DK Travel : Miami : History & Culture

Page
1
2
3
4

Alhambra Water Tower, Coral Gables

Resembling a plump lighthouse, this colorful tower (built 1924) was the work of Denman Fink, George Merrick’s uncle. Neglected for decades, it was fully restored in 1993 and, although no longer used, the tower’s elegant Moorish touches make it an intriguing piece of industrial architecture.
Ancient Spanish Monastery

Originally built in 1133–41 in Segovia, Spain, this monastic building was bought by William Randolph Hearst in 1925 and shipped to New York. The parts were eventually reassembled here in 1952, though, curiously, a few pieces were left over.
Barbara Capitman

The driving force behind the movement to save the Art Deco hotels (see The Story of Tropical Deco).
Barbara Meller-Jensen, Hapless Tourist

The unwary German visitor was murdered in 1993, tarnishing Miami’s tourism image.
Bishop O’Connell’s Fall from Grace

Casualty of a “topical storm” over pedophilia in 2002.
Brigade 2506 Memorial

Little Havana’s Eternal Flame and monument garden remembers those who died in the Bay of Pigs debacle, attempting to reclaim Cuba from leftist revolutionary forces in 1961 (see The Brigade 2506 Memorial on Cuban Memorial Boulevard).
Carl Fisher

An energetic developer in the early 1900s, Fisher was the first visionary owner of Miami Beach.
Charles Deering Estate

James Deering’s half-brother built this winter residence for himself on Biscayne Bay. The original 19th-century house, Richmond Cottage, was destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, but it’s been rebuilt and the entire estate refurbished since then, including the extraordinary Mediterranean-Revival mansion.
Chief Jim Billie

Controversial Seminole chief who brought wealth to his tribe in the 1980s, by building casinos on reservations.
Coral Castle

This monument to unrequited love speaks volumes about early Florida’s place in US history as a refuge for misfits, eccentrics, and visionaries. Land was cheap (the creator of Coral Castle bought his acre plot for $12 in 1920) and the population was sparse, so it was easy to do your own thing without being bothered. But how this gargantuan folly was actually constructed remains an enigma.