district for
any areas within the City.
Whether the change suggested is out of scale with the needs of the neighborhood
or the City;
Consistent- The designation of the monument and island as a local historic site
would help to encourage redevelopment and rehabilitation that is
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 12 of ~ 4
compatible with the scale, characteristics and needs of the
surrounding neighborhood in that it contributes to and enhances the
very special urban heritage of Miami Beach's historic built
environment that has attracted quality redevelopment.
Whether the proposed change would tax the existing load on public facilities and
infrastructure;
Consistent - The LOS for the area public facilities and infrastructure should not be
negatively affected, if at all, by the proposed amending ordinance.
Whether existing district boundaries are illogically drawn in relation to existing
conditions on the property proposed for change;
Consistent
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are located between the
MacArthur and Venetian Causeways in Biscayne Bay. The
boundaries are logically drawn because they reflect the existing
shape of the manmade island which was originally planned as the
Biscayne Bay home of the Flagler Memorial Monument. A detailed
description of the proposed boundaries is delineated within the
attached Designation Report.
Whether changed or changing conditions make the passage of the proposed
change necessary;
Consistent -
The success of historic preservation in the ongoing revitalization of
Miami Beach supports the protection of the proposed historic site.
Past demolition of historic structures, as well as physical deterioration
of historic monuments, demonstrates the necessity of this amendment
to maintain the historical integrity of the City.
Whether the proposed change will adversely influence living conditions in the
neighborhood;
Consistent -
The proposed change should not negatively affect living conditions or
the Quality of Life for the surrounding properties. Indeed, the quality
of living conditions in designated historic areas has significantly
improved since the City started designating historic sites and districts.
The thousands of Design Review approvals (both substantial
rehabilitation and minor improvements) within the existing historic
districts demonstrate this principle. The designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island Historic Site should significantly
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 13 of 14
assist in assembling funds necessary for restoration work that will
positively affect the quality of life in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Whether the proposed change will create or excessively increase traffic congestion
beyond the Level Of Service as set forth in the Comprehensive Plan or otherwise
affect public safety;
Consistent -
As designation does not change the permitted land uses, the levels
of service set forth in the Comprehensive Plan will not be affected by
designation. Likewise, public safety will not be affected.
Whether the proposed change will seriously reduce light and air to adjacent
properties;
COnsistent -
If designation results in the retention of existing structures, there
should be no reduction in light and air either on site or to adjacent
properties.
10.
Whether the proposed change will adversely affect property values in the adjacent
area;
Consistent -
As property values and value of construction have historically
increased in the existing designated historic sites and districts, there
is no evidence to suggest that designation would adversely affect
property values in the area surrounding the proposed designation. To
the contrary, the designation of the site should help to reinforce and
promote continuous quality enhancement of the area.
11.
Whether the proposed change will be a deterrent to the improvement or
development of adjacent property in accordance with existing regulations;
Consistent -
The proposed amendment will not change the development
regulations for adjacent sites which must comply with their own site
specific development regulations. Furthermore, the proposed
ordinance should not affect the ability for an adjacent property to be
developed in accordance with said regulations.
12.
Whether there are substantial reasons why the property cannot be used in
accordance with existing zoning;
Commission Memorandum
March 20, 2002
First and Final Reading Public Hearing
Historic Designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
Page 14 of 14
Consistent- The permitted land uses are not affected since the proposed
amendment does not change the underlying zoning district for any
property.
13.
Whether it is impossible to find other adequate Sites in the City for the proposed
Use in a district already permitting such Use;
Not Applicable- This review criteria is not applicable to this Zoning Ordinance
amendment.
The proposed designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island Histodc Site is
appropriate to protect the aesthetic, architectural, and historical importance of the largest
and most intricate sculptured tribute ever given to a personage of high historic import to
the City of Miami Beach. The positive social and economic impact that preservation has
had on the revitalization of Miami Beach, as well as the worldwide media recognition of
Miami Beach, is well known. Local residents, as well as visitors from around the wodd, are
seeking the very special urban character of Miami Beach, which includes its historic
monuments and landscape, that the Planning Department seeks to preserve. The histodc
designation and ultimate restoration of this superb work of art will further underscore Miami
Beach's place among great American cities that understand and protect their history. Due
to its prominent location in Biscayne Bay, which is highly visible from so many areas of the
City, including the Venetian and MacArthur Causeways, the necessity to acknowledge and
celebrate this unique resource through historic designation is incumbent upon the City.
Therefore, the Administration recommends adoption of the Designation Report, as
recommended by the Historic Preservation Board and the Planning Board, and adoption
of the attached amending Ordinance upon first and final reading public hearing, thereby
designating the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site.
JMG\C~'~JGG\WHC\SMA
F:\PLAN\$HPB\FLAGLER\FLGRCCM1 .DOC
T:V~,GEN DA~002\MAR2002\REGULAR\FLGRCCM 1 .DOC
Appendix A
THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL
AND MONUMENT ISLAND
MIAMI BEACH HISTORIC SITE
DESIGNATION REPORT
c
PREPARED BY
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH PLANNING DEPARTMENT
DESIGN, PRESERVATION & NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING DIVISION
NOVEMBER 13, 2001
Revised January 22, 2002
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
HISTORIC SITE DESIGNATION REPORT
THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND
~::~:. ":":7':""; .....:": .:..: ~
Figure 3 The caption of this circa 1948 postcard
reads, 'Sightseeing boat passing the Flagler
Monument and Flamingo Hotel. '
Prepared By
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH PLANNING DEPARTMENT
DESIGN, PRESERVATION & NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING DIVISION
MIAMI BEACH CITY COMMISSION
David Dermer, Mayor
Saul Gross, Vice Mayor
Commissioners:
Matti Herrera Bower
Simon Cruz
Luis R. Garcia, Jr.
Jose Smith
Richard L. Steinberg
Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD
Mitch Novick, Chair
Beth Dunlop, Vice Chair
Judith Berson
Raul Garcia
Randall Robinson
William Taylor
Jose Toledo
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH PLANNING BOARD
Melvyn Schlesser, Chair
Roberto DaTorre, Vice Chair
Carlos Capote
Victor Diaz
Joe Garcia
Jean-Francois Lejeune
Jerry Libbin
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH PLANNING DEPARTMENT
Jorge G. Gomez, AICP, Director, Planning Department
William H. Cary, Director, Design, Preservation & Neighborhood Planning Division
Thomas R. Mooney, AICP, Design and Preservation Manager
Charles Buckles, Senior Plans Designer
PRINCIPAL AUTHOR
Shannon M. Anderton, Senior Planner
PRINCIPAL EDITOR
William H. Cary, Division Director
RESEARCHERS
Shannon M. Anderton, Senior Planner
Carolyn Klepser, Historical Research Consultant
MAP PRODUCTION
Juan Diaz, Planning Technician
THE FLAGLER MEMORIAL AND MONUMENT ISLAND
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
HISTORIC SITE DESIGNATION REPORT
I1.
II1.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REQUEST ...........................-. ................................................................5
DESIGNATION PROCESS ...................................................................... 5
RELATION TO ORDINANCE CRITERIA .................................................... 7
DESCRIPTION OF BOUNDARIES ............................................................. 14
PRESENT OWNERS ...............................................................................15
PRESENT USE ......................................................................................15
FUTURE LAND USE/ZONING .................................................................. 15
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................. 16
ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND ........................................................... 35
PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................... 57
FIGURE INDEX ......................................................................................59
BIBLIOGRAPHY .....................................................................................62
4
I. REQUEST
On March 13, 2001, the City of Miami Beach Planning Department requested that the
Historic Preservation Board consider directing staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation
report with recommendations regarding the possible designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island, located between the MacArthur and Venetian
Causeways in Biscayne Bay, as a local historic site. This request was believed
appropriate by staff due to the historic character and visual landmark nature of the
monument.
At the same meeting, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed such request and
unanimously approved a motion (6 to 0; 1 vacancy) to direct staff to prepare a
preliminary evaluation report with recommendations regarding the possible designation
of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as a local historic site.
On June 12, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed the preliminary evaluation
report with recommendations prepared by the staff of the Planning Department
regarding the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as a local
historic site. The Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved a motion (5 to 0;
I absence, 1 vacancy) to direct staff to prepare a designation report and schedule a
public hearing relative to the designation of this new historic site to be known as the
Flagler Memorial and Monument Island Historic Site.
On November 13, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved a
motion (6 to 0; 1 absence) to recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site in accordance with staff
recommendations, as reflected in this designation report.
On January 22, 2002, the Planning Board unanimously approved a motion (7 to 0) to
recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
as an historic site.
II. DESIGNATION PROCESS
The process of historic designation is delineated in Sections 118-591 through 118-593
in Subpart B of the Land Development Regulations of the City Code (Chapter 118,
Article X, Division 4). An outline of this process is delineated below.
Step One:
A request for designation is made either by the City Commission, the
Historic Preservation Board, other agencies and organizations as listed in
the Land Development Regulations of the City Code, or the property
owners involved. Proposals for designation shall include a completed
Step Two:
Step Three:
Step Four:
Step Five:
Step Six:
application form available from the Planning Department.
The Planning Department prepares a preliminary evaluation report with
recommendations for consideration by the Board.
The Historic Preservation Board considers the preliminary evaluation to
determine if proceeding with a designation report is warranted.
The designation report is an historical and architectural analysis of the
proposed district or site. The report:
1)
describes the historic, architectural and/or archeological
significance of the property or subject area proposed for Historical
Site or District designation;
2)
recommends Evaluation Guidelines to be used by the Board to
evaluate the appropriateness and compatibility of proposed
Developments affecting the designated Site or District; and
3)
will serve as an attachment to the Land Development Regulations
of the City Code.
The designation report is presented to the Board at a public hearing. If
the Board determines that the proposed site or district satisfies the
requirements for designation as set forth in the Land Development
Regulations of the City Code, the Board transmits a recommendation in
favor of designation to the Planning Board and City Commission.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed
designation, and shall consider the proposed historic designation as an
amendment to the Land Development Regulations of the City Code and,
subsequently, transmit its recommendation to the City Commission.
The City Commission may adopt an amendment to the Land Development
Regulations of the City Code which thereby designates the Historic
Preservation Site or Historic District after one (1) public hearing for a
parcel of land less than ten (1 O) contiguous acres or after two (2) public
hearings for a parcel of land which is more than ten (1 O) contiguous
acres.
6
III.
1.
RELATION TO ORDINANCE CRITERIA
In accordance with Section 118-592 in the Land Development Regulations of
the City Code, eligibility for designation is determined on the basis of
compliance with the listed criteria set forth below.
(a)
The Historic Preservation Board shall have the authority to recommend
that properties be designated as historic buildings, historic structures,
historic improvements, historic landscape features, historic interiors
(architecturally significant public portions only), historic sites or historic
districts if they are significant in the historical, architectural, cultural,
aesthetic or archeological heritage of the city, the county, state or nation.
Such properties shall possess an integrity of location, design, setting,
materials, workmanship, feeling or association and meet at least one (1)
of the following criteria:
(1)
Association with events that have made a significant contribution
to the history of the city, the county, state or nation;
(2)
Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's past
history;
(3)
Embody the distinctive characteristics of an historical period,
architectural or design style or method of construction;
(4) Possesses high artistic values;
(5)
Represent the work of a master, serve as an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer, architect or builder who
contributed to our historical, aesthetic or architectural heritage;
(6)
Have yielded, or are likely to yield information important in pre-
history or history;
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Historic Places;
(8)
Consist of a geographically definable area that possesses a
significant concentration of sites, buildings or structures united by
historically significant past events or aesthetically by plan or
physical development, whose components may lack individual
distinction.
(b)
A building, structure (including the public portions of the interior),
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historic even if it
has been altered if the alteration is reversible and the most significant
architectural elements are intact and repairable.
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are eligible for designation as an
historic site as they comply with the criteria as specified in Section 118-592 in
the Land Development Regulations of the City Code outlined above.
(a)
Staff finds the proposed historic site to be eligible for historic designation
and in conformance with the designation criteria for the following
reasons:
(1)
Association with events that have made a significant contribution
to the history Of the city, the county, state Or n~tion:
In 1913, just two years before the incorporation of Miami Beach,
Carl Fisher envisioned the south end of Miami Beach as an
excellent vantage point for motor boat races that he hoped to
conduct in a deepened yacht channel in Biscayne Bay. On July 1,
1913, Fisher and the Lummus brothers signed a contract with the
Furst Clark Dredging Company of Baltimore to move six million
cubic yards of material out of Biscayne Bay to build up 1,000
acres of land on the west side of Miami Beach and create a motor
boat race course at the same time. The dredging and filling of the
bay were completed on July 1, 1914.
While a dredge named the "Norman H. Davis" was piling up bay
bottom to create the yacht channel near the Fisher and Lummus
properties in 1913, it was also creating two small islands
immediately to the west. The islands were created unintentionally
as the dredge deposited sand and deepened the channel on the
bay side of Miami Beach. Those two unintentional islands would
eventually be expanded in size to become Star Island in 1918 and
Monument Island in 1920.
Star Island was the first artificially created island in Biscayne Bay.
