1674-5 Pancoast Family 'ELF,PHONE 2 740 THE HERALD , MT
STORY OF MIAMI BEACH I
IS TOLD BY PANCOAST
Pioneering Work of John S. Collins Laid Foundation For City
That is Unique; Carl G. Fisher and Others Followed, Carrying
Out Development That Made Resort World Famous.
•Br THOMAS d. PANCOAST of the causeway was commenced In
President Miami Beach Chamber of 1925, and completed in 1926 at a
Commerce
In an account of the development cost of approximately $711,000
of Miami Beach, It might be inter- making the total cost of this cause-
•.;ting to give a few facts to slow way $1,4�I,000, which, I beiie�o, -
how the man who is responsible for is the best investment the county
he beginning of this development ever made. U}
first became interested in the prop- After completion of the Collins Nov
^rty bridge, then began the clearing of
A company of men from New Jer- the mangrove swamps, hulk-head- —
ing the property and pumping by
Bey desired to enter into the grow- s.
ing of coconuts for commercial pur- suction dredge 6,000,tlt10 cubic yards to
ing
poses.They purchased disconnected of material from the bottom of Bis- '
trips of land from the United cayne bay, filling the lowland to a I C
States government along the Atlan• sufficient height to build upon.
tic ocean, from Miami Beach north After that, began the building of
for a distance totaling practically streets, the laying of sidewalks, the
l5 miles, although extending north- Planting of trees and grass. This •
and nearly 100 miles to a point tvork progressed rapidly. Since the
:forth of Jupiter, the land costing first large fill was made, other prop- NZ
as low as 75 cents per acre, and as erty north was purchased and
high as $7.50 per acre. treated in the same manner until a
total of 14,500,000 cubic yards of
During the winter of 1882-83, material had been transferred from
!hey engaged the services of about the bottom of the bay,to the swamp •
t5 men from the life-saving sta- land. The total of the filled area --
tions along the New Jersey coast. is 2,760 acres, extending from the 11
They also purchased condemned Government Cut northward along >s
ifeboats, which they repaired. the bayfront approximately six 10
1'itey loaded the men and the life- miles. To make these fills, it wls u
!oats together with mules, tents, necessary, in one case in particular,
:ools and provisions on one of the to pump the material by suction :t
Mallory Line vessels, and shipped dredge for over a mile, using one j
item to Rey West. From there, dredge about midway as a booster.
they were transferred to a schooner 'Then, in order to beautify the
and brought back to a point op- property, canals and lakes were
inosite what is now Miami Beach. dug, and the material from these
i'hey threw the mules overboard was used to fill the low land, in
and swam with them to the shore, addition to the fill from the bay
then transferred their supplies in bottom. This, naturally, required i
the lifeboats to the shore. the building of bulkheads to hold
A vessel was then sent to the the fill. These bulkheads now total C
island of Trinidad and loaded with 38 miles. They were first made o." ti
100,000 coconuts;38,000 of this load wood, and later replaced by con-
were planted on th.e land that is crete. This one item alone, at a
now Miami Beach. The following very conservative cost $10 per
two years this operation was re- linear foot,totals over$2,000,000.00,
peated,until a total of 334,000 Coco- Miami Beach now. has with its I
nuts had been planted along the ocean, bay and inland waterways,
Atlantic ocean, a water frontage of 65.39 miles,em- !
John S. Collins was one of the bracing:
number to invest some money in 4.406 acres of land
this coconut-planting operation 540 acres of inland
which, from a commercial stand- waterways
point, was an absolute failure. But, 6,028 acres of bay bottom
Mr. Collins, being not only tena-
cious, but a man of vision,and with Total-10.974 acres.
a great deal of courage and energy, Today Miami Beach embraces ex-
wished to turn the failure into sue- actly eight square miles of enchant-
ress and finally purchased outright, ment. There is no place quite like
from the others in the group, 1,(100 it on earth. To nature in her most
acres of land which formed the prodigal mood man has added every
nucleus of the present city of Miami attraction that his ingenuity could
Beach. devise.
