Editors Note: The Barbara Baer Capitman archive’s “Historic Threads” project is partly sponsored by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida. We’re highlighting important documents that tell the story of Miami Beach, coinciding with National Historic Preservation Month sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The year was 1986 — Miami Beach was a tropical paradise that had fallen on hard times, and it was in the early stages of a citizen-led revitalization effort to spearhead economic development and improvements in the neighborhood.
In the 1980s, MDPL published a newsletter called IMPRESSIONS which reported on relevant current events. The Barbara Baer Capitman archives have digitized many of these newsletters and they are available to the public including scholars, journalists, urban planners, and property owners.
As our archivists digitized these documents from the past, we came across the $3 million Miami Beach bond proposal from the November, 4th 1986 election.
“The Ocean Drive Planning and Urban Design Strategy” was published in 1984 and focused on transforming Ocean Drive into an economically attractive and tourist-friendly destination. The document was made possible through a City of Miami Beach Community Development Block Grant Program provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. On Feb 6th, 1985, the plan was adopted by the Miami Beach City Commission.
“What will make the Ocean Drive District unique is an emphasis on pedestrian activity, historic character, urban location, and seaside environment. This combination of setting and activities is found nowhere else in South Florida and perhaps in only a few locations in the United States.”
The proposal had a few ideas in mind for the future of Lummus Park:
“Imagine a widened Lummus Park, with easier access to the beach, a safer park with new amenities like street lights reminiscent of the 30s, a twenty feet wide promenade along the eastern edge of the park, new landscaping, widened sidewalks and new palm and shade trees between the buildings to further enhance the tropical setting.” – IMPRESSIONS
The planning study focused on critical elements that should be recognized and protected, including:
- The architectural significance of the buildings;
- The consistency in the architectural styles, scale, mass and setting of the buildings;
- The pedestrian scale of the environment;
- The direct relationship between the buildings and the street, particularly through the open terraces which front most buildings;
- The very close relationship between the buildings and Lummus Park across the street;
- The view of the beach from the terraces;
- The activity in the park, the pedestrians walking past the hotels, and the steady stream of automobiles, all contributing to a colorful, interesting, and constantly changing view;
- The unstructured and free use of the Lummus Park green space;
- The simple and dramatic planting design of coconut palms in Lummus Park.
“These elements have been retained in the proposed plan for Ocean Drive. The plan is intended to protect and enhance a unique environment that will attract tourists and residents back to this area of Miami Beach, and perhaps affect the revitalization of all of South Beach.”
“Our Drive, Ocean Drive” was a committee of volunteer stakeholders who came together for a common goal: to spread awareness and encourage voters to adopt the bond. These local voters envisioned great potential, and this would become the start of a new era for Miami Beach. Soon, Lummus Park would transform into the beautiful promenade that it is today.
The campaign was a success and on November 4th, 1986, the $3 million bond was approved.
