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This article is about the section of Miami Beach known as South Beach. For more options see South Beach (disambiguation).
An aerial view of South Beach.

South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. This area was the first section of Miami Beach to be developed, starting in the 1910s, thanks to the development efforts of Carl G. Fisher, the Lummus Brothers, John S. Collins, and others. The area has gone through numerous artificial and natural changes over the years, including a booming regional economy, increased tourism, and the 1926 hurricane, which destroyed much of the area.

History

South Beach, view towards east from 15th Street near Washington Avenue with the Loews, St. Morritz and the Royal Palm Hotels in the background.
Typical winter day on South Beach.
Panorama of South Beach

South Beach started as farmland. In 1870, Henry and Charles Lum purchased 165 acres (67 ha) for coconut farming, and his daughter[clarification needed (Whose daughter?)] Taylor named it "South Beach". Charles Lum built the first house on the beach in 1886. In 1894, the Lum brothers left the island, leaving control of the plantation to John Collins, who came to South Beach two years later to survey the land. He used the land for farming purposes, discovering fresh water and extending his parcel from 14th Street to 67th in 1907.[citation needed]

In 1912, Miami businessmen the Lummus Brothers acquired 400 acres (160 ha) of Collins' land in an effort to build an oceanfront city of modest single family residences. In 1913 Collins started construction of a bridge from Miami to Miami Beach. Although some local residents invested in the bridge, Collins ran short of money before he could complete it.[1]

Carl G. Fisher, a successful entrepreneur who made millions in 1909 after selling a business to Union Carbide, came to the beach in 1913. His vision was to establish South Beach as a successful city independent of Miami. This was the same year that the restaurant Joe's Stone Crab opened. Fisher loaned $50,000 to Collins for his bridge, which was completed in June, 1913. the Collins Bridge was later replaced by the Venetian Causeway.[2]

On March 26, 1915, Collins, Lummus, and Fisher consolidated their efforts and incorporated the Town of Miami Beach. In 1920 the County Causeway (renamed MacArthur Causeway in 1942[3]) was completed.[4] The Lummus brothers sold their oceanfront property, between 6th and 14th Streets, to the city. To this day, this area is known as Lummus Park.[citation needed]

In 1920, the Miami Beach land boom began. South Beach's main streets (5th Street, Alton Road, Collins Avenue, Washington Avenue, and Ocean Drive) were all suitable for automobile traffic. The population was growing in the 1920s, and several millionaires such as Harvey Firestone, J.C. Penney, Harvey Stutz, Albert Champion, Frank Seiberling, and Rockwell LaGorce built homes on Miami Beach. President Warren G. Harding stayed at the Flamingo Hotel during this time, increasing interest in the area.[citation needed]

In the 1930s, an architectural revolution came to South Beach, bringing Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Nautical Moderne architecture to the Beach. South Beach claims to be the world's largest collection of Streamline Moderne Art Deco architecture. Napier, New Zealand, another notable Art Deco city, makes an interesting comparison with Miami Beach as it was rebuilt in the Ziggurat Art Deco style after being destroyed by an earthquake in 1931.[citation needed]

By 1940, the beach had a population of 28,000. After the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the Army Air Corps took command over Miami Beach.[citation needed]

In 1964, South Beach became even more famous when Jackie Gleason brought his weekly variety series, The Jackie Gleason Show to the area for taping, a rarity in the industry. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing through the 1980s, South Beach was used as a retirement community with most of its ocean-front hotels and apartment buildings filled with elderly people living on small, fixed incomes. This period also saw the introduction of the "cocaine cowboys," drug dealers who used the area as a base for their illicit drug activities. Scarface, released in 1983, typifies this activity. In addition, television show Miami Vice used South Beach as a backdrop for much of its filming because of the area's raw and unique visual beauty. A somewhat recurring theme of early Miami Vice episodes was thugs and drug addicts barricading themselves in utterly run-down, almost ruin-like empty buildings. Only minor alterations had to be made for these scenes because many buildings in South Beach really were in such poor condition at the time.[citation needed]

While many of the unique Art Deco buildings, such as the New Yorker Hotel, were lost to developers in the years before 1980, the area was saved as a cohesive unit by Barbara Capitman and a group of activists who spearheaded the movement to place almost one square mile of South Beach on the National Register of Historic Places. The Miami Beach Architectural District was designated in 1979.[citation needed]

Before the TV show, Miami Vice, South Beach was considered a very poor area with a very high rate of crime. Today, it is considered one of the most wealthy and prosperous commercial areas on the beach. Despite this, poverty and crime still exist in some isolated places surrounding the area.[5]

Natalie O'Neill of the Miami New Times said in 2009 "Until the 1980s, Miami Beach was a peculiar mix of criminals, Cubans, and little old ladies. Then the beautiful people moved in."[6] In the late 1980s, a renaissance began in South Beach, with an influx of fashion industry professionals moving into the area. In 1989 Irene Marie purchased the Sun Ray Apartments (famous for the chainsaw scene in Scarface) and opened Irene Marie Models - the first international full-service modeling agency in Florida. Many of the large New York based agencies soon followed. Photographers and designers from around the world were drawn to the undiscovered Art Deco oasis.[citation needed]