Previously, dredges had only filled and extended the natural
shoreline. The development of Star Island in 1918 inspired the
creation of Monument Island in 1920 and other new landfills or
islands in the bay. After the construction of the County (now
MacArthur) Causeway in 1921, Palm and Hibiscus Islands were
created to adjoin it in 1921 and 1924, respectively. Other
manmade landfills or islands were constructed in Biscayne Bay,
which include the four Sunset Islands in 1925, the Venetian Isles
(Rivo Alto in 1922 and then Di Lido, San Marino, and San Marco
in 1923), and the Venetian Causeway in 1926.
(2)
Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's past
history;
Henry Morrison Flagler. Railroad tycoon Henry Flagler (1830-
1913) was the co-founder of Standard Oil with John D.
Rockefeller in 1867. Flagler bought several railroads in northern
Florida, formed the Florida East Coast Railway, and extended the
line down the coast from St. Augustine to West Palm Beach in
1894, then Miami in 1896, and finally Key West in 1912. To
attract tourists, he built huge resort hotels at each of the major
stops along the railway, such as the Hotel Ponce de Leon and the
Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine, the Hotel Ormond in Ormond, the
Royal Poinciana Hotel and the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach, and
the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami. Flagler's hotels and railroad
system, which linked the entire east coast of Florida from
Jacksonville to Key West, helped to establish agriculture and
tourism as Florida's leading industries.
Carl Graham Fisher. Carl Fisher (1874-1939) was a high-living
Industrialist from Indiana who made a fortune with Prest-O-Lite
automobile head lamps and built the Indianapolis Speedway. In a
short period of time, Fisher transformed the barrier island east of
Miami into a playground for millionaires based on a genius for
marketing that eclipsed his colleagues in land sales and
development of Miami Beach.
Fisher revered Henry Flagler and had the Flagler Memorial built in
his honor on Monument Island in Biscayne Bay in 1920. Fisher
admired his fellow pioneer in large part because of Flagler's
accomplishments along the east coast of Florida, and particularly
Miami, which enabled Fisher and other developers to turn their
eyes from Miami toward the seemingly worthless swampland
across the bay.
(3)
Embody the distinctive characteristics of an historical period,
architectural or design style or method of construction:
The Flagler Memorial is a wonderful cultural amenity in Miami
Beach and a "backyard" landmark to the neighboring Star Island,
Palm Island, Hibiscus Island, and the Venetian Islands. The early
incentives to adorn the City's landscape with outdoor sculpture
during the 1920's waned in the decades to follow with the
proliferation of building construction in Miami Beach. Therefore,
the retention of one of the few remaining public works of art from
this time period is even more important. The Flagler Memorial is
extremely valuable in providing a sense of history and place during
the City's first land development period.
(4) Possess high artistic values:
The construction of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
was undertaken in 1919 and completed in 1920 at a cost of about
9125,000. Monument Island, originally about 3.33 acres in size,
was formed from the filling and expansion of a parcel of partially
submerged land deposited in Biscayne Bay in 1913. Carl Fisher
contracted with the John B. Orr Construction Company, a popular
South Florida builder, for the erection of the monument on the tiny
remote island. Nationally recognized sculptors, Ettore Pellegatta
and H.P. Peterson, were commissioned to sculpt the monument.
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island were deeded to the
City of Miami Beach by Fisher's Alton Beach Realty Company on
February 13, 1939.
The Flagler Memorial is supported by 225 piles driven down into
rock and surmounted by a concrete foundation. A terraced base,
24 square feet in size, rests on this foundation. The monumental,
four-sided tapered shaft of the solid masonry obelisk soars 96 feet
and culminates in a pyramidal apex. The obelisk features four
graceful statues of heroic size around its two-tiered base. They
symbolize Prosperity, Industry, Education, and the Pioneer. The
figures rest upon stacked, rectangular shaped pedestals with
scored blocks. Each two-tiered pedestal is inscribed with the
figure's name in the upper block with "Flagler" underneath.
Including the pedestal on which they stand, the statues are about
25 feet in height. In an aerial photograph from 1922, taken just
two years after the monument was constructed, the shadow cast
l0
from the obelisk over the circular island in conjunction with the
perimeter wooden seawall creates the appearance of a large
sundial.
(5)
ReDresent the work of a master, serve a.j an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer. architect or builder who
contributed to our historical. aesthetic or architeCtUral heritage:
John B. Orr. Born in Scotland in 1886, John B. Orr moved to
Miami in 1911 where he started in business as a plasterer,
modeler, mason contractor, and general contractor. He built up his
business, the John B. Orr Construction Company, with skilled
workmen and opened offices in Miami, Palm Beach, and Atlanta.
During the Land Development Boom of the 1920's, Orr was
known for his superior workmanship in ornamental detailing and
building construction throughout Florida.
Notable examples of Orr's work in plaster, stucco, and masonry
include: the Helene Apartments, Pancoast Hotel, and Nautilus
Hotel in Miami Beach (all now demolished); the James Deering
estate (Villa Vizcaya), Daily News Tower (today's Freedom
Tower), El Jardin (now the Carrollton School), McAIlister Hotel,
Strand Hotel, Clyde Court Apartments, Miami National Bank, and
Lorraine Arcade Buildings in Miami; the Everglades Club, Danse De
Mer, and numerous residences in Palm Beach; the Lake Court
Apartments, Good Samaritan Hospital, El Verano Hotel, Palm
Beach Guaranty Building, and Citizens Investment Building in West
Palm Beach; the Casa Marina Hotel in Key West; the Ft.
Lauderdale Bank and Trust Company Building in Fort Lauderdale;
the Orange Court Apartments and San Juan Hotel in Orlando; the
El Soreno Hotel in St. Petersburg; the Bon Air Hotel in Augusta,
Georgia; and the Wesley Memorial Hospital and the Henry C. Heinz
residence in Atlanta, Georgia.
As a general contractor, Orr constructed Allison Hospital (later
renamed St. Francis Hospital) and the canal front residence at
1818 Michigan Avenue in Miami Beach; the Scottish Rite Temple,
Central Arcade Building, and Tatum Building in Miami; and
numerous fine residences for wealthy clientele in Coconut Grove,
Palm Beach, and elsewhere.
Examples of the John B. Orr Construction Company's sculpture
work in Miami Beach include Carl Fisher's Flagler Memorial on
Monument Island in 1920 and various statues erected on the
Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of 41 st Street and Alton Road,
such as "The Polo Player" in 1923 and "The Great Spirit" in 1924.
Orr also built an ornamental fountain for John Collins in 1924 still
standing in today's Liebman Square just south of 41 st Street on
Pinetree Drive.
Ettore Pellegatta. Ettore Pellegatta (1881-1966) was an Italian-
born sculptor who worked in New York City, Washington, D.C.,
and South Florida. Notable examples of his work include the lions
guarding the entrance to the New York City Public Library, located
at the corner of 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, and the outstretched
arm and head of Mercury on the front facade of Grand Central
Terminal. In 1915, he moved to Miami to work on James
Deering's estate, Villa Vizcaya. He carved garden statues and
decorations on many of the gates and smaller buildings. He is
noted for carving figures on the bow of the landmark stone boat
in front of Vizcaya in Biscayne Bay.
After leaving Vizcaya, the artist went to work with the John B. Orr
Construction Company. While Orr was under contract with Carl
Fisher, Pellegatta sculpted the four statues at the base of the
Flagler Memorial in 1920. He created various statues for Carl
Fisher's Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of 41 st Street and Alton
Road, which include a collection of sporting statues in 1923, "The
Polo Player" in 1923, and "The Great Spirit" in 1924.
Pellegatta later established his own studio in the Paramount
Building in Miami where he carved six life-size nudes for the
interior of the theater. In Miami, he was responsible for the
capitals at the Main Post Office, the statues atop the Huntington
Building, and the door carvings on the First Federal Bank. He
executed works for the Boca Raton Country Club, and he worked
on many of the public buildings in Coral Gables, Boca Raton,
Hollywood, Miami, and Miami Beach.
Pellegatta was brought up in the tradition of anonymous
architectural decoration as an integral part of the building trade.
He believed that building decoration should be done, as it always
has been, anonymously by good craftsmen who are thinking not
of fame but merely of doing good strong work that will last.
(6)
Have yielded. or are likely to yield information important in pre-
history or history:
Retention of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island promotes
the general welfare of the City by providing an opportunity for the
study and appreciation of the early development of Miami Beach.
The Flagler Memorial is a landmark which represents the
architectural and cultural history of not only Miami Beach but also
the entire South Florida region. Adjusting for scale, the Flagler
Memorial is the local equivalent to the Statue of Liberty in New
York harbor, and it is a monument designed to attract attention to
a prominent figure in American history.
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Historic P!6ces:
Currently, the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are neither
listed individually as an historic site nor are they located within an
historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.
However, they appear to have clear potential to be determined to
be eligible for national historic designation.
(8)
Consist of a geographically definable area that posseSseS a
significant concentration of sites, buildings or structures united by
historically significant past events or aesthetiC;ally by plan or
physical development, whose components may lack individual
distinction:
This criterion is not applicable to an individual historic site
designation.
(b)
A building. structure (including the public portions of the interior).
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historiC; even if it
has been altered if the alter6tion is reversible and the most significant
architectural elements are intact and repairable,
Although the Flagler Memorial maintains its original architectural integrity,
it suffers from vandalism and a deteriorated condition due to many years
of deferred maintenance prior to Miami Beach's recent economic
revitalization. Restoration and appropriate renovation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island could be successfully completed by
careful analysis of on-site conditions and high quality historical
photographs. Despite its deteriorated condition, the Flagler Memorial is
a beautiful landmark that is prominently located between the MacArthur
and Venetian Causeways in Biscayne Bay.
IV. DESCRIPTION OF BOUNDARIES
The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island are located between the MacArthur and
Venetian Causeways in Biscayne Bay in Miami Beach, Florida. A detailed legal
description of the boundaries of the proposed historic site is as follows:
A tract of land known as "MONUMENT ISLAND," located in Section 33,
Township 53 South, Range 42 East, bounded by the High Water Mark,
and more particularly described as follows:
Commence at the point of intersection of the west line of West Avenue
and the south line of 14th Street, as shown in the PLAT OF THE
SUBDIVISION OF THE NORTH 230 FEET OF LOT 1 OF THE
SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 80 OF THE ALTON BEACH REALTY COMPANY
recorded in Plat Book 34, at Page 25, Public Records of Miami-Dade
County, Florida; thence run South 88° 26' 30" West, along the south line
of said 14th Street for a distance of 637.12 feet; thence North 1 ° 33'
30" West for a distance of 5.41 feet; thence North 86° 10' 02" West
across Biscayne Bay for a distance of 2,552.29 feet; thence South 40°
12' 50" West for a distance of 260.10 feet; thence South 55° 56' 20"
West for a distance of 211.18 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING of the
tract of land herein described; thence along the following courses:
South 83° 50' 56" East for a distance of 71.15 feet; North 55° 48' 20"
East for a distance of 99.61 feet; North 46° 34' 38" East for a distance
of 79.90 feet; North 55° 10' 14" East for a distance of 73.47 feet;
North 48° 21' 04" East for a distance of 58.45 feet; North 34° 35' 34"
East for a distance of 84.93 feet; North 12° 09' 31" East for a distance
of 74.10 feet; North 4° 53' 49" West for a distance of 32.15 feet; North
29° 25' 26" West for a distance of 26.28 feet; North 50° 58' 18" West
for a distance of 152.34 feet; North 65° 58' 36" West for a distance of
29.55 feet; North 83° 03' 21" West for a distance of 38.13 feet; South
86° 17' 27" West for a distance of 40.84 feet; South 62° 55' 22" West
for a distance of 42.88 feet; South 20° 02' 40" West for a distance of
71.04 feet; South 43° 06' 37" West for a distance of 37.11 feet; South
59° 17' 28" West for a distance of 147.67 feet; South 50° 08' 01"
West for a distance of 62.59 feet; South 16° 24' 16" West for a
]4
distance of 43.27 feet; South 16° 45' 18" East for a distance of 93.91
feet; South 34° 52' 53" East for a distance of 65.54 feet; South 42° 40'
51" East for a distance of 105.03 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING.
Said lands located, lying, and being in the City of Miami Beach, Miami-
Dade County, Florida, and containing 3.6723 acres (more or less),
together with full riparian rights.
The described boundaries, as recommended by the Planning Department, are shown
in the proposed historic site map (see Map 1 ).
V. PRESENT OWNERS
The City of Miami Beach has owned and controlled the Flagler' Memorial and
Monument Island since the property was deeded to the City of Miami Beach by Carl
Fisher's Alton Beach Realty Company on February 13, 1939. (The Warranty Deed
which transfers the described property from the Alton Beach Realty Company to the
City of Miami Beach was recorded in Deed Book 1945, Page 181, on February 13,
1939.)
VI. PRESENT USE
The current use on Monument Island is a passive park-like setting.
VII. FUTURE LAND USE/ZONING
The established Future Land Use/Zoning District within the boundaries of the proposed
historic site is ROS or Recreation and Open Space. Please refer to the future land
use/zoning map for more detailed information (Map 2).
VIII. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Historical Overview. In order to better understand the creation of Monument Island
and the Flagler Memorial by Carl Fisher in 191 3 and 1920 respectively, it is necessary
to recall the early development history of both Miami and Miami Beach.
Railroad tycoon Henry Flagler, the co-
founder of Standard Oil with John D.
