The story of developers selling off the Sunshine State is as old as the first railroad tracks laid across the peninsula. But seldom do we hear about the men who actually built a better Florida. In George Merrick, Son of the South Wind, South Florida historian Arva Moore Parks recounts George Merrick's quest to distinguish himself from the legions of developers who sought only profit. Helping to create the land boom of the 1920s, Merrick transformed his family's citrus grove just outside of Miami into one of the finest planned communities: the "master suburb" of Coral Gables. With a team of architects and city planners, he built homes for the growing middle class in the Mediterranean Style using local stone, and he invested in public infrastructure by designing and building parks and pools, trolley lines and waterways. He pledged land for a library and the university that would become the University of Miami. Hailed in national publications as a visionary, Merrick was green before green, a New Urbanist before the movement even had a name. As Coral Gables and Merrick prospered, he reinvested in education, affordable housing, and other progressive causes. But the Great Depression ravaged Miami, and Merrick's idealism cost him his fortune. He died with an estate worth less than $400. With unprecedented access to the Merrick family and mining a treasure trove of Merrick’s personal letters, documents, speeches, and manuscripts, Parks presents the remarkable story of George Merrick and the development of one of the nation’s most iconic planned cities.
By the time the City of Miami was born in 1896, Coconut Grove was already a well-defined community with a variety of interesting residents who liked what they found and were willing to fight to keep it that way. Images of America: Coconut Grove tells their story from the native people who called it home to the Bahamians and sophisticated settlers who together shaped its special character. Despite hurricanes, booms, busts, and those who would change it, Coconut Grove remains uniquely itself.
Here, in this remarkable, previously unknown collection of 230 of his photographs from 1800s to 1900, we see a Florida we will never see again. We see people carving out a life on a frontier that was in many ways more unique than any other. Here sailboats were the counter-parts of the covered wagon and the barefoot mailman of the pony express. Through Munroe's (Ralph Middleton) camera we see carefully detailed scenes that historians cannot fully describe: the Gold Coast before settlement; the first pictures of the Seminole Indians; Key West as the wrecking capital of the world; beauty primeval and untouched. ... jacket.
Miami, "the Magic City," really began in 1891 when a widow from Cleveland, Julia Tuttle, moved to South Florida and convinced Standard Oil cofounder Henry Flagler to help her develop the area. Flagler built a railroad to Miami and the tourists began to arrive, entranced by the orange blossoms and fine weather. During World War II, the city grew as the military moved in to build major training centers that brought thousands of new people into the region.Sites include: Cape Florida, Royal Palm Hotel, Halcyon Hotel, Point View, Burlingame Island, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Flagler Street, Scottish Rite Temple, Freedom Tower, Biscayne Boulevard, Riverside, Tamiami Trail, Miami River, Coconut Grove, Vizcaya, El Jardin, Pan Am terminal, Coral Gables, Biltmore Hotel, Douglas Entrance, Miracle Mile, Hialeah Race Course, Opa-Locka, Miami Beach, Collins Canal, Fisher Island, Espanola Way, Deauville Hotel, Normandy Isle and Old City Hall.
Guided by a visionary widow named Julia Tuttle, the city of Miami truly came into being in 1896 and has not stopped growing. Halfway through the last century, the apparent domination of land, population, and business by whites and--for decades--repressed African Americans became tested and balanced by the victims of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Beyond that, hundreds of thousands of others from Spanish-speaking lands came to create what truly is an international metropolis. The chapters of Miami's existence are delineated by those legendary locals who came earliest; those who were the pioneers; those who established businesses that endured; those who were the builders and visionaries; those who served in politics; those who came from other places; those who created, built, and extended educational and arts opportunities; and those who embraced the placid environment and natural beauty of the "Magic City.
Here, in this remarkable, previously unknown collection of 230 of his photographs from 1800s to 1900, we see a Florida we will never see again. We see people carving out a life on a frontier that was in many ways more unique than any other. Here sailboats were the counter-parts of the covered wagon and the barefoot mailman of the pony express. Through Munroe's (Ralph Middleton) camera we see carefully detailed scenes that historians cannot fully describe: the Gold Coast before settlement; the first pictures of the Seminole Indians; Key West as the wrecking capital of the world; beauty primeval and untouched. ... jacket.
The story of developers selling off the Sunshine State is as old as the first railroad tracks laid across the peninsula. But seldom do we hear about the men who actually built a better Florida. In George Merrick, Son of the South Wind, South Florida historian Arva Moore Parks recounts George Merrick's quest to distinguish himself from the legions of developers who sought only profit. Helping to create the land boom of the 1920s, Merrick transformed his family's citrus grove just outside of Miami into one of the finest planned communities: the "master suburb" of Coral Gables. With a team of architects and city planners, he built homes for the growing middle class in the Mediterranean Style using local stone, and he invested in public infrastructure by designing and building parks and pools, trolley lines and waterways. He pledged land for a library and the university that would become the University of Miami. Hailed in national publications as a visionary, Merrick was green before green, a New Urbanist before the movement even had a name. As Coral Gables and Merrick prospered, he reinvested in education, affordable housing, and other progressive causes. But the Great Depression ravaged Miami, and Merrick's idealism cost him his fortune. He died with an estate worth less than $400. With unprecedented access to the Merrick family and mining a treasure trove of Merrick’s personal letters, documents, speeches, and manuscripts, Parks presents the remarkable story of George Merrick and the development of one of the nation’s most iconic planned cities.
Coconut Grove depicts the history of this diverse Miami community. By the time the City of Miami was born in 1896, Coconut Grove was already a well-defined community with a variety of interesting residents who liked what they found and were willing to fight to keep it that way. Images of America: Coconut Grove tells their story, from the native people who called it home to the Bahamians and sophisticated settlers who together shaped its special character. Despite hurricanes, booms, busts, and those who would change it, Coconut Grove remains uniquely itself.
Guided by a visionary widow named Julia Tuttle, the city of Miami truly came into being in 1896 and has not stopped growing. Halfway through the last century, the apparent domination of land, population, and business by whites and--for decades--repressed African Americans became tested and balanced by the victims of the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Beyond that, hundreds of thousands of others from Spanish-speaking lands came to create what truly is an international metropolis. The chapters of Miami's existence are delineated by those legendary locals who came earliest; those who were the pioneers; those who established businesses that endured; those who were the builders and visionaries; those who served in politics; those who came from other places; those who created, built, and extended educational and arts opportunities; and those who embraced the placid environment and natural beauty of the "Magic City.
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