1656-10 J.N.Lummus-The early history of Miami Beach /4 --
The Early History of Miami Beach
The three companies to start the development of Miami Beach
were THE OCEAN BEACH REALTY COMPANY, otherwise known as the
LU iU3 DEYLLOP T, the MIAMI BEACH IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, other-
wise known as the COLLINS DEVELOPMENT, and the ALT0N BEACH REALTY
COPY, which was known as the FISHER DEVELOPMENT.
Tile Ocean. Beach Realty Comoauv, 21 bus, Dsvelovment, was
the first to ,start develouinj a sub4ivision filing its plat
with Dade County. Collins was second, and Fisher, third. None
of this territory was incorporated as a town or city at that time.
The Lummus crowd filed their plat in Book No. 2 of Plata,
Page 36, Records of Dade County, Florida, July 9, 1912. Collins
filed his first plat on December 11, 1912, in Book No. 2 of Plats.
Page 47. Fisher's first plat was filed on Tanuary 15,1914, Book
No. 2, Page 77.
In 1913, Crate Bowen,Attorney representing Fisher, and I,
representing the Lummus Company, made a trip to Washington to
secure a government permit for the dredge work. Our engineers
had prepared the plans and all necessary data, and the original
Clark Construction Company of Baltimore, Maryland, was the best
bidder.
According to the plans , we had to move six million cubic
yards of bay bottom onto the land. When I speak of "we" I mean
Carl Fisher and the Lummus Company let the contract together and
the work was done at a coat of ten cents per cubic yard, or in
other words, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars($600,000.00) for the
dredging.
2 Early History of Miami Beach
Our (the Lummus Company's) part was Three Hundred and
Fifteen Thousand Dollars(;4315,000.00) , and Fisher's was Two
Hundred and Eighty-five Thousand Dollars( 285,000.00) . ONE
OP THE MOST INTERESTING FEATURES OP TIE GOVERNUEET PERMIT
WAS THAT IT WAS FEDERAL PERMIT NO. 1, FOR WORK OF THIS KIND
IN THE STATE OP FLORIDA.
The Contract was let on July lst, 1913 and completed on
Tuly let, 1914. The cost of timber disposal And bulk heading
of the Lummus Company was over $150,000.00. I don't know
what Fisher's was, but it must have been approximately the same.
Carl Fisher was one of the best sports I ever knew He had
money and the nerve to jump into the swamp in 1913. The Lummus
Company had the nerve but not much money. So we borrowed
$150,000.00 from Fisher in 1913, paid him 8% interest for it
and gave him 105 acres of land, Ocean to Bay on the South side
of Lincoln Road as a Bonus. We were spending money so feat in
1914 we borrowed ;1150,000.00 from E. B. Lent of Peekskill, New
York, j120,000.00 from Prank A. Furst of Baltimore, Maryland,
X120,000.00 from R. P. Clark of Galveston, Texas, and 00,000.00
from B. P. Potter of Miami. We paid them all every dollar, and
never had a law suit. •
The Lummus Company gave away 33 lots on Collins Avenue for
houses to be built in 1914. These houses were all completed and
occupied the latter part of 1914. My home on the northwest
corner of 12th Street and Ocean Drive, next to the Tides Hotel,
also T . J. Pancoast's home on Collins Avenue and Pancoast Lake
were completed the same year.
3 Early History of Miami. Beach
On March 26th,191$, we had 33 qualified voters,-women did
not vote at that time,.•-so we incorporated the Town of =and Beach,
which took in all of the Lummus and Risher holdings, and most of
the Collins and Pancoast holdings, in other words, all of the
Territory, Ocean to Bay, from the Government Ship Channel to what
is now known as the Firestone place. All of the voters when
Miau4 Beach was incorporated lived on the Lummus development with
the exception of three; these- three lived on the Collins and
Pancoast end; there were none on fisher's development. We were
doinz so strong and doing so well that we got a Legislative
Charter which is published in full in Special Acts of the Florida
Legislature in 1917 on Page 806, Chapter 7672. I,J.N. ,and
J•E. Lummus owned the Lummus Company and paid all the cost of in-
corporating the Tow*, and making it a City. I as pioneer developer
and the first Mayor Qfr the Town and City, wrote Ts! Miracle of
MiamilLtagh. All copies are sold. The photographs in that book,
taken while the work was going onI are very interesting from my
point of view. I sold the City of Miami Beach 1200 of these books.
In 1916 we organised the Miami Ocean View Company, with
Carl Fisher, Arthur C. Newby, James Allison* James H. Snowden,
Henry McSweeney, and George Snowden, all millionaires. John Levy,
my brother, J.E. , and I took some Stook in the new Company, and
I remained with the Miami Ocean View Company one year as Vice
President, and we built Star Island. John
I•+vy remained with the
Compan1- as Secretary-Treasurer. -
y 4 Early History of iazni Beach
The late John 3. Collins was a good Sport; Lie was in his
Seventies Wien he commenced t«e wooden bridge. It was begun
in 1912 anti completed in the early part of 1914. 1e aad lots
of land north of 23rd Street but like the Lemmus Company he had
to operate on borrowed capital. . o Carl :Fisher loaned the
Collins Company the money in 1913 to complete the Bridge, which
was located where the Venetian Causeway now is. Collins' Company
charged one dollar for cars and 25 cents for each pasuen er when
the Bridge was first opened, but :Asher and the Lummus Company
each paid the Collins Compal ;,2500.00 per year for 1914, 1915,
and 1916 and dot his Company to reduce the charge to 25 cents 'or
cars rel;ardleua of the number of passengers in the car.
In 1912 the late Avery C. Smith owned a Bathing Casino on
Biscayne Street. In 1913 Dan Hardie owned a Bathing Casino on
Ocean Drive. They both owned their own boats, and carried
passengers from 12th Street, :iiaz;ii, now Flagler Street, to
Biscayne Street, ailami Leach. The Lummus Company finally pure
canned all the boats and carried passengers between Beach
and Lilami for 5 cents. When we were running Auction sales we
carried passengers free, and gave away china by the car loads.
:'here are numerous people in Dade County today who still have
and treasure this china.
The wonderful financial condition of the City is due to
its good management.
i 4 Laxly History of . iawi Beach
Claude :z. Renshaw became City Mdanaser on or about Septomler 1st,
1925, and C. W. Tomlinson has been City Clerk and 7.ax Collector
since . u6uet 3rd, 19ti0. :4 old Secretary, J. P. Canova, Was
City Clerk and Tax Collector from 1915 to his death in 1920.
the above was the start of Miami Beach that 1 visioned
in 1112. about 1y19 Carl Fisher and Associates took Collins
and '-'allcoast holdincs with them and completed the develupwent
work nor;li of 23rd Street. Thousands of people now living;; on
.sia:ui Beach h eve helped build the City, with which nothi:
in the world today can compare.
This written by me, November 21st, 1949.
d'` ,., „t4 . N,