Collins' Avocado Grove First House Built in 1913
Mr. Collins' first venture was to The building of homes began in
plant what was then the largest Miami Beach in 1913, before there
avocado grove in the world. Later, were any roads, the material being
ing to develop that part of the brought over from Miami by barges.
rl} not suitable for farming The Ocean Beach Realty dompany.
v :,,ting to give aacs o s w '" '''''''''r- .''". ' .how the man '',.`''-� i
who is responsible for is the best investment the county
the beginning of this development ever made.
first became interested in the prop- After completion of the Collins
,arty. bridge, then began the clearing of
A company of men from New Jer- the mangrove swamps, bulk-head-
sey desired to enter into the grow- ing the property and pumping by
ing of coconuts for commercial our. suction dredge 6,000,000 cubic yards''`
poses.They purchased disconnected of material from the bottom of Bis-
strips of land from the United cayne bay, filling the lowland to a
States government along the Atlan• sufficient height to build upon.
tic ocean, from Miami Beach north After that, began the building of pa
for a distance totaling practically streets, the laying of sidewalks, the y
65 miles, although extending north- planting of trees and grass. This •
ward nearly 100 miles to a point work progressed rapidly. Since the
north of Jupiter, the land costing first large fill was made, other prop- •
as low as 75 cents per acre, and as arty north was purchased and
high as $7.50 per acre. treated in the same manner until a
total of 14,500,000 cubic yards of
During the winter of 1882-83, material had been transferred from
they engaged the services of about the bottom of the bay,to the swamp
25 men from the life-saving sta- land. The total of the filled area
tions along the New Jersey coast. is 2,760 acres, extending from the
I'1'hey also purchased condemned Government Cut northward along b
lifeboats, which they repaired. the bayfront approximately six
I'hev loaded the men and the life- miles. To make these fills, It w•is • .
oats together with mules, tents, necessary, in one case in particular.
outs and provisions on one of the to pump the material by suction
\Iallory Line vessels, and shipped dredge for over a mile, using one
!tem to Key West. From there, dredge about midway as a booster.
!ey were transferred to a schooner Then, in order to beautify the p(
nid brought back to a point op- property, canals and lakes were
,osite what is now' Miami Beach. dug, and the material from these �(
1'hey threw the mules overboard was used to fill the low land, in 11
i nd swam with them to the shore, addition to the fill from the hay
hen transferred their supplies in bottom. This, naturally, required .
he lifeboats to the shore. the building of bulkheads to hold 1 it
A vessel was then sent to the the fill. These bulkheads now total
island of Trinidad and loaded with 38 miles. They were first made o, 't
100,000 coconuts;38,000 of this load wood, and later replaced by con-
were planted on the land that is crete. This one item alone, at a
now Miami Beach. The following very conservative cost $10 per 1
two years this operation was re- linear foot,totals over$2.000,000.00.
peated, until a total of 334,000 coco• Miami Beach now has with its .i
nuts had been planted along the ocean, bay and inland waterways,
Atlantic ocean. a water frontage of 65.39 miles, em-
John S. Collins was one of the bracing:
number to invest some money in 4,406 acres of land
•his coconut-planting operation 540 acres of inland
chich, from a commercial stand- waterways
joint, was an absolute failure. But, 6,028 acres of hay bottom
yIr. Collins, being not only tena-
ious, but a man of vision,and with Total-10.974 acres.
great deal of courage and energy, Today Miami Beach embraces ex•
• ished to turn the failure into suc- actly eight square miles of enchant-
oss and finally purchased outright, ment. There is no place quite like
rom the others in the group, 1,600 it on earth. To nature in her most
acres of land which formed the prodigal mood man has added every
ncleus of the present city of Miami attraction that his ingenuity could
Leach. devise.
Collins' Avocado Grove First House Built in 1913
Mr. Collins' first venture was to The building of homes began in
plant what was then the largest Miami Beach in 1913, before there ;
avocado grove in the world. Later, were any roads, the material being !
desiring to develop that part of the brought over from Miami by barges.
operty not suitable for farming The Ocean Beach Realty Company,
o residential properties, he con- with J. N. Lunntlus asthe actio:.
,ved the idea of building a wood- man in the organization, in order
bridge from Miami to Miami to encourage the building of homes,
Beach—in spite of discouragements offered a number of lots free to 1
from all sides, especially from the those who would construct homes
older residents in Miami. Yet, he costing at least $3,000. A number
was determined to accomplish this took advantage of this offer and
tremendous task, which he did, in the work of building began in
the building of what was then earnest.
known as the longest wooden ve- When the beach boasted a dozen
hide bridge in existence, being two hotels, many people began to think
and one-half miles in length, and that the city was reaching the point
costing $100,000. It was started in where it was slightly overbuilt.