Rockefeller, bought several railroads
in northern Florida, formed the Florida
East Coast Railway, and extended the
line down the coast from St.
Augustine to West Palm Beach in
1894, then Miami in 1896, and
finally Key West in 1912. To attract
tourists, he built huge resort hotels at
each of the major stops along the
railway.~
Flagler originally intended Palm Beach
to be the terminus for his railroad, but
Figure 4 Henry Flagler built the Royal Palm Hotel at the mouth
of the Miami River in 1896. Looking east across Biscayne
Bay, residents of Miami viewed an uninviting sight of a long,
low tangle of mangrove swamp (today's Miami Beach).
he was persuaded by Julia Tuttle to extend the railroad south to Miami. When the first
train arrived in Miami on April 15, 1896, Flagler's Royal Palm Hotel was already under
construction in downtown Miami. In order to provide services to his new hotel and
railroad stop, Flagler's surveyor quickly laid out the town. Work began on the
construction of streets and worker housing. Flagler embarked on public improvements
and installed a sewer system, a water plant, and an electric plant. The City of Miami
was incorporated on July 28, 1896. The official opening of the Royal Palm Hotel
occurred on January 16, 1897. In addition to its natural resources, Miami now had
a luxury hotel to attract tourists.2
As early as 1902, Henry Flagler was frustrated with the shallow waters of Biscayne
Bay and the channels leading to the Atlantic Ocean. Flagler intended to establish
Miami as a great seaport, and he sought ways to provide better shipping routes to the
area. At the time he was extending his railroad from West Palm Beach to Miami in
1896, Flagler deepened the channel leading from Cape Florida to the Miami River.
However, this route to the ocean was still inconvenient for shipping. An arrangement
was made with the Federal Government in 1901. The Flagler interests would dredge
Ann Armbruster, The Life and Times of Miami Beach, 1995, pp. 8-9.
Metropolitan Dade County, From Wilderness to Metropolis, 1992, pp. 20-22 and 27.
an 18-foot-deep channel from the
Port of Miami to the western edge
of the barrier island to become
known as Miami Beach if the
Federal Government would cut an
18-foot-deep channel through the
narrow peninsula north of Norris
Cut and dredge a basin inside
Biscayne Bay. Government Cut,
the channel between the ocean
and the bay in what is now Miami
Beach, was completed on March
14, 1905.3
Figure 5 This 1918 photo shows an aerial view of Government
Cut with Miami Beach to the north (left) and current day Fisher
Island to the south (right). Flagler was instrumental in the cutting
of the channel through the narrow peninsula. Government Cut
was completed on March 14, 1905.
Looking east across Biscayne Bay,
residents of Miami viewed an uninviting sight of a long, low tangle of mangrove
swamp. Miami Beach was originally part of the 65-mile coastal tract that was planted
with coconuts in a plantation scheme by New Jersey investors Ezra Osborn, Elnathan
Field, and Henry Lum in 1882. Imported coconuts were planted on oceanfront land
from Key Biscayne to Jupiter, Florida?
One of the investors in the coconut plantation scheme was John S. Collins, a Quaker
and a horticulturist from New Jersey. When Collins came to Miami in 1896 to
investigate the failed project, he still saw agricultural promise in the coastal tract. In
1907, seven years after the death of Ezra Osborn, Collins bought out Field's land
interest, and he became sole owner of 1,675 acres of land between 14th Street and
67th Street from the Atlantic Ocean to Biscayne Bay in today's Miami Beach?
Collins' Miami Beach Improvement Company (formed on June 3, 1912) platted some
of their land holdings for sale and dredged the marshy southern end of Indian Creek
(today's Lake Pancoast). The company also planned two other ambitious projects: a
canal linking Indian Creek to Biscayne Bay and a 2.5 mile-long wooden bridge across
the Bay. After an arduous dredging process, the Collins Canal was completed in 1912
and still survives as the oldest manmade structure in the City.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 22-23.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 10-14.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 20.
The construction of the bridge across Biscayne Bay, however, strained Collins'
finances to the limit: "A long struggle to get the permit was followed by failure of his
contractors, and just when things looked blackest an angel was found in Carl G. Fisher
(19 12), who...provided the cash and zip to transform a desolate sand bank into the
world's most dazzling resort. ,6
Indeed, it was John Collins' ambitious
bridge project at age 75 that first
caught Carl Fisher's attention and
admiration and introduced him into
the history of Miami Beach. With
Fisher's financial assistance, the
Collins Bridge was completed in
1913, an engineering marvel and the
longest wooden bridge in the world at
the time. Miami Beach was
developing so rapidly that the bridge
quickly outgrew its usefulness after
only a dozen years of use. The
Collins Bridge was dismantled in
1925 and then replaced by the
Venetian Causeway in 1926.7
Figure 6 With Carl Fisher's financial assistance, the Collins
Bridge was completed in 1913. It was an engineering marvel
and the longest wooden bridge in the world at the time. The
bridge was the first permanent link between Miami and Miami
Beach.
"Carl Fisher was a high-living Industrialist from Indiana who made a fortune with Prest-
O-Lite automobile headlamps and built the Indianapolis Speedway. When he learned
of Collins' financial difficulty, Fisher decided to bail him out and include himself in. On
January 21, 19 13, he advanced Collins ~50,000 in bonds to complete the bridge and,
in turn, was given 200 acres of land on the beach. It ran from the ocean to the bay,
1,800 feet wide north and south. It was but a beginning for Fisher, who was to carve
an empire out of it. '~
Previously, James E. and John N. Lummus, established bankers who came to Miami
in 1895, formed the Ocean Beach Realty Company in 1912. They purchased 500
acres of agricultural land on the southern end of the beach from Charles Lum and
Edward Wilson for the sum of 980,000, and another 80 acres from Jennie Richardson
of Detroit, Michigan. The Lummus Brothers intended to develop this property, which
extended south from 5th Street to Government Cut, as a modest seaside resort
Lorey More, Florida Hotel and Travel Guide, 1942, p. 282.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 104.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 30.
]8
community. On July 9, 1912, they filed the first plat on the beach; five months before
Collins and six months before Fisher?
On March 27, 191 3, J.N. Lummus borrowed $150,000 from Fisher and turned over
to him 150 acres of Ocean Beach realty west of Washington Avenue. Fisher, who had
acquired 200 acres of land from Collins just two months earlier, now had 350 acres
of land on the beach. There were three major companies who would develop the
beach: John Collins' Miami Beach Improvement Company to the north, Fisher's soon-
to-be-named Alton Beach Realty Company in the center, and J.N. Lummus' Ocean
Beach Realty Company to the south. "For all parties, the arrival of Fisher and the
completion of the Collins canal and bridge were the seeds from which would grow a
great tourist resort. ,,~o Miami Beach was incorporated as a town on March 26, 1915,
and as a city on May 1, 1917.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 27.
io Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 40.
Construction of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island. In 1913, just two years
before the incorporation of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher envisioned the south end of Miami
Beach as an excellent vantage point for motor boat races that he hoped to conduct in
a deepened channel in Biscayne Bay. His desire for a yacht channel was strengthened
by his interest in boat racing and his great friendship with legendary speedboat racer
and builder Gar Wood. Fisher had a lifetime love of racing competition which began
with bicycles, then automobiles, and later boats. He believed that spectacular water
sports events would bring abundant free publicity to his new land development in
Miami Beach.
On July 1, 1913, Fisher and the Lummus
brothers signed a contract with the Furst
Clark Dredging Company of Baltimore to
move six million cubic yards of material
out of Biscayne Bay to build up 1,000
acres of land on the west side of Miami
Beach and create a motor boat race
course at the same time. Fisher invested
$285,000 and the Lummus brothers
contributed 931 5,000 towards the
project. The dredging and filling of the
bay were completed on July 1, 1914.~
"The reshaping of Biscayne Bay was
slow and expensive. The work was slow
because the sludge that was dredged,
then forced through mile-long pipes by
Figure 7 This photo shows the 1000-horsepower Norman
H. Davis with its suction pipe and rotary cutter above
water. The dredge was used to create the yacht channel
in Biscayne Bay near the Fisher and Lummus properties in
1913.
pressure and poured into required locations, was a watery mixture of lime deposits,
sand, and water which, according to one source, was about the consistency and color
of Cream of Wheat. The workers called it 'soup.' It took a least a week, often longer,
for the substance to congeal to the point that it could support any significant weight.
The 'soup' was also full of marine life that rotted and then dried... Workers and
passersby were swatbed in ungodly smells. Six more months were required for the
sun and rain to complete the 'sweetening' process. Only then could the new land be
developed. The newly formed land looked strange. Wholly barren of vegetation after
it dried, the hardpan was extremely light in color. In bright sunlight, the surface
produced a strong glare... When the winds blew, sand clouds hung over it, stinging the
faces of nearby boaters, fishermen, and swimmers..~2
J.N. Lummus, The Miracle of Miami Beach, 1952, pp. 9-10.
Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, pp. 155-156.
20
While a dredge named the "Norman
H. Davis" was piling up bay bottom
to create the yacht channel near the
Fisher and Lummus properties in
1913, it was also creating two small
islands immediately to the west. The
islands were created unintentionally
as the dredge deposited sand and
deepened the channel on the bay side
of Miami Beach to allow access for
yachts and speed boat racing
competitions. Those two
unintentional islands would eventually
be expanded in size to become
Monument Island and Star Island.~3
Figure 8 This circa 1922 postcard depicts Star Island and its
elegant water tower (foreground) as well as the Flagler
Memorial on Monument Island (background). Notice that the
Venetian Islands are still under construction and the Collins
Bridge has not yet been replaced by the Venetian Causeway.
The "Norman H. Davis," a colossal steel-hulled dredge, was a half million dollar sand
sucker which boasted a 1,000 horsepower triple expansion engine that was capable
of throwing a 20-inch stream of material through a pipe of this diameter a mile long.
It could account for 20,000 cubic yards of fill in 24 hours. In addition to its mighty
power plant, it had a complete machine and repair shop and its own ice plant aboard?4
After the deepened boat channel in Biscayne Bay was completed in July of 1914, the
first Mid-Winter Regatta was held in January of 1915. The two-day event was the
highlight of the Magic Knights of Dade Festival (which later evolved into today's
Orange Bowl Festival).~s The two-mile race course lay south of the Collins Bridge in
Biscayne Bay. A grandstand was erected for spectators around 1 lth Street.~6 The
Mid-Winter Regattas were among the highlights of the tourist season and brought
some of the biggest names in boat racing to Miami Beach.
On March 28, 1917, the United States Secretary of War issued a permit to Fisher and
the Lummus brothers' Miami Ocean View Company (formed in April of 1916) granting
them the authority to build Star Island from a parcel of submerged land in Biscayne
Bay. This permit allowed the company to construct an island 1,000 feet by 2,600
13 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 55.
14 Charles Edgar Nash, The Maaic of Miami Beach, 1938, p. 108.
15 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 44-45.
16 Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Carl Fisher Papers, Box 11, Miami Ocean View Company,
Property Map of the Miami Ocean View Company, July 1918.
21
feet by dredging material from the bay.~7 John Levi, secretary-treasurer of the Miami
Ocean View Company, was the engineer in charge of the original dredging and filling
of Fisher's land.is The filling and expansion of Star Island was completed between
1917 and 1918.~e Tons of reinforcing steel and thousands of barrels of cement were
used for the necessary retaining walls, and then the dredge material was pumped in
from the bottom of the bay.2° In 1919, the Miami Ocean View Company began
building exclusive new residences on Star Island, and they constructed an elegant
water tower in the center of the island's park?
Star Island was the first artificially created island in Biscayne Bay. Previously, dredges
had only filled and extended the natural shoreline. The development of Star Island in
1918 inspired the creation of Monument Island in 1920 and other new landfills or
islands in the bay. After the construction of the County (now MacArthur) Causeway
in 1921,22 Palm and Hibiscus Islands were created to adjoin it in 1921 and 1924,
respectively.23 Other manmade landfills or islands were constructed in Biscayne Bay,
which include the four Sunset Islands in 1925, the Venetian Isles (Rivo Alto in 1922
and then Di Lido, San Marino, and San Marco in 1923), and the Venetian Causeway
in 1926. "(With the creation of new landfills and islands), developers forever affected
the natural flow of water in the bay - and drew the wrath of naturalists much as did
the draining of the Everglades. -24
Around 1919, Fisher began planning a memorial to honor fellow pioneer Henry Flagler
on a tiny island in Biscayne Bay. In a letter dated June 2, 1 919, Fisher provided
Thomas Pancoast with an update of business activities in Miami Beach, which included
a reference to the status of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island. Fisher states,
"No pub/icity has been given to the Rag/er Monument as Brown has not yet received
I? City of Miami Beach, City Clerk's Office, Star Island Park, File No. WD-31, Florida Title Company,
Abstract of Title No. 213,493, Star Island Park, nos. 59 and 75.
18 Kenneth Ballinger, Miami Millions, 1936, pp. 89-90.
19 Polly Redford, Billion-Dollar Sandbar, 1970, p. 99.
20 "Star Island's Growth Steady," Miami Daily News, 26 July 1925.
2] Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 55 and 62.
22 Charles Edgar Nash, The Maaic of Miami Beach, 1938, p. 118.
23 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "Palm and Hibiscus Islands," Florida: The East Coast, circa
1924, pp. 236-237.