State of Florida records stated that four of the anti-homosexual hate crimes in Miami-Dade County in 2009 occurred in Miami Beach.[7][8] Around that time period many homosexuals moved from South Beach to Fort Lauderdale, which has a homosexual community. O'Neill stated "South Beach isn't the free-spirited haven of gayness it once was." Regarding the anti-homosexual hate violence, O'Neill said "It's surprising when you consider South Beach's heyday as a sparkling gay playground."[7] O'Neill said that the language of Florida's hate crime law is "vague" and that police officers "aren't adequately trained to notice and document the signs" and that therefore the true number of hate crimes is higher Herb Sosa, president of Unity Coalition of Miami-Dade, said that "Police numbers don't match our numbers, and that's a problem."[6] Steve Rothaus of the Miami Herald criticized O'Neill's article, saying that the number of hate crimes reported in Miami Beach, 4, was overstated by O'Neill.[8] O'Neill responded, saying that Rothaus did not take into consideration the under-reporting and the general feeling of alienation experienced by homosexuals that occurred in South Beach.[9]

Modern times

Lifeguards stand at Lummus Park.
Ocean Drive.
Ocean Drive at night.

In both daytime and at nightfall, the South Beach section of Miami Beach is a major entertainment destination with hundreds of nightclubs, restaurants, boutiques and hotels. The area is popular with both American and international tourists (mainly from Canada, Latin America, Europe, Israel, the Caribbean and within the United States), with some having permanent or second homes. The large number of European and Brazilian tourists also explains their influence on South Beach's lax and overall tolerance of the female monokini, aka topless sunbathing, despite it being a public beach.

The reflection of South Beach's residents is evident in the various European languages, as well as Semitic languages and many other languages spoken. As of 2000, many Miami Beach residents, including those of South Beach, spoke Spanish as a first language, which accounted for 55% of residents, while English was the first language for 33% of the population. Reflecting the European and Brazilian community, Portuguese (mainly Brazilian Portuguese) was spoken by 3% of residents, while French (including Canadian French) was at 2%, German at 1.12%, Italian 0.99%, and Russian was 0.85% of the population. Because of the large Jewish and Israeli community, Yiddish made up 0.81% of speakers, and Hebrew was the mother tongue of 0.74% of the population.[10]

Another unique aesthetic attribute of South Beach is the several colorful and unique lifeguard stands, still used today by South Beach's lifeguards. After Hurricane Andrew, Architect William Lane donated his design services to the city and added new stops on design tours in the form of lifeguard towers. His towers instantly became symbols of the revived City of Miami Beach.

The gay community in Miami Beach has dramatically deteriorated over the years[11]. By 2010 most GLBT populations moved up north into the Ft Lauderdale area[12]. Increasing homophobia, anti-gay attacks, and Miami Beach Police brutality against gay men[13] are a just few evident factors attributing to the exoudus of LGBT culture, residents, and tourists. Ironically the gay friendly mayor came together with increased corruption and homophobia in the city's police police department[14][15] [16]. Also, since the new mayor took office, an ordinance to close parks and beaches where gay men congregate was executed[17], which led to an ongoing harassment of single men in general. As a result, Miami Beach male tourists regardless of sexual oreintation have increasingly became targets for the Miami Beach Police Department which resulted in wrongful arrests and deaths[18]. In 2005, a local gay friendly radio station, Party 93.1 FM changed its format from dance to rock. As a result, Issues Over the Rainbow, South Florida's only gay-oriented FM talk show was cancelled[19]. Gone along with the show - the station's sponsorships of the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival; Care Resource's annual White Party gala to fight AIDS; and Winter Party, a five-day fundraiser in early March that benefits South Florida gay charities[20].

Geography

South Beach is traversed by numerical streets which run east-west, starting with First Street and the largely pedestrianized Lincoln Road (between 16th and 17th). It also has 13 principal Roads and Avenues running north-south, which, from the Biscayne Bay side, are Bay Road, West Avenue, Alton Road, Lenox Avenue, Michigan Avenue, Jefferson Avenue, Meridian Avenue, Euclid Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, Drexel Avenue, Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue (Florida State Road A1A), and Ocean Drive. There are three smaller avenues (that do not run the entire length of the beach) in the Collins Park area, named Park, Liberty, and James. Most locals agree that South Beach's northern boundary runs along Dade Boulevard from Lincoln Road on the bay side of the island, and heads east-north-east until it connects with 23rd Street, which forms the northern boundary on the ocean side.

Residential neighborhoods

There are several residential neighborhoods in South Beach. The old stereotype of South Beach as a run-down retirement mecca for seniors is exploited in the Hollywood movie, "The Crew" which starred Richard Dreyfuss and Burt Reynolds. In its early existence, black people (African Americans and West Indians), many of whom helped build many of the original Art Deco buildings were not permitted to live on South Beach, or any part of Miami Beach for that matter. Also, during segregation, Jewish people were subjected to Jim Crow laws, and therefore they were not allowed to live north of Fifth Street, thus the area became known as SoFi (South of Fifth.) Many synagogues and yiddish theatres were built in the area during that time. Presently, the same area (SoFi) boasts many of the most affluent and exclusive condominium buildings ever to be built on Miami Beach. In fact SoFi, this relatively small area, now accounts for nearly 18% of the residential tax base for all of Miami Beach because of its high property values. The glittering glass towers of the area include the large resort-like condominium buildings such as Portofino Tower and sister buildings such as ICON (spearheaded by designer Philippe Starck