July, 1912, and completed in May, Since that time the demand for liv-
1913; formal opening June 12, 1913. ing accommodations has swelled
However, in completing this the number of hotels to 173; the
bridge,known as Collins Bridge, he number of apartment houses to 586
needed financial assistance, and and the number of residences to
succeeded in interesting Carl G. 2,543. And let it be remembered
Fisher in making a loan,which,you that among them are to he found
will all admit,was not an easy thing accommodations that can be sur-
to do, for few had any confidence passed nowhere.
in the ultimate success of this un- Ninety miles of paved highways
rlertaking. But, Mr. Fisher, upon have taken the place of that single
investigation, learned that Mr. Col- overgrown Indian trail of a qt rter
lins was 74 years of age at that century ago. The United Sates
time; the fact that a man at that census of 1920 credited the city with
age had enough courage to tackle a population of 664; 1930 a popula-
such a stupendous undertaking, not tion of 6,395. The state census of
only building the bridge but de- 1935 raised this figure to 13,3'i0, I
veloping Miami Beach,had much to and today it is estimated to be 1 6,- i
do with Mr. Fisher's decision to co- 000. with a winter population e.�c-
dperate with him. Mr. Fisher was ceeding 60.000.
a much younger man and with am- Nine and two-tenths miles of
pie means and active imagination, ocean beach lie within the city
he saw the possibilities,-became en. limits, together with 26 miles of
thusiastic, made the loan and bayfront and a full no miles of shore-
plunged, wholeheartedly, into the line along strikingly beautiful in-
development of Miami Beach, re- land waterways. Five public parks
gardless of the cost. The bridge and a number of parkways person-
was in continous use until sold to ifs- the magnanimity and public
the developers of Venetian Island spirit that went into the building of
in December, 1920, 'who replaced this resort. Each represents a for-
Collins Bridge with a,,,beautiful tune in real estate passed up for
causeway, known as the Venetian the perpetual enjoyment of others.
Way" at a cost of $2,505,300 which Fine School System
was opened to travel March 1, 1926.
Pioneer Died In 1928 The public school system includes
a high school, a junior high school
Four score years and ten rolled and three elementary schools. All
•over John S. Collins' head before he take maximum advantage of the
felt that he had served his purpose health-giving Florida sunshine and
here and his life had run its course. many of the classes are held vir-
Then on February 11, 1928, with a tually in the open so cleverly de-
light of a great victory in his blue- signed are the buildings. The facili-
gray eyes, he died a happy man. ties of private schools of all descrip-
The world had been kind to him tions are to be had both here and on'
land he had been generous with the the mainland.
world. As J. I. Conklin, his con- When we rave about the perfec-
ctruction engineer, said of him at tion of the local climate the official
the funeral services: l•He was one —__„_.- •
of God's noblemen, to whom life Please Turn To Next Page
I was not a goblet to he drained, but
'a measure to be filled."
v- 'o residential properties; ne c,. TITTI, ns ••-
-)'ved the idea of building a wood- man in the organization, in order
'sl -bridge frpm Miami to Miami to encourage the building of homes,
Beach—in spite of discouragements offered a number of lots free to
from all sides, especially from the those who would construct homes
older residents in Miami. Yet, he costing at least $3.000. A number
was determined to accomplish this took advantage of this offer and
tremendous task, which he did, in the work of building began in
the building of what was then earnest. -
known as the longest wooden ve- When the beach boasted a dozen
hide bridge in existence,being two hotels, many people began to think
and one-half miles in length, and that the city was reaching the point
costing $100,000. - It was started in where it was slightly overbuilt.
July, 1912, and completed in May, Since that time the demand for liv
1913; formal opening June 12, 1913. ing accommodations has. swelled
However, in completing this the number of hotels to 173; the
I
bridge,known as Collins Bridge, he number of apartment houses to 586
I needed financial assistance, and and the number of residences to
succeeded in interesting Carl G. 2,543. And let it be remembered
Fisher ar in making a loan,which,ying that accommodationsmare to that can .be e found
will all admit,was not an easythin
sur-
to do, for few had any confidence passed nowhere.
in the ultimate success of this un- Ninety miles of paved highways
clertaking. But, Mr. Fisher, upon have taken the place of that single
investigation, learned that Mr. Col- overgrown Indian trail of a qv trter
lins was 74 years of age at that century ago. The United Sates
time; the fact that a man at that census of 1920 credited the city with
age had enough courage to tackle a population of 664; 1930 a pop
ula-
such a stupendous undertaking, not tion of 6,395. The state census of
only building the bridge but de- 1935 raised this figure to 13,3206
veloping Miami Beach,had much to and today it is estimated to be 1w.-.�
ido with Mr.Fisher's decision to co- 000. with a winter population e
:Operate with him. Mr. Fisher was ceeding 60,000.