24 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 53 and 55.
22
deed from the State for the three-acres.-25 Although John Levi was Fisher's directing
engineer at the outset, W. E. Brown was an engineer who remained with Fisher
throughout his development projects in Miami Beach.26
Later that same year, a
statement was released
which provided a summary
of the improvements to be
completed in Miami Beach
before January 1, 1921, by
the Alton Beach Realty
Company, Miami Beach
Bayshore Company, Miami
Ocean View Company, and
the Peninsula Terminal
Company. (Fisher had
financial interests in all of
these development
companies.) The
companies' work program
of 1920 states: "We have
received the permit from
the (United States) War
Department for the filling of
the Flaglet Memorial Island.
Figure 9 This circa 1924 aerial photo was taken looking across the
Venetian Islands from Miami Beach four years after the construction of the
Flagler Memorial and Monument Island. The Flagler Memorial is located
directly across from Carl Fisher's Flamingo Hotel (center-left). Notice that
the obelisk is located in the exact center of the once perfectly circular
island.
The contract for building the shaft of the Flagler Memorial has been let for over six
months. We expect to see this island and shaft completed before January I of next
year (1921).
The construction of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island was undertaken in
1919 and completed in 1920. Monument Island, originally about 3.33 acres in size,
was formed from the filling and expansion of a parcel of partially submerged land in
Biscayne Bay. (This submerged parcel of land was originally created in 1913 when a
dredge deposited bay material to the west of the deepened yacht channel near the
Fisher and Lummus properties.)
25 Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Carl Fisher Papers, Box 1 O, Miami Beach Development
Summaries, Thomas Pancoast Letter, 2 June 1919, p. 1.
26 Ruby Leach Carson, "Forty Years of Miami Beach," Teouesta, volume XV, 1955, pp. 14-15.
27 Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Carl Fisher Papers, Box 1 O, Miami Beach Development
Summaries, Work Program of 1920, circa 1919, p. 1.
23
Fisher contracted with the John B. Orr
Construction Company, a popular South Florida
builder, for the erection of the Flagler Memorial on
Monument Island. The memorial consisted of a
96-foot high obelisk surrounded by allegorical
figures of Prosperity, Industry, Education, and the
Pioneer. Nationally recognized sculptors, Ettore
Pellegatta and H.P. Peterson, were commissioned
to sculpt the monument.2e The cost of building the
artificial island and the monument was about
$1'25,000.29 The Flagler Memorial and Monument
Island were deeded to the City of Miami Beach by
Fisher's Alton Beach Realty Company for a sum of
ten dollars on February 13, 1939,3° just five
months before Fisher's death.
Fisher revered Flagler and had the memorial built in
his honor in 1920, seven years after Flagler's
death. Fisher admired his fellow pioneer in large
part because of Flagler's accomplishments along
the east coast of Florida, and particularly Miami,
which enabled Fisher and other developers to turn
their eyes from Miami toward the seemingly
worthless swampland across the bay.
Figure 10 The construction of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island was
undertaken in 1919 and completed in 1920.
Even though they never met, Fisher did have conversations or correspondence with
Flagler before Flagler's death in 1913. In a December 17, 1931, letter to H.N.
Rodenbaugh of the Florida East Coast Railway, Fisher wrote, "The last conversation
I had with the late Mr. Flagler was regarding the deeper water port at Miami; he told
me that...he had decided to make a port at Key West. I told Mr. Flagler at that time,
which was in the early days of Miami Beach, that I expected to be in considerable
competition with him at Palm Beach. Mr. Flagler congratulated me on my efforts, and
told me that he would cooperate in every way that he could... I believe if Mr. Flagler
had lived he would have made every effort possible to change (the port) from Key
28 Smithsonian, Inventories of American Paintina and Sculoture, Flagler Monument.
29 Charles Cromer, "Memorial to Flagler Desecrated by Vandals," Miami Herald, 5 March 1939.
30 City of Miami Beach, City Clerk's Office, Flagler Memorial Park, File No. WD-26, Warranty Deed
from the Alton Beach Realty Company, recorded 13 February 1939, book 1945, p. 181.
24
West to this point (Miami). '~ (Flagler's main interest was transportation and the
extension of his railroad to Key West, where his passengers could connect with the
steamship company of which he was president.32 Although unsuccessful, Fisher's
Peninsula Terminal Company sought a deep water harbor at today's Fisher Island on
the east side of Biscayne Bay. Causeway Island became Fisher's "port" in Miami
Beach; the island housed Fisher's trolley cars, an electric power plant, and a ferry
service to Fisher Island.33)
Fisher "... was quite conscious of following in Flagler's footsteps, and said so: '1 am
a great admirer of the late Mr. Flagler. I think he was a great American with a splendid
vision of the possibilities of Florida - and that regardless of these possibilities he took
great pains and labor to develop the country as much as he could, to the limit of his
finances - and I think Florida owes Mr. Flagler more than any other man who has ever
set foot in Florida. ,-34 Why would Carl Fisher say that? Brief biographies of Henry
Flagler and Carl Fisher are provided in the following sections of this report.
31 Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Carl Fisher Papers, Box 1 O, Miami Beach Development
Summaries, H.N. Rodenbaugh Letter, 17 December 1931, p. 2.
32 Ruby Leach Carson, "Forty Years of Miami Beach," Teauesta, volume XV, 1955, pp. 4-5.
33 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 68 and 81-83.
34 Polly Redford, Billion-Dollar Sandbar, 1970, p. 117.
25
Henry Morrison Flagler. Born on January 2, 1830,
Henry Morrison Flagler was the son of a Presbyterian
minister in Hopewell, New York. His parents were
very poor, and he left school at the age of 14 to make
his own way in life. He first worked as a clerk in a
country store in Ohio, then entered the salt
manufacturing business in Michigan, and later the
grain business in Cleveland. He made the
acquaintance of John D. Rockefeller while he was
working in Cleveland. Rockefeller worked for a
merchant through whom Flagler had business
contacts. During the mid 1860's, Cleveland was the
center of the oil refining industry in America, and
Rockefeller left the grain business to start his own oil
refinery. Flagler formed a partnership with John D.
Rockefeller and Samuel Andrews in 1867 for an oil
refining company, which would become the Standard
Oil Company in 1870. By 1872, Standard Oil led the
American oil refining industry producing 10,000
barrels per day.3s
Figure 11 Henry Flagler was the co-
founder of Standard Oil with John D.
Rockefeller in 1867. He was born the
son of a poor minister in 1830. When
he died in 1913, he was one of the
wealthiest men in America.
In 1883, Flagler traveled to St. Augustine where he found the city charming, but the
hotel facilities and transportation systems were inadequate. He became interested in
Florida and its potential to attract out-of-state visitors.3e Flagler's first building venture
in the state was the construction of the Hotel Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine in 1887.
Realizing the need for a sound transportation system for his new hotel, he purchased
the Jacksonville-St. Augustine and Halifax River Railroad and several other lines
consolidating them into the Florida East Coast Railroad (FEC) in 1886. The railroad
was extended to Daytona in 1882, Palm Beach in 1894, and Miami in 1896. In 1905,
Flagler decided the railroad should be extended from Biscayne Bay to Key West, 128
miles past the tip of the Florida peninsula. The Florida Overseas Railroad was
completed when it reached Key West in 1912.37
West Palm Beach was the original terminus for the FEC railroad; however, severe
freezes in the area in 1894 and 1895 caused Flagler to rethink his original decision.
The town known today as Miami, located 60 miles to the south, was reportedly
35 "Biography of Henry Morrison Flagler," Flaaler Museum, 1995.
36 Ibid.
3~ City of Miami Beach Archives, "Henry M. Flagler," Hiahli~hts of Greater Miami, 1953, pp. 18-19.
26
unharmed by the freeze. Prodded by widow Julia Tuttle, Flagler was convinced to
extend the railroad to Miami when he was offered land in exchange for laying rail
tracks. Flagler received half of Tuttle's lands on the north bank of the Miami River and
some land from William Brickell's settlement in Fort Lauderdale. He also acquired land
from the Florida Coast Line Canal and Transportation Company. He invested
$100,000 in the financially strapped canal company; and in return, he received 1,500
acres of land for each mile of the railroad extension that was completed between West
Palm Beach and Miami.as
When the railroad reached Biscayne Bay in 1896, "Flagler dredged a channel, built
streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and financed the town's first
newspaper, the Metropolis. When the town was incorporated in 1896, its citizens
wanted to honor the man responsible for its growth by naming it 'Flagler.' He declined
the honor, persuading them to use an old Indian name, 'Miami. '
Along the FEC railroad route, Flagler built world renowned resort hotels, which
included the Hotel Ponce de Leon and the Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine, the Hotel
Ormond in Ormond, the Royal Poinciana Hotel and the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach,
and the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami. Flagler's hotels and railroad system, which linked
the entire east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Key West, helped to establish
agriculture and tourism as Florida's leading industries.4°
Relative to his personal life, Flagler married Mary Harkness on November 9, 1853.
They had three children, Jennie Louise in 1855, Carrie in 1858, and Harry in 1870.
Following a long illness, Mary died at the age of 47 on May 18, 1881. Two years
after Mary's death, Flagler married Ida Alice Shourds. Ida Alice was institutionalized
for mental illness in 1895. Flagler divorced Ida Alice in 1901. He married Mary Lily
Kenan on August 24, 1901. The couple moved to their Palm Beach estate, Whitehall,
in 1902.4~
Flagler's "...omnipotent sweep into South Florida was not an unprecedented
occurrence from a national perspective. During the latter haft of the nineteenth
century the railroads became one of the most significant factors in America's economic
growth, and railroad executives among the most influential people. Henry Flagler made
38 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 18-19.
39 "Biography of Henry Morrison Flagler," FlaQler Museum, 1995.
40 Ibid.
411bid.
his fortune as a partner and founder, with John D. Rockefeller, of the Standard Oil
Company. Later in fife he became a true railroad tycoon. -42
"(Flagleft invested ~40,000,000 in this practically new state (Florida) with little profit.
From a country store clerk to one of the richest men in the nation required hard work
and little play, but here Flagler found his fun in spending money, transforming
wastelands into playgrounds and gardens. He erected churches, hospitals, schools,
and libraries...insisting always that his gifts be anonymous. A great capitalist, builder,
and humanitarian, Henry M. Flagler died on May 20, 19 13, at the distinguished age
of 83, at his home 'Whitehall' in Palm Beach. -43 (Ironically, Flagler's death occurred
just two days before the Collins Bridge was completed; the bridge was the first link
between Miami and Miami Beach.)
Figure 12 This circa 1912 postcard depicts 8n express train crossing
the famous Long Key Viaduct on the Key West Extension of Flagler's
Florid8 East Coast Railway. The first train arrived in Key West on
January :22, 1912. The Key West Extension was considered one of
Flagler's greatest triumphs and the grand culmination of his legendary
career.
Figure 13 This current photo shows a
close up view of the figure Industry at
the base of the Flagler Memorial. Notice
that the model held in Industry's right
arm matches the design of Flagler's Long
Key Viaduct with a circa 1912 train, as
seen in the historic postcard (left, Figure
12).
42 Metropolitan Dade County, From Wilderness to Metrooolis, 1992, pp. 20-21.
43 City of Miami Beach Archives, "Henry M. Flagler," HiahliQhts of Greater Miami, 1953, p. 19.
28
Carl Graham Fisher. Carl Graham Fisher was born in
Greensburg, Indiana, on January 12, 1874. He left
school after he completed only the sixth grade. At the
age of 12, he sold newspapers and candy on the train
that passed through Greensburg, a town about 50
miles southeast of Indianapolis. His next job was a
clerk in a bookstore, and later he held a position in a
bank. When he was 17 years old, he moved to
Indianapolis with his family where he opened a bicycle
repair shop with his two brothers. Although he never
won any championships, Fisher was popular as a
bicycle racer. His interest in racing led him to the
automobile
In 1904, Fisher broke a record when he drove two
miles in 2.01 minutes around a race track in Chicago.
About the same time, he took a gamble on an
automobile product that would produce millions for
him. He invested 910,000 in the Prest-O-Lite
Company for the development of a gas headlamp
Figure 14 Miami Beach pioneer Carl
Graham Fisher (1874-1939) carved a
great city from a jungle.
which would provide better light and not blow out when motorists increased their
speed. Fisher relinquished his controlling interest in the Prest-O-Lite Company to Union
Carbide for 99,000,000 in order to develop the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In
1909, the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway was completed. It was known as the
greatest automobile race track in the world.4s
In 1912, Fisher dreamed of driving an automobile across the United States from the
east coast to the west at a time when the only cross-country routes were railroads and
old wagon trails. He believed that one way to create a market for automobiles and its
products was to construct better roads and more of them. Fisher was responsible for
building the Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway, later renamed the Lincoln Highway; it was
completed around 1915. Previously, in 1914, Fisher decided to construct a north to
south highway across the United States. This road would provide better access to his
new South Florida project, Miami Beach. The Dixie Highway, which spanned from
Chicago and Upper Michigan to Miami, was completed around 1915.46
44 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 35.
45 Ibid.
46 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 38-39 and 45.
