Roaring 20s Miami Tour

MIAMI

Roaring 20s

A wealthy citrus grower Julia Tuttle asked the railroad tycoon Henry Flagler to extend his Florida railway to the Biscayne Bay Area in the 1890s; giving birth to the winter resort village of Miami that quickly grew throughout the Gilded Age and latter exploded throug the Roaring Twenties — and thanks to some historical resorts and beaux-arts public buildings you can travel in time to the Magic City

Time period: 1896-1930s

Movie/book: La Claridad (2024)/Florida’s Grand Hotels from the Gilded Age by R. Wayne Ayers

Soundtrack: Scott Joplin/Louis Armstrong’s music

Fashion: neutral colors, linen blazer plus a hat

Budget:

Sauer and Seghy: map of the City of Miami and Environs, Florida; Miami, 1926

Larson's: Guide of the City of Coral Gables; Miami, 1934

This walking tour would take you through the streets of Downtown: where the city emerged around the Miami River (which is named after the Mayaimi tribe); and Coral Gables a gentrified neighborhood known for its country club and grand hotels. The area is characterized by Mediterranean Revival architecture, palm-tree lined streets and all types of restaurants. The Tequesta habitated the area for around 3,000 years, until the Spaniards came in and killed most of them through diseases. They stablished a jesuit mission in 1567 y the river but it was short lived thanks to the harsh tropical weather and the constant harassment of the Tequesta. Then after 7 Years War with Britain and France, the Spaniards swapped Florida for the captured Cuba in 1763. Under British control the local population declined even more, going almost extinct (the last taquesta migrated to Cuba). In 1819 after the Treaty of Adams-Onis, Florida became part of the US; and the first settlement in the area was the rough village of Coconut Grove back in 1825. But soon the Biscayne Bay area would get urbanized thanks to Henry Flagler who built the Florida Railway through the jungle and farms connecting Jacksonville with the Key West — allowing Julia Tuttle (the mother of Miami) to establish a city in 1896 on her land. Miami got rapidly developed and advertised as a resort winter town where wealthy tycoons could escape the pollution and cold weather of the north. It was a success! So much it got the nickname of Magic City because it seemed to magically appear out of nowhere. Then Carl Fisher (the father of Miami) funded the construction of The Collins Bridge: the largest wooden bridge of the world in 1912 which connected Miami with the beach; and influenced the construction of the Dixie Highway (2nd avenue) in 1915 which connected Miami to Chicago. He was also responsible for the transformation of the mangroves into luxury resorts like The Lincoln (1917), the Flamingo (1920) and the Nautilus Hotel (1924) along side 4 polo clubs around the Biscayne Bay (he even bought an entire island for himself, Fisher Island that latter would trade for William K. Vanderbilt II’s yatch). In 1925 George Merrick transformed his grape farmland into Coral Gables: a luxury suburb inspired by “The City Beautiful” movement with the Biltmore resort and the Venetian baths as their main attraction. All this real state speculation that transformed Miami (and the rest of Florida) came to an end partly by the hurricane Big Blow and definitely by the Wall Street Crash of 1929 — putting an end to the Roaring Twenties. The tour suggest visiting the Viscaya Mansion & Gardens, a coffee plus the Lummus Park in the morning; a historical museum, church and lunch around downtown in the afternoon; and to end the day a Mediterranean Revival Architecture walking tour around downtown and Coral Gables plus dinner. If you want another Rosring 20s day visit Palm Beach and its mansions in the outskirts of the metropolitan area.