I
much younger man and with am-
ple means and active imagination, ocean beach lie within the city
he saw the possibilities;became enNine and two-tenths miles of
limits, together with 26 miles of
thusiastic, made the loan and bayfront and a full 30 miles of shore-
plunged, wholeheartedly, into the line along strikingly beautiful in-
development of Miami Beach, re- land waterways. Five public parks
gardless of the cost. The bridge and a number of parkways person-
was in continous use until sold to i f y the magnanimity and public
the developers of Venetian Island spirit that went into the building of
in December, 1920, who replaced this resort. Each represents a for-
Collins Bridge with a beautiful tune in real estate passed up for
causeway, known as the-"Venetian the perpetual enjoyment of others. -
Way" at a cost of $2,505,300 which Fine SchoolSystem
L:was opened to travel March 1, 1926. The public school system includes
Pioneer Died in 1928 a high school, a junior high school
Four score years and ten rolled and three elementary schools. All
over John S.Collins'head before he take maximum advantage of the
C felt that he had served his purpose health-giving Florida sunshine and
k-here and his life had run its course. many of the classes are held vir-
Then on February 11, 1928, with a tually in the open so cleverly de-
light of a great victory in his blue- signed are the buildings. The facili-
gray eyes, he died a happy man. ties of private schools of all descrip-
The world had been kind to him tions are to be had both here and ort'
'and he had been generous with the the mainland.
world. As J. I. Conklin, his con- When we rave about the perfec-
pi, struction engineer, said of him at tion of the local climate the official
, the funeral services: !'He was.one -- ,
of God's noblemen, to whom life Please Turn'1'o Next Page
•
was not a goblet to he drained, but 1
a measure bfilled." _,�'_ �.,
The late Clayton Sedgwick Codp- } �`//�
I er, prominent Miami Beach author,
characterized him as follows:
It "There is an old Latin line that
f 1 reads,'If you ask for his monument ?f
look about you.' Miami Beach is ?'x;.:;i%�,.
both his monument and his eulogy. ? :
ii
R::.ut
He was the awakening genius of 1' i t , .,
south Florida." er
His name remains stamped In-
delibly on many local landmarks. it y
Foremost among these is Collins
park, a Miami Beach garden spot r fi„ , . / 1 \�
bequeathed to the public that fronts .. ,=y4'.0"R'
upon the restless Atlantic and gives L'04440 .\
the proper setting to the John S. T,
y
Collins Memorial Library and Art s A
Center. Next the Collins Canal and -4'f:
-
Collins Lsland to the bayward of ri..-,...;:':',- QVI%k-,
the Nautilus Hotel both add theiraspects of beauty to the city. Last, ,,r:., zs. — ) Z c
but not least, Collins avenue stands ,,,,,< 4 , ,
forth as the main north-south high- z ,`
way of the resort, a wide boule- \-44AM:
yard familiar to all who come here. ky 4 � a.
- \
The cityhall is graced with a �xR� .,
:,
bronze plaque presented bythe x ,
Chamber of Commerce in Collins' V.a-
,zYs4'.„.'1
memory. It was executed by the , „;-;,, ;r r.;
sculptor, Lampert Bemelmahs, and •
,, it.: '�.�ax,k
bears a bas-relief bust of the pin Y � � ., 4,, \
neer,beneath which is the legend: ' a ¢ ri f ��
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED bfi t 'f''�,,�r".4.. �J
IN LOVE AND RESPECT FOR ”; a�'
THE FRIENDLY MAN. MIAMT
BEACH IS A MONUMENT OF
i HIS VISION AND COURAGE.
Collins had the rare satisfaction
of living to see his dreams come
true. "An institution," as Emer-
son said "is but the lengthened
shadow of a man." Miami Beach
was Collins "institution."
County Causeway Built
In the meantime, as the city of
Miami Beach began to grow and
the community began to appreci-
ate its value, the county in March.
1917, started the construction of a
causeway across Biscayne bay,
.which was open for travel Febru-
ary 17, 1920, and fully completed
1
the latter part of that year, at a
cost of approximately 8740,000.
The work of widening the viaducts _
J8b0 ° 8 '
IS TOLD BY PACOAS1
Continued From Preceding Page
record of more than a quarter cen-
tury bears us out. Since 1896 the
annual mean temperature has
varied only 3 degrees. During this
period the mean monthly tempera-
ture has varied 14.4 degrees, from
67.7 degrees in January to 82.1 in
August% The lowest month record-
ed was a January of 62.8 degrees
and the highest, an Augtist of 83.8
degrees, giving a maximi n month-
ly variation of only 21 degrees. In
just such a marvelous ma?7ner does
that gigantic thermostat, the Gulf
Stream,regulate the climate here.