29
But all of these accomplishments were only a prelude to his grandest adventure, as a
primary developer and promoter of Miami Beach. Fisher's arrival in South Florida was
purely accidental. He was supposed to meet his yacht in Jacksonville, but when John
Levi sailed out of the Gulf of Mexico, around Cape Sable, and into Biscayne Bay, he
wired a telegram which said, '~rrived safely. M/am/pretty little town. Why not meet
me here instead of Jacksonville?''47 Fisher arrived in Miami in February of 1910 and
quickly fell in love with the warm tropical breezes. Later that same year, Fisher bought
a house sight unseen, which he named the Shadows, at today's Southeast 14th Street
and Brickell Avenue in Miami.4e
On January 21, 1913, Fisher received 200 acres of land on Miami Beach from John
Collins in exchange for 950,000 in bonds to complete his bridge. Fisher now owned
an undeveloped piece of the peninsula, and it was just the beginning for him. When
Fisher took his young wife, Jane, to see the property, she protested. "'No one knew
why Carl wanted this ribbon of swamp...I refused to see any charm in this deserted
strip of land...But Carl was like a man seeing visions.' Taking a stick and drawing lines
in the sand, Carl bubbled, 'Look, honey, I'm going to build a city here/A city like
magic, like romantic places you read about and dream about, but never see. It's going
to be a place where the old can grow young, and the young never grow old - the sort
of place Ponce de Leon dreamed about. ,,~9
After his investment in the Collins Bridge, Fisher poured millions of dollars into the
development of Miami Beach as a winter playground. He cleared mangrove trees and
dredged and filled swampland. He provided public improvements necessary for any
new city, such as streets, sidewalks, landscaping, bridges, seawalls, water towers,
and water and sewer lines. He built fine residences and office and commercial
buildings. He demonstrated his commitment to Miami Beach when he constructed his
own personal residence, the Shadows, at the foot of Lincoln Road by the Atlantic
Ocean in 1914 and later a private estate at 5010 North Bay Road in 1925. His office
was located at Lincoln Road and Washington Avenue in 191750 and moved to 846
Lincoln Road (now the Van Dyke building) in 1924.
Fisher's first development company, the Alton Beach Realty Company, was formed in
1 91 3. Fisher was also a partner in other development corporations in Miami Beach,
47 Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, pp. 136-138.
48 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 37-38.
49 Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, p. 149.
50 Ruby Leach Carson, "Forty Years of Miami Beach," Teouesta, volume XV, 1955, p. 15.
30
which included the Lummus brothers' Miami Ocean View Company (formed in 1916)
and the Collins family's Miami Beach Bay Shore Company (formed in 1919). He held
financial interests in the Peninsula Terminal Company and the Collins family's Miami
Beach Improvement Company (originally formed in 191
In 1913, Fisher dredged a channel on
the bay side of Miami Beach to
provide yacht access and a
motorboat race course. That same
year he filled in swampy land to
create Belle Isle. In 1918, Fisher
completed the construction of the
first artificial island in Biscayne Bay,
Star Island. In 1920, he finished the
construction of another manmade
island in the bay, Monument Island.
He built La Gorce Island and Allison
Island at the mouth of Indian Creek
around 1923 and later Collins Island
and Johns Island for the Nautilus
Hotel's pool area and cottage colony
in 1924.52
Figure 15 This circa 1922 aerial photo depicts Fisher's
Flamingo Hotel (top-left) overlooking Biscayne Bay. Notice
that motorboat races are underway across from the hotel
(top-right) and in view of the yachts anchored in the basin
(foreground).
Fisher constructed luxury hotels in Miami Beach, such as the Lincoln Hotel in 1916,
the Flamingo Hotel in 1921, the Nautilus Hotel in 1924, the King Cole in 1925, and
the Boulevard Hotel in 1926?3 He financed the construction of a post office and cable
office at Fifth Street in 1920. He built a street car line, an electric power plant (Miami
Beach Electric Company), and a cold-storage plant in 1920. He erected a dairy (Miami
Beach Dairy) near 41 st Street and Prairie Avenue in 1921. Fisher forged Lincoln Road
out of a mangrove jungle and created a trendy shopping district. On Lincoln Road, he
built the City's first permanent church, Miami Beach Community Church, in 1920 and
the Miami Beach First National Bank in 1921. Fisher financed the first public school
on the west side of Washington Avenue between 13th and 14th Street in 1920. He
later donated land for the site of St. Patrick's Catholic Church and School in 1928?4
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 28, 42, 53, 83, and 136.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 42-43, 55, 91, and 109.
City of Miami Beach Archives, "Fisher Hotels," Hiqhliohts of Greater Miami, 1953, p. 74.
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 62-64 and 111-112.
"Whereas most nineteenth-century retreats, including Henry M. Flagler's development
in Palm Beach, emphasized sedentary recuperation and restoration, Rsher's new resort
featured action, including a third 'r,' recreation... The secret of Fisher's ultimate
success in Miami Beach was his ability to draw visitors into a fantasy world. In
essence, he taught many serious, sober-minded, and well-heeled Americans how to
play.
Fisher was determined to attract a
racier set and create a livelier
atmosphere than Flagler's Palm
Beach. He believed that if he
could attract the rich to his
tropical paradise in Miami Beach
he could sell them on investing in
and promoting his adventure.
Fisher provided popular sports of
the wealthy. He conducted
speedboat races in Biscayne Bay
and arranged deep-sea fishing
expeditions for guests. He
constructed four golf courses,
tennis courts, swimming pools,
horse bridle paths, and polo fields.
He created the famous Roman
."";.,.: '..t:!F'-'-' '~
~:,- '~, "':~....~ .~ :.'~.,.'.~: r,,:... '.'. ~. '. !!~; '~,i
"""' '."' L'-,!'
:::,, ~" ·
Figure 16 In 1916, Fisher created the famous Roman Pools at the
former Collins/Pancoast Bathing Casino at 23rd Street and Collins
Avenue. The signature windmill pumped water from two holding
tanks into two swimming pools. Fisher hired nationally renowned
divers and other water acts to entertain the guests.
Pools at the former Collins/Pancoast Bathing Casino at 23rd Street and Collins Avenue
in 191 6.se Miami Beach became America's winter playground.
Fisher was a great promoter of Miami Beach and was considered to be his own best
publicity man. Numerous advertisements and publicity photos of bathing beauties,
bronzed lifeguards, and beach scenes were released for publication in magazines and
newspapers. Fisher attracted large crowds and brought abundant publicity to Miami
Beach when he hosted such popular events as the Miami Mid-Winter Regatta in 1915
and later the La Gorce Open Golf Tournament in 1928. He drew nationally recognized
players for polo matches, golf tournaments, tennis matches, and power boat races in
Miami Beach.57
Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, p. 173.
Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, pp. 178-190.
Ibid.
32
Fisher's promotional flair was exemplified
with the employment of his two
elephants, Carl II (later renamed Nero) in
1921 and then Rosie around 1923.
Besides providing manual labor, these
elephants were the subjects of
thousands of publicity photos.s8 When
President-elect Warren Harding came to
visit Miami Beach in 1921, Fisher fully
capitalized on his stay and was rewarded
when Harding enthusiastically pitched
Miami Beach in a public statement.
Harding said, "This beach is wonderful.
It is developing like magic." Harding
even posed for a picture on the golf
course with Carl's elephant who was
acting as his caddie?9
'
Figure 17 Fisher's elephants, Carl II (later renamed Nero)
and Rosie, were the subjects of thousands of publicity
photos to promote Miami Beach. This circa 1925 photo
depicts a golfer on top of an elephant on the golf course.
In 1925, Fisher purchased approximately 10,000 acres on a remote tip of Long Island,
New York, with the idea of developing a summer resort and deep-water trans-Atlantic
port. He planned to create Montauk Point as a Miami Beach of the North. His new
focus on Montauk marked the decline of Fisher's domination of the Miami Beach
scene. Fisher made a bundle of money in Miami Beach, but Montauk eventually wiped
out his bankroll.e°
Relative to his personal life, Fisher married Jane Watts, a woman 20 years his junior,
on October 23, 1909. They had only one child, Carl Jr., who was born in Indianapolis
on November 13, 1921, and died just 26 days later from a stomach obstruction. In
1922, Carl refused to take part in Jane's adoption of a two-year old boy named John,
nicknamed Jackie. Carl's obsession with his projects and the death of their son drove
a wedge between Jane and him. Carl began to drink heavily. Carl and Jane Fisher
divorced in 1926. Carl Fisher then married his former secretary Margaret Collier in
June of 1927. By the time of Carl's death in 1939, Margaret was living apart from
him in New York?
58 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 79-80 and 124.
59 Mark Foster, Castles in the Sand, 2000, pp. 203-204.
60 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, p. 98.
61 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 35, 94, 88, and 134.
33
On July 15, 1939, Carl Graham Fisher died at the age of 65 at St. Francis Hospital in
the city of his fulfilled dreams, Miami Beach. A memorial to honor Fisher was
constructed at Alton Road and 50th Street. It was designed by Russell Pancoast and
built by Grover Hodge. The original plan was to bury Fisher at the memorial, but his
wife Margaret insisted that his remains be interred in the family mausoleum in
Indianapolis. The memorial dedication ceremony was held in the park on April 10,
1941. The inscription on the Carl Fisher Memorial reads, "He carved a great city from
a jungle. ,~2
Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach, 1994, pp. 135-136.
34
IX. ARCHITECTURAL BACKGROUND
Architectural Background. The Flagler Memorial is located on Monument Island
between the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways in Biscayne Bay. The illuminated
obelisk can be seen both night and day from public and private boat tours on Biscayne
Bay as well as by people traveling on the MacArthur and Venetian Causeways. It is
considered to be a "backyard" landmark to the luxurious private estates on the
neighboring Star Island, Palm Island, Hibiscus Island, and the Venetian Islands.
The construction of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island
was undertaken in 1919 and
completed in 1920 at a cost of
about ~ 125,000. Monument
Island, originally about 3.33
acres in size, was formed from
the filling and expansion of a
parcel of partially submerged
land deposited in Biscayne Bay
in 1913. Carl Fisher
contracted with the John B.
Orr Construction Company, a
popular South Florida builder,
for the erection of the
monument on the tiny remote
island. The memorial
Figure 18 This circa 1920 photo shows a model of the Flagler
Memorial's obelisk and base on display (center). The model is
surrounded by the allegorical figures (as seen from left to right)
Prosperity, Industry, Education, and the Pioneer.
consisted of a 96-foot high obelisk surrounded by allegorical figures of Prosperity,
Industry, Education, and the Pioneer. Nationally recognized sculptors, Ettore Pellegatta
and H.P. Peterson, were commissioned to sculpt the monument.s3 The casting and
installation of the memorial took about three months to finish. (It was reported in
1939 that the original plaster casts were still intact and located in the shop of John
B. Orr, Inc., at 25 N.E. 20th Street in Miami.)s4
Ettore Pellegatta is credited for carving the four allegorical statues at the base of the
Flagler Memorial.6s During a 1956 interview with the Miami Herald, Pellegatta stated
that he was particularly happy about the Flagler Memorial "...because I did the work
63 Smithsonian, Inventories of American Paintina and Sculoture, Flagler Monument.
64 Charles Cromer, "Memorial to Flagler Desecrated by Vandals," Miami Herald, 5 March 1939.
65 Edward Dodge, "Ettore Pellegatta," EncycloPedia of American BioaraDhv, 1968, p. 218.
on that myself. It is a huge work and was done in pieces, which were then fitted
together. The four 18-foot figures...were carved in limestone without benefit of
models. ,~6
The Flagler Memorial is located approximately in
the center of Monument Island. Since its
construction 81 years ago, the once perfectly
circular island has gradually eroded, been built
back up, and eroded again. The island is
presently a rough oval shape about 3.6723
acres in size with an irregular shoreline. In an
aerial photograph from 1922 (see Figure 19),
taken just two years after the monument was
constructed, the shadow cast from the obelisk
over the circular island in conjunction with the
perimeter wooden seawall creates the
appearance of a large sundial.67 Refer to Figure
29 through Figure 34 for aerial photographs
which document the historical evolution of
Monument Island from its original site
conditions to its present physical state.
Figure 19 This aerial photo was taken in 1922
just two years after the Flagler Memorial and
Monument Island were constructed. Notice that
the shadow cast from the obelisk over the once
circular island in conjunction with the perimeter
wooden seawall creates the appearance of a
large sundial.
The memorial is supported by 225 piles driven down into rock and surmounted by a
concrete foundation. A terraced base, 24 square feet in size, rests on this
foundation.se The monumental, four-sided tapered shaft of the solid masonry obelisk
soars 96 feet and culminates in a pyramidal apex. It rises "above the bay's
aquamarine waters like a smooth ivory sword. ,~9 The obelisk features four graceful
statues of heroic size around its two-tiered base. They symbolize Prosperity, Industry,
Education, and the Pioneer. The figures rest upon stacked, rectangular shaped
pedestals with scored blocks. Each two-tiered pedestal is inscribed with the figure's
name in the upper block with "Flagler" underneath. Including the pedestal on which
they stand, the statues are about 25 feet in height. A detailed description of each
statue is provided below.
66 Doris Reno, "Vizcaya & Flagler Sculptor Modest Man," Miami Herald, 9 September 1956.
67 Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection, "Flagler Island Monument," Print Collection,
1922, image no. pr02126.
68 "Monument Is Lasting Tribute to Memory of 'Empire Builder,'" Miami Herald, 29 July 1929, p. 6-D.
69Michael Zimny, "Flagler on the Bay," Florida Historv and the Arts, vol. 9, no. 2, Spring 2001, p. 29.
36
The Pioneer, the southern figure, is a
man dressed in a loose fitting shirt with
an open collar and rolled up sleeves. He
is wearing pants raggedly torn above the
knees and ankle-high boots. A plant
peeks out from behind his legs. The
figure is shading his eyes with his left
hand as he looks south over Biscayne
Bay. He is supporting a shovel with his
right hand, and an ax is slung from a belt
across his right hip. The Pioneer is
symbolic of Flagler's raw ambition to
turn the east coast of Florida from a
wilderness and wasteland into a world
renown tourist destination. (Refer to
Figure 21 and Figure 22 for historic and
current photos of the Pioneer.)
Education, the eastern figure, is a
woman in an Empire style dress with a
high cinched waist. A long flowing
shawl is wrapped around her shoulders.
Her hair is swept up from her stoic face.
She is holding an open book in her left
arm and her right arm is extended with a
partially open hand. Her right foot rests
upon a closed book at her feet.
Education is representative of Flagler's
great humanitarian efforts in Florida
through his generous anonymous
:. :.ii:?-'.!-~....' ..,...:."'...., ...' ..... . .:.:.: ,.~i~;, "..':';.~i~!~','~if
~::~:.-~:-~" i--- ..'..9~.
..'. '.' ,.:li'.i. '.:'-.-
,= .',... ,..... , ~
.
.. ,~;. ~- . , -~ -..- , ,,, '- _ ~
.. .,,.~.....:~
"~'-~;.. ........ ....
.~~.. '~"'~
...,..........,,,
~7 f" ~,, ',~. ,. ,'
.~. '~ .,, ,
' 'h ':;:"..r~i', ....
'~ r',
Figure 20 This circa 1920 postcard po~rays the Flagler
Memorial with close up views of the surrounding
allegorical figures (from left to right) Prosperity, Industry,
Education, and the Pioneer.
donations to not only schools and libraries but also churches and hospitals. It is
interesting that Education was selected as one of the memorial's allegorical figures
because Fisher and Flagler quit school at ages 12 and 14, respectively. (See Figure
23 and Figure 24 for historic and current images of Education.)
Industry, the northern figure, is a man in a Roman toga with a bare right shoulder and
open toe sandals on his feet. A Classical pedestal is located behind his left leg. Short
hair frames his somber face. Industry grasps a partially unfurled parchment scroll in
his left hand and a model train mounted on a viaduct in his right arm. The model train
and viaduct held by Industry matches the design of Henry Flagler's Long Key Viaduct
on the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway with a circa 1912 train
(see Figure 12). Industry is symbolic of Flagler's railroad system which connected the
37
entire east coast of Florida from Jacksonville to Key West. The railroad was a
significant player in the transportation of fruits and vegetables to northern markets.
Flagler's construction of world renown hotel resorts along the railroad route helped to
establish the tourist industry along the east coast of Florida. (Refer to Figure 25 and
Figure 26 for historic and current photos of Industry.)
Prosperity, the western figure, is a woman dressed in flowing Classical robes with a
purse slung low over her right hip. A pointed crown rests carefully on her head of
upswept hair. Prosperity is holding a piece of fruit in her right outstretched hand and
a cornucopia (a horn which symbolizes an abundant supply of food and drink) filled
with fruit in her left arm. The figure represents the economic prosperity Flagler brought
to the east coast of Florida through the extension of the FEC railroad and his numerous
contributions to the development of the cities along the way. The cornucopia
symbolizes the agricultural prosperity of Florida. Flagler's railroad enabled fresh
produce from Florida to be shipped to previously unavailable northern markets, and
thus established agriculture as a leading industry in the state. (See Figure 27 and
Figure 28 for historic and current images of Prosperity.)
It is worth mentioning that Flagler's Hotel Ponce de Leon (now Flagler College), built
in St. Augustine in 1887, featured allegorical figures in the murals painted by George
Maynard on the rotunda dome. The two sets of allegorical female figures alternated
in the coves of the dome. The first set symbolized Adventure, Civilization, Conquest,
and Discovery. The other set of figures represented Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Although it may be coincidental, these allegorical figures may have inspired a similar
theme for the design of the Flagler Memorial.7°
70 Thomas Graham, "Henry M. Flagler's Hotel Ponce de Leon," The Wolfsonian/Florida International
Universitv Journal of Decorative and ProDaaanda Arts, volume 23, 1998, p. 103.
THE PIONEER
The Southern Figure of the Flagler Memorial
..:....
.,~
Figure 21 This historic ohoto was taken of the Pioneer, the southern
figure of the Flagler Memorial, together with Prosperity (left) and
Education (right) in May of 1921. The Pioneer is a man dressed in a
loose fitting shirt with an open collar and rolled up sleeves. He is
wearing pants raggedly torn above the knees and ankle-high boots. A
plant peeks out from behind his legs. The figure is shading his eyes
with his left hand as he looks south over Biscayne Bay. He is
supposing a shovel with his right hand, and an ax is slung from a belt
across his right hip.
Figure 22 This current ohoto of the Pioneer was taken on May 18,
2001. It shows the present deteriorated conditions of the Flagler
Memorial's figures and obelisk.
EDUCATION
The Eastern Figure of the Flagler Memorial
Figure 23 This hietoric Photo was taken of Education, the eastern
figure of the Flaglet Memorial, together with the Pioneer (left) and
IndustrV (right) on May 10, 1 g25. Education is a woman in an Empire
stVle dress with a high cinched waist. A long flowing shawl is
wrapped around her shoulders. She is holding an open book in her left
arm aria her righ~ arm is extended wiffi a ~a~iallV o~en hand. Her righ~
foot re~$ u~on a olosea ~ook a~ her ~ee~.
.~; '.'.~'-~-~ ~:;;' .......
Figure 24 This current ohoto of Education was taken on May 18,
2001, It shows the present deteriorated conditions of the Flagler
Memorial's figures and obelisk,
40
INDUSTRY
The Northern Figure of the Flagler Memorial
Figure 25 This historic photo was taken of Industry, the northern
figure of the Flagler Memorial, together with Education (left) and
Prosperity (right) on May 10, 1921. Industry is a man in a Roman toga
with open toe sandals on his feet. A Classical pedestal is located
behind his left leg. He grasps a partially unfurled parchment scroll in
his left hand and a model train mounted on a viaduct in his right arm.
The model train and viaduct held by Industry matches the design of
Henry Flagler's Long Key Viaduct on the Key West Extension of the
Florida East Coast Railway with a circa 1912 train (see Figure 12).
Figure 26 This current ohoto of Industry was taken on April 21,2001.
It shows the present deteriorated conditions of the Flagler Memorial's
figures and obelisk.
41
PROSPERITY
The Western Figure of the Flagler Memorial
Figure 27 This historic photo was taken of Prosperity, the western
figure of the Flagler Memorial, together with Industry (left) and the
Pioneer (right) on May 10, 1922. Prosperity ~s a woman dressed in
flowing Classical robes with a purse slung low over her right hip. A
pointed crown rests carefully on her head. The figure is holding a
piece of fruit in her right outstretched hand and a cornucopia filled
with fruit in her left arm.
Figure 28 This current
photo of Prosperity
was taken on May
18, 2001. It shows
the present
deteriorated
conditions of the
Flagler Memorial's
figures and obelisk.
42
THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF MONUMENT ISLAND
Figure 29 As seen in this 1922 aerial photo,
taken just two years after its construction,
Monument Island was once a perfectly circular
island (about 3.33 acres in size) with wooden
bulkheads. The Flagler Monument was located
in the exact center of the island.
Figure 32 In 1971, Monument Island was rebuilt
from material that was dredged from Biscayne
Bay. The originally circular island was now a
rough oval shape (about 3.6723 acres in size)
with an irregular shoreline.
Figure 30 This circa 1935 aerial photo reveals
that Monument Island was casually landscaped
with trees. Notice that the landfill around the
perimeter of the island was already eroded by
the bay water currents and tides. In 1938, the
City replaced the island's wooden bulkheads.
Figure 33 This recent aerial photo of Monument
Island was taken sometime after a large fire in
1998. A careless picnicker set the island ablaze
and destroyed $250,000 worth of landscaping.
Figure 31 By 1969, the east side of Monument
Island was eroded, as can be seen by the water
shadow of the original large circle in this photo.
The Flagler Memorial was dangerously close to
being swallowed by the surrounding bay water.
43
Figure 34 This current photo of the Flagler
Memorial was taken from a boat looking at the
north side of the island on April 21, 2001.
Notice that the landscaping on Monument Island
is now overgrown.
Natural and Human Dama~Jes. The Flagler Memorial and Monument Island were
deeded to the City of Miami Beach by Fisher's Alton Beach Realty Company for a sum
of ten dollars on February 13, 1939? The City took responsibility for the upkeep of
the memorial and island prior to their acquisition of the property. In 1938, the City
replaced the original wooden bulkheads around the island after they became unsightly
and dangerous for navigation (see Figure 30)?2
Accessible only by boat, the remote Monument Island has been a favorite haven and
picnic spot for boaters throughout the years. Unfortunately, the Flagler Memorial's
isolated location in the bay has made it susceptible to both natural and human
damages.
On March 5, 1939, the Miami Herald reported: "Vandals have left their marks,
someone even going to the trouble of climbing the 30-foot statue of the figure
symbolizing 'Prosperity,' to daub with red paint the lips of the heroic character.
'Prosperity's' cheeks similarly have been smeared grotesquely with paint and the
'vandal artist' even added heavy black eyebrows. Bases on the figures are marked
with names in black and red paint. The figure of 'Education' is marred with a skull and
cross bones at the base. Many initials smear the base of the 'Pioneer,' while 'Industry'
is as badly marked up... In order to land on the island and get close enough to observe
the truly heroic proportions of the statue, one must wade through the water, clamber
over slippery clay and then trek through thorny grass... Miami's only memorial shaft
to the genius that was Henry M. Flagler's thus goes to waste in an unkempt
wilderness. Inaccessible to the public... (tourists are unable to land on the island)
... who might photograph and immortalize in truth the name of a great man and a great
work of art. -73
In 1940, the vandal-defaced Flagler Memorial was repaired by one of the same
sculptors who created it, Ettore Pellegatta. The City awarded Pellegatta a $2,500
contract to restore the monument. He worked for five weeks on the restoration of the
Flagler Memorial. Pellegatta's work on the monument included the removal of paint
smeared on by the vandals, the repair of any damages caused by natural deterioration,
and the replacement of any missing parts from the statues' hands and arms.74 To
prevent further damages, the City installed floodlights to illuminate the monument at
71 City of Miami Beach, City Clerk's Office, FlaQler Memorial Park, File No. WD-26, Warranty Deed
from the Alton Beach Realty Company, recorded 13 February 1939, book 1945, p. 181.
72 Charles Cromer, "Memorial to Flagler Desecrated by Vandals," Miami Herald, 5 March 1939.
73 Ibid.
74 "Vandal-Defaced Flagler Isle Restored by Original Artist," Miami Herald, 23 June 1940.
44
night and constructed a small
fence around the memorial.75
By 1969, the Flagler Memorial had
fallen back into disrepair, and
tides were quickly eroding the
east side of the island (see Figure
31). The once centrally located
monument now stood at the far
eastern edge of the island with
high tide rising to less than two
feet from its base. The
monument was in serious danger
of being swallowed by the
surrounding bay water. It was
reported that the fence had
collapsed and was often under
Figure 35 By 1969, the Flagler Memorial had fallen into disrepair,
and tides were quickly eroding the east side of Monument Island.
water, the floodlights were now rusted in the bay, and the beach had disappeared.
The landscaping around the base of the monument was replaced with weeds and sand
spurs.76
In an effort to relieve the City of future maintenance of the monument and island,
Miami Beach once considered transferring the ownership of the property to the Federal
Government. On September 1, 1971, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously
passed a resolution endorsing the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as a national
moRument,77
On September 13, 1971, Congressman Claude Pepper introduced a bill to the United
States House of Representatives, which reads in part, "That the Secretary of the
Interior is authorized and directed to acquire, by donation from the city of Miami
Beach, Florida, the Flagler Monument located near such city, and such of the
surrounding real property as he deems appropriate for its use and development as a
national monument. Upon acquisition, such property shall be designated as the Flagler
National Monument. The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park
Service, shall administer, protect, develop, and maintain the Flagler National
75 Susan Burnside, "Prosperity Drowning," Miami Herald, 27 December 1970.
76 Edna Buchanan, "Flaglet Monument Falling Victim to Tides?" Miami Beach Sun, 26 February 1969.
?? "Monument Backed," Miami Beach Sun, September 2, 1971.
45
Monument. "7a The bill was referred to the Committee of Interior and Insular Affairs.
Although the site was inspected by the State Historic Preservation Officer on
December 1, 1971, it appears that no other action was taken to designate the Flagler
Memorial as a national monument.
Perhaps the reason why the national monument designation was not pursued further
was that the City discovered a way to address the island's severe erosion problem.
In a newspaper article from October 28, 1971, it was revealed that a solution to save
the memorial and island had been found. The City was coordinating with a dredging
company who was doing work on the Miami side of the bay. The company had
excess dredge material and volunteered to barge the fill over to Miami Beach to repair
the eroded island.79 The island was to be rebuilt from material that was dredged from
the bay bottom of the Intracoastal Waterway just off the Venetian Causeway (see
Figure 32). The commencement of the rebuilding of the island was announced in a
newspaper article from December 14, 1971; it stated, "Prosperity, whose statue has
been in danger of drowning along with Industry, Education, and Pioneering, is winning
a reprieve from the depths of Biscayne Bay. ,~o
Although the Flagler Memorial maintains its original architectural integrity, it suffers
from vandalism and a deteriorated condition due to many years of deferred
maintenance prior to Miami Beach's recent economic revitalization, One of the
greatest damages to Monument Island was done in 1998 when a careless picnicker
set it ablaze and destroyed $250,000 worth of landscaping (see Figure 33). The
island endures overgrown vegetation and piles of garbage (see Figure 34). Litter is a
constant problem from jet skiers and boaters who frequent the remote island. A
disjointed effort by the City, Miami-Dade County, and the private sector to address
these issues has met with little success in the past.
Presently, public and private funds are actively being sought in order to establish one
single continuous effort for the restoration and regular maintenance of not only the
Flagler Memorial but other historically significant monuments throughout Miami
Beach.el The future of Monument Island is being discussed with nearby island
residents. Several of the issues raised so far focus on the island's accessibility to the
public, types of amenities to be offered (if any), development of a landscaping plan,
78 Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Flaeler Memorial Fil~, H.R. 10611, 13
September 1971.
79 Linda Kleindienst, "Monument May Be Saved,"' Miami Beach Sun, 28 October 1971.
8o "Prosperity Gets More Front Yard," Miami Herald, 14 December 1971.
81 Lissette Corsa, "Statuetory Rape," Miami New Times, 6 July 2000.
46
addressing shoreline stabilization, and establishing a continuous maintenance program.
Restoration and appropriate renovation of the Flagler Memorial and Monument Island
could be successfully completed by careful analysis of on-site conditions and high
quality historical photographs. Despite its deteriorated condition, the Flagler Memorial
is a landmark which represents the architectural and cultural history of not only Miami
Beach but also the entire South Florida region. Adjusting for scale, the Flagler
Memorial is the local equivalent to the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, and it is
a monument designed to attract attention to a prominent figure in American history.
47
John B. Orr. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, on August 26,
1886, John B. Orr received his early education in the
public schools of Camalachie, Newlands, and Glasgow.
He studied at the West of Scotland Technical College Art
School. This scholastic training was followed by an
apprenticeship of six years as an ornamental plasterer and
modeler. After his apprenticeship, he traveled 18 months
in the United States and Canada. In 1907, he returned to
Glasgow and started a business at the age of 21. After
two years, he sold his business in Glasgow and moved to
the United States in 1909.82
f
In 1911, Orr established a business in Miami as a
plasterer, modeler, mason contractor, and general
contractor. He built up his business, the John B. Orr
Construction Company, with skilled workmen and opened
offices in Miami, Palm Beach, and Atlanta. During the
Land Development Boom of the 1920's, Orr was known
for fine plastering, stucco and mason work, and
construction throughout Florida.sa
Figure 36 During the Land
Development Boom of the 1920's,
John B. Orr was known for his fine
ornamental detailing and
construction work throughout
Florida.
"Mr. Orr's influence in the development of the artistic possibilities of plaster, stucco,
and cement is national in its scope, and for a number of years he has served as a
member of the Advisory Committee on the Treatment of Concrete and Stucco
Surfaces in the American Concrete Institute. His services as an interior and exterior
decorator are in constant demand, and this branch of his work in now of considerable
importance and necessitates a large staff of skilled decorators being constantly
maintained to undertake contacts in the Southern States. ,~4
Examples of Orr's work in plaster, stucco, and masonry include: the Helene
Apartments, Pancoast Hotel, and Nautilus Hotel in Miami Beach (all now demolished);
the James Deering estate (Villa Vizcaya), McAIlister Hotel, Strand Hotel, Clyde Court
Apartments, Miami National Bank, and Lorraine Arcade Buildings in Miami; the
Everglades Club, Danse De Mer, and numerous residences in Palm Beach; the Lake
Court Apartments, Good Samaritan Hospital, El Verano Hotel, Palm Beach Guaranty
Building, and Citizens Investment Building in West Palm Beach; the Casa Marina Hotel
82 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "John B. Orr," Florida: The East Coast, circa 1924, p. 117.
83 Ibid.
84 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "John B. Orr," Florida: The East Coast, circa 1924, p. 250.
48
in Key West; the Ft. Lauderdale Bank and Trust Company Building in Fort Lauderdale;
the Orange Court Apartments and San Juan Hotel in Orlando; the El Soreno Hotel in
St. Petersburg; the Bon Air Hotel in Augusta, Georgia; and the Wesley Memorial
Hospital and the Henry C. Heinz residence in Atlanta, Georgia.as
Orr was recognized for his superior workmanship in ornamental detailing on Kiehnel
and Elliot's El Jardin (now the Carrollton School) at 3747 Main Highway, Miami, in
1917 and later Schultze and Weaver's Daily News Tower (today's Freedom Tower) at
600 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, in 1925. "The fine craftsmanship of the intricate cast
stone decoration and wrought iron grillwork is a trademark of John B. Orr, builder of
some of the major construction projects in the Miami area during the boom years (of
the 1920's). ,~6
As a general contractor, Orr constructed Jim Allison's hospital at 250 West 63rd
Street on Allison Island in Miami Beach in 1925. Allison Hospital (later renamed St.
Francis Hospital) was built at a cost of 93.5 million. The three-story Spanish-style
building was designed by August Geiger. The state-of-the-art hospital catered to the
wealthy.a7
In 1925, Orr was the general contractor for the canal front residence at 1818 Michigan
Avenue in Miami Beach. The structure was designed by the internationally recognized
firm of Schultze and Weaver as a model apartment for a luxury apartment building
called Villa Biscayne, which never materialized. This building was widely publicized
in its time in tinted postcards and atmospheric photographs which depict its Venetian-
style canal front complete with gondolas.ae
Orr was the general contractor for Kiehnel and Elliot's Scottish Rite Temple at 471
N.W. Third Street, Miami, in 1922. He constructed the Central Arcade Building and
Tatum Building in Miami. Orr built magnificent residences for John Bindley in Coconut
Grove, James Stanley Joyce, John B. Semple, M.A. Mead, Mrs. Soden Bigler, C.H.
Foster, A.C. Batelie, J.L. Parsons, F.J. Osius, B.F. Tobin, and A.W. Franz.a9
250.
s5 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "John B. Orr," Florida: The East Coast, circa 1924, pp. 117 and
86 Metropolitan Dade County, From Wilderness to Metrooolis, 1992, pp. 102-103 and 139.
87 Howard Kleinberg, Miemi Beach, 1994, pp. 109-110.
88 City of Miami Beach, Planning Department, Palm View Historic District Desianation Reoort, 1999,
pp. 14 and 16.
89 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "John B. Orr," Florida: The East Coast, circa 1924, p. 250.
49
Examples of the John B. Orr Construction Company's sculpture work in Miami Beach
include Carl Fisher's Flagler Memorial on Monument Island in 1920 and various statues
erected on the Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of 41 st Street and Alton Road, such
as "The Polo Player" in 1923 and "The Great Spirit" in 1924. Orr also built an
ornamental fountain for John Collins in 1924 still standing in today's Liebman Square
just south of 41 st Street on Pinetree Drive.s°
A 1922 advertisement for the
John B. Orr Construction
Company in the Miami Herald
reads, "Service beyond the
contract. When you think of
building, think of Orr. James
Stanley Joyce residence,
Flagler Memorial, John Bindley
residence, and the Scottish
Rite Temple - Four monuments
to the science of building with
speed and precision as
embodied in the modern
methods, we...produce
masterpieces in keeping with
'ORR' achievements. Your
every desire and expectation
fulfilled. ... The efficient,
painstaking work of this
organization in which
constructive skill and the
handiwork of Master Artists
are combined in buildings of
beauty as well as utility. '~
Orr took an active part in
various fraternal organizations,
such as the James Carnell
Lodge of Masons, Simon
Cyrene Commandery, Knights
Templar, Miami Consistory,
I
Figure 37 This ad for the John B. Orr Construction Company was
published in the Miami Herald on November 14, 1922.
City of Miami Beach, Building Permit Card No. 97, 41 st Street and Pinetree Drive.
"John B. Orr, Service Beyond the Contract," Miami Herald, 14 November 1922.
50
Morocco Temple, and Mystic Shrine. In 1921, Orr served as Master of Kodosh in the
Scottish Rites Masons. He served as president of the Miami Shrine Club from 1920
until 1921 and later as potentate of the Mahi Shrine Temple.92
Relative to Orr's personal life, he married Esther Strandell and had two children, John
B., Jr., and Ellen Mary. They resided at 1797 N.E. 18th Street in Miami. Orr's
business was located at 147-149 N.E. 6th Street and later at 25 Northeast 20th
Street in Miami.93
92 Miami Public Library, Florida Room, "John B. Orr," Florida: The East Coast, circa 1924, p. 250.
93 Ibid.
Ettore Pellegatta. Sculptor Ettore Pellegatta was born in .,"
Viggiu, near Milan, Italy, on February 16, 1881. Luigi ~...~.
Pellegatta, his father who died in 1882, was a sculptor "'-
famous for his monuments throughout Italy and elsewhere.
Ettore Pellegatta studied at the Milan Academy of Art. After
working in Northern Italy and serving two years of military
service, he came to the United States in 1901 where his
brother was already established as a sculptor.94 Pellegatta
was an artist who sculpted custom work for clients.
Pellegatta created sculptures for many of the public buildings
in New York City, one of his most noted works being the
lions guarding the entrance to the New York City Public
Library. Some of his other works include the huge capitals
in the main nave of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and
some of the detail work on the Columbia University Building.
He also worked on the front pediment of Grand Central
Figure 38 Ettore Pellegatta
was a nationally recognized
sculptor who worked in South
Florida, New York, and
Washington, D.C.
Terminal by carving the outstretched arm and head of Mercury. In Washington, D.C.,
he worked on the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and the two enormous
sphinx for the Masonic Temple.95
In 1915, he was one of nine sculptors who
moved to Miami to work on James Deering's
Neo-Renaissance estate, Villa Vizcaya. Since
he always had a longing for the tropics, he
immediately fell in love with Miami and decided
to stay. Pellegatta worked in Vizcaya's gardens
for five years and later was called back annually
to repair damages to the outdoor sculpture.
While working at Vizcaya, he carved garden
statues and decorations on many of the gates
and smaller buildings. He is noted for carving
the figures on the bow of the landmark stone
boat in front of Vizcaya in Biscayne Bay.9e
Figure 39 This photo provides a close view of
the mermaid carved by Pellegatta in 1915 on the
bow of the great stone barge in front of Villa
Vizcaya in Biscayne Bay.
94 Edward Dodge, "Ettore Pellegatta," Encvclooedia of American Biooraohv, 1968, pp. 217-218.
~5 Ibid.
~6 Doris Reno, "Vizcaya & Flagler Sculptor Modest Man," Miami Herald, 9 September 1956.
52
After leaving Vizcaya, the artist went
to work with the John B. Orr
Construction Company, which
employed four sculptors at that time.
While Orr was under contract with
Carl Fisher, Pellegatta sculpted the
four statues at the base of the Flagler
Memorial in 1920. He created
various statues for Carl Fisher's
Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of
41st Street and Alton Road, which
include a collection of sporting
statues in 1923, "The Polo Player" in
1923, and "The Great Spirit" in
1924.97
Figure 40 Sculpted by Pellegatta in 1923, the statue of two
polo players on horseback identified the polo fields east of the
Nautilus Hotel (seen in background).
"The Polo Player" is now located in Polo Park on the Nautilus School grounds at North
Michigan Avenue and West 42nd Street. It is one of three statues depicting polo
players (the others now destroyed) which were located at the polo fields east of the
former Nautilus Hotel.99 The statues which portrayed models fishing, golfing, playing
tennis, and bathing on Collins Island as part of the Nautilus Hotel grounds are all now
destroyed
"The Great Spirit" depicts a Native American in a chief's headdress mounted on a
horse with its head lowered to the ground. It originally stood near the Nautilus Hotel
with another of Pellegatta's Native American works, "The End of the Trail."~°° "The
Great Spirit" was relocated in 1959 from the Nautilus Hotel grounds to its present
location just south of 41 st Street on Pinetree Drive. "The End of the Trail" reportedly
was moved to Key West, but it hasn't been seen since its relocation.''~°~
Pellegatta later established his own studio in the Paramount Building in Miami where
he carved six life-size nudes for the interior of the theater. In Miami, he was
responsible for the capitals at the Main Post Office, the statues atop the Huntington
97 Ibid.
98 Smithsonian, Inventories of American Paintina and Sculoture, The Polo Player.
99 Smithsonian, Inventories of American Paintina and Sculoture, John B. Orr.
10o Elizabeth Morgan, "'Spirit' Rides Again," Miami Herald, 22 December 1980.
101 Ibid.
Building, and the door carvings on the First Federal Bank.~°2 He executed works for
the Boca Raton Country Club, and he worked on many of the public buildings in Coral
Gables, Boca Raton, Hollywood, Miami, and Miami Beach. After retiring in 1940, he
continued to make small carvings.~°3
During an interview with the Miami
Herald in 1956, the modest Pellegatta
wondered why he would be the subject
of a story since he had already been
retired for 15 years. He said that he had
only one mild regret: that so much of
the work he did on the facades of Miami
buildings had been destroyed, or soon
will be destroyed, in the interest of
"modernization." He asked, "What's
there so attractive about straight up-and-
downess in a building?" Pellegatta was
brought up in the tradition of anonymous
architectural decoration as an integral
part of the building trade. He believed
that building decoration should be done,
Figure 41 Around 191 O, Pellegatta sculpted the famous
lions guarding the entrance to the New York Public
Library at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Over the years,
passing library patrons have developed a ritual of patting
the lions.
as it always has been, anonymously by good craftsmen who are thinking not of fame
but merely of doing good strong work that will last.TM
Relative to his personal life, Pellegatta married Lina Casartelli in Bergamo, Italy, on
April 27, 1 913. They had two children, Hector and Ethel. After Lina died in 1941,
Ettore married for the second time to Amelia Galli in Brooklyn, New York.~°s They
resided at 325 N.E. 31st Street in Miami. Hector Pellegatta "broke the line of
sculptors in the family." Ettore's daughter, Ethel Muffatti (later Ethel Stanley), became
a commercial artist.~°a On September 6, 1966, Ettore Pellegatta died at the age of 85
in Miami.
Doris Reno, "Vizcaya & Flagler Sculptor Modest Man," Miami Herald, 9 September 1956.
Edward Dodge, "Ettore Pellegatta," Encyclopedia of American BioQraDhv, 1968, pp. 217-218.
Doris Reno, "Vizcaya & Flagler Sculptor Modest Man," Miami Herald, 9 September 1956.
Edward Dodge, "Ettore Pellegatta," Encvclooedia of American BioQraDhv, 1968, pp. 217-218.
Doris Reno, "Vizcaya & Flagler Sculptor Modest Man," Miami Herald, 9 September 1956.
54
Other Sculptural Work. The following historic photographs document examples of sculptural work
executed by the John B. Orr Construction Company and artist Ettore Pellegatta in Miami Beach.
These statues were created for Carl Fisher's Nautilus Hotel grounds just north of West 41 st Street
and Alton Road during the mid-1920's. The Nautilus Hotel opened its doors on January 10, 1924.
The hotel was converted to a military hospital during World War II. Immediately after the war, it
became a veteran's hospital. In 1949, it was purchased from the Veteran's Administration by
Mount Sinai. The structure was demolished in 1968 to make room for more additions and buildings
for the growing medical center.~°7
Figure 42 Created in
1923, the polo player
statues (Figure 42
and Figure 43) were
located on the polo
fields just east of the
Nautilus Hotel. The
polo fields were
bounded by West
46th Street to the
north, West 41 st
Street to the south,
Alton Road to the
west, and North
Meridian Avenue to
the east. The polo
player statues (left)
, are now destroyed.
Figure 44 Created in
1923, this statue
featured a saddled
polo horse with a polo
cap and mallet at his
feet. It was situated
by the horse barns
just south of the
Nautilus polo fields.
The riderless polo
horse is now
destroyed.
Figure 43 "The Polo
Player" still exists
today. It is now
located in Polo Park
on the Nautilus
School grounds at
North Michigan
Avenue and West
42nd Street.
Figure 45 Erected in
1924, "The Great
Spirit" statue may
originally have been
located just west of
the Miami Beach
Garden in a median
island bordered by
Alton Road, North
Bay Road, and West
41 st Street. It would
have identified the
nearby southern
entrance to the
Nautilus polo fields.
The statue was
relocated to its
present site at
Pinetree Drive and
41 st Street in 1959.
Agnes Ash, "Nice Things They Did with Moses' Money," Miami News, 15 November 1964.
Figure 46 Created in
1923, these sporting
;"' statues (Figure 46,
47, and 48) were
located on Collins
island as part of Carl
Fisher's Nautilus
Hotel grounds. Collins
Island (dedicated to
John Collins) provided
.. a cottage community.
{ The neighboring
Johns Island (named
after John Levi)
featured a swimming
-: pool and cabanas.
These manmade
islands were infilled
for the construction
of the Julie Tuttle
· :':""""' :Causeway in 9s9.
............ ~;..,,.- ..-, ~,~..--1~e~."'~ ~"~'" '~- The sporting statues
.... ::;~;:":' ........... '~:': "' ~' are all now destroyed.
./
," ~ ., Figure 48 This
. '.i'.' .~', '. monument depicted a
::! ~ man spear fishing,
' The statue may have
commemorated
Captain Charlie
:.' Thompson's catching
· of "The World's
~ Largest Fish,"
:: sometimes called
Figure 47 Carl Fisher
constructed luxury
resort hotels on the
bayside in Miami
Beach. He provided
popular sports of the
wealthy to attract
them to his tropical
paradise, such as golf
courses, tennis
courts, swimming
pools, motorboat
races, deep-sea
fishing expeditions,
horse bridle paths,
and polo fields. This
statue (left) portrayed
a woman playing golf.
56
PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
Criteria for Designation: The Planning Department finds the proposed Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island Historic Site to be in compliance with the
Criteria for Designation listed in Section 118-592 in the Land Development
Regulations of the City Code.
Site Boundaries: On June 12, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed
the preliminary evaluation report and adopted the boundaries as recommended
by the Planning Department for the proposed designation of the Flagler
Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site. (Refer to Section IV,
Description of Boundaries, for more information.)
On November 13, 2001, the Historic Preservation Board unanimously approved
a motion (6 to 0; 1 absence) to recommend approval of the designation of the
Flagler Memorial and Monument Island as an historic site in accordance with
staff recommendations, as reflected in this designation report.
On January 22, 2002, the Planning Board unanimously approved a motion (7
to 0) to recommend approval of the designation of the Flagler Memorial and
Monument Island as an historic site.
Areas Subject to Review: The Planning Department recommends that the
following areas within the boundaries of the proposed historic site shall be
subject to review by the Historic Preservation Board: all exterior elevations of
the Flagler Memorial, all site and landscape features of Monument Island, all
new construction on the historic site (inclusive of structures, docks, and ramps),
and all improvements to the perimeter of the island.
Review Guidelines: The Planning Department recommends that a decision on
an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness shall be based upon
compatibility of the physical alteration or improvement with surrounding
properties and where deemed applicable in substantial compliance with the
following:
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines
for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, as revised from time to time;
Other guidelines/policies/plans adopted or approved by resolution or
ordinance by the City Commission;
Cm
All additional criteria as listed under Sections 118-564(b) and 118-564(c)
in the Land Development Regulations of the City Code;
57
City of Miami Beach Design Guidelines as adopted by the Joint Design
Review/Historic Preservation Board on October 12, 1993, amended June
7, 1994, as may be revised from time to time.
58
XI. FIGURE INDEX
Figure 1:
Figure 2:
Figure 3:
Figure 4:
Figure 5:
Figure 6:
Figure 7:
Figure 8:
Figure 9:
Figure 10:
Figure 11:
Figure 12:
Figure 13:
Figure 14:
Figure 15:
(Cover, Photo Left) Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic
Collection. Print Collection. "Flagler Monument," circa 1920, image no.
pr09324.
(Cover, Photo Right) Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic
Collection. Wendler Collection. "Pioneer Figure of the Flagler Island
Monument," May 1921, image no. we031.
Lake County Museum, Wauconda, Illinois. Curt Teich Postcard Archives.
"Sightseeing Boat Passing the Flagler Monument and Flamingo Hotel:
Miami Beach, Florida," postcard, circa 1948.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Postcard
Collection. "Royal Palm Hotel and Grounds: Miami, Florida (1896-
1930)," date unknown, image no. pc2180.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Wendler
Collection. "Aerial View of Fisher Island and Terminal Island," 1918,
image no. we164.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. General
Collection. "Opening of Collins Bridge: Miami, Florida," 191 3, image no.
n028477.
Nash, Charles Edgar. The Magic of Miami Beach. Philadelphia: David
McKay Company, 1938, p. 48c, "Norman H. Davis," photograph, circa
1914.
Larry Wiggins Private Postcard Collection, Homestead, Florida. "Star and
Venetian Islands, Made By Man: Miami, Florida," Miami, Florida: J.N.
Chamberlain, postcard, circa 1922.
Arva Moore Parks Private Collection. Richard B. Holt. "Looking Along
Venetian Way to Miami from Miami Beach," photograph, circa 1924.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Matlack Collection. "Miami
Beach Statues: Flagler Memorial," circa 1920.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. General
Collection. "Portrait of Henry M. Flagler (1830-1913)," date unknown,
image no. n045490.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. General
Collection. "Train Crossing a Viaduct: Long Key, Florida," circa 1912,
image no. n039032.
City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Industry Figure of the Flagler
Memorial, photograph, 18 May 2001.
Nash, Charles Edgar. The Magic of Miami Beach. Philadelphia: David
McKay Company, 1938, p. 48e, "Carl Graham Fisher (1874-1939),"
photograph, date unknown.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Print Collection.
"Flamingo Hotel and Yacht Basin," circa 1922, image no. pr06938.
59
Figure 16:
Figure 17:
Figure 18:
Figure 19:
Figure 20:
Figure 21:
Figure 22:
Figure 23:
Figure 24:
Figure 25:
Figure 26:
Figure 27:
Figure 28:
Figure 29:
Figure 30:
Figure 31:
Figure 32:
Figure 33:
Figure 34:
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Postcard
Collection. "Miami Beach Casino Swimming Pool," postmarked in 1923,
image no. pc2147g.
Kleinberg, Howard. Miami Beach: A History. Miami, Florida: Centennial
Press, 1994, p. 80, "Nero or Rosie," photograph, circa 1925.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida. General Photoc~raphic Collection.
"Miami Beach Statues: Flagler Memorial," circa 1920.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Print Collection.
"Flagler Island Monument," 1922, image no. pr02126.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Print Collection.
"Flagler Monument," circa 1920, image no. pr09324.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Wendler
Collection. "Pioneer Figure of the Flagler Island Monument," May 1921,
image no. we031.
City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Pioneer Figure of the Flagler
Memorial, photograph, 18 May 2001.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Matlack Collection. "Miami
Beach Statues: Flagler Memorial," 10 May 1925, photo no. 6-15.
City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Education Figure of the
Flagler Memorial, photograph, 18 May 2001.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Matlack Collection. 'Miami
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City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Industry Figure of the Flagler
Memorial, photograph, 21 April 2001.
Historical Museum of Southern Florida. Matlack Collection. "Miami
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City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Prosperity Figure of the
Flagler Memorial, photograph, 18 May 2001.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Print Collection.
"Flagler Island Monument," 1922, image no. pr02126.
Miami Herald. "Prosperity Gets More Front Yard," 14 December 1971.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Wendler
Collection. "Aerial View of Flagler Island and Monument Before
Restoration," 1969, image no. we030.
Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. Wendler
Collection. "Aerial View of Flagler Island and Monument After
Restoration," 1972, image no. we029.
Zimny, Michael. Florida History and the Arts. "Flagler on the Bay,"
volume 9, no. 2, Spring 2001, p. 29, "Monument Island," photograph,
circa 1998.
City of Miami Beach, Planning Department. Monument Island,
photograph, 21 April 2001.
60
Figure 35:
Figure 36:
Figure 37:
Figure 38:
Figure 39:
Figure 40:
Figure 41:
Figure 42:
Figure 43:
Figure 44:
Figure 45:
Figure 46:
Figure 47:
Figure 48:
Miami Beach Sun. "Is Flagler Memorial Sinking into Bay?" 26 February
1969.
Miami Public Library, Florida Room. Romer Collection. "John B. Orr,"
photograph, circa 1930, image no. F00458.
Miami Herald. "John B. Orr, Service Beyond the Contract," 14 November
1922.
Dodge, Edward N., ed. Encyclopedia of American Biography. "Ettore
Pellegatta." New York: American Historical Company, volume XXXVIII,
1968, p. 21 6, "Ettore Pellegatta (1881-1966)," photograph, circa 1915.
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens Guide Book. "Detail of Great Stone
Barge," photograph, circa 1997, p. 16.
Larry Wiggins Private Postcard Collection, Homestead, Florida. "Nautilus
Hotel," Winter Park, Florida: Sunny Scenes, Inc., postcard, circa 1924,
Rybczynski, Witold. Preservation. "The Lure of the New," volume 53,
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Historical Museum of
May 1924, photo no.
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May 1924, photo no.
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number 3, May/June 2001,
photograph, circa 2001.
Historical Museum of Southern
94-25.
Southern
97-25.
Southern
98-25.
Southern
May 1924, photo no. 96-25.
Historical Museum of Southern
Grounds," 10 May 1924, photo
Historical Museum of Southern
Grounds," 10 May 1924, photo
Historical Museum of Southern
Grounds," 10 May 1924, photo
p. 69, "New York Public Library,"
Florida. Matlack Collection. "Polo," 3
Florida. Matlack Collection.. "Polo," 3
Florida. Matlack Collection. "Polo," 3
Florida. Matlack Collection. "Polo," 3
Florida. Matlack Collection. "Nautilus
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no. 123-8.
Florida. Matlack Collection. "Nautilus
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