Miami Beach is particularly proud
of three golf courses, the LaGorce
and the Bayshore, both privately HERALD T E L E P A O N 1
• owned, and the municipal course a
Twenty-first street and Washingtoi:: '
venue, all 18-hole layouts, while a(
nu•th is under construction at .
\ormandy Isle. It boasts of six
seaters, a fine greyhound race
"ack, casinos, beach clubs, cabanas
rubs, swimming pools, night clubs
]id a host of other attractions. A
w miles distant on the mainland
,e jail alai frontons, where this` '
•opular Spanish-American game is '
played.Joseph E. Widener's famous L
gorse racing plant at Hialeah, con- z a; '
m: '•:..:30�:;:v Y'v',::J,.v,:S�j`it`'S.:.A. 6,
cded to be one of the most beauti- 3.m ,.s�; :::�: ;��' '°::O1,J,��2yL.
11 tracks in America, the Tropical #' ' �"'"`>�'< �r�' g a
ark race track, and all manner of x �����-
her sporting amusements. £
This is one side of the picture.rvx° ? ; '� , , "? p'•^" .~ ..:. *"fhe other finds the Biscayne bayz :Htf.,,.,;rr?.,:3f:. s „t0
1 region a region of churches and cul- x <>:
tural development where every re- I
ligion and school of thought has •
ample means of expression.
The Storm of 1926 •
.
During the storm of 1926 the ' y
ocean front was without any btllk ,,
head protection and considerable '.'::7.,k:' fAr ,rae
damage was done. It then was quit•.;;;;"
evident that some protection must <
be placed to stop the erosion from. ( -
the action of the ocean waves. The ,y, , .:R w
city council of Miami Beach made .,;1-• . .
extensive investigation as to what * � is. %:
was the best plan to adopt. The ,
services of Engineer Victor Geli-
neau was secured in an advisory it •
capacity. The result was the adop-( A. ° c'° .. ::.
lion of a plan to drive lock. steel, ,
sheet piling for a bulkhead, and • 1 " '
about every 200 feet a groyne was ...1
extended into the ocean,constructed
of the same lock, steel,sheet piling,. .az.:,•
supplemented by wooden piling ,' f"`
driven on either side capped by ;,,.e
heavy wooden planks, at a total <. • .:
cost of $64 per foot.
The purpose of these groynes was
to collect the shifting sand that ,a
moved north or south, according to$ d f
the wave action. This system has �y
been quite successful in building up
the beach in a number of places,
and lending a feeling of security to .. : 1j 1
the property owners on the ocean ntial islands in Biscayne bay.
front.
Before the Collins bridge was con- motor cars rushing along dis-
structed.the total taxes collected for
the four and one-half miles from
ocean tobay, amounted to $375:1mIAmi BEACIH GRowill
1915,the year that Miami Beach was
incorporated as a city, the assessed
valuation was $224,000. slloyiN BY STATISTICS
Assessed Valuations
The assessed valuation for the
I periods 1926 to 1937.inclusive: -
1926 986.7.53.000 1932 $38.900.795 C.C. of Figures Include Postal
1927 50.582.350 1933 32.927.315 gu
1928 • 44.087.050 1934 33.516.275
1929 47.990.850 1935 40.811.66
1930 49.174.070 1936 48.449. Receipts and Savings and
1931 45.388.860 1937 53.858.Q
Building permits issued Buri Utility Services
the years: Miami Beach's rapid growth in
1921 f 1.503.206 1931 $ 1.947.774
1925 18.032.699 1932 1.445.128 the last six years is indicated by sta-
1926 5.040.125 1933 2.172.515
1927 2.491.308 1934 5.478,539 tistics compiled Saturday by the
1939 7:856.960 1936 12.526.107 Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce
1930 4.043.439 1937 10.809.508 concerning building,postal receipts,
A comparison of the increase in
Miami Beach postal receipts for the postal savings,real estate tax collet-
periods 1924 to 1937,inclusive: tions,number of electric consume'
Mg b0.0000093s 80.79018 : 12 . 2 number of gas meters installed,to
i92� 5iaoo:ie 1934 1933 148.473.79 phones in use and number of hote ,
11928 60.580.86 1935 178.287.78 apartments and residences.
1929 76.926.10 1936 233.160.49 p
1930 90.804.18 1937 247,102.92 The amount of building since 1932
A tabulation of bank deposits for has created widespread interest in
the periods 1921 to 1937, inclusive:
1921 $ 336.703 1930 $ 3.718.487 Miami Beach. . Permits issued since
1922 641.963 1931 3.964.341 thnr..o,,..11e1..11n.1n gc a.1n,111•c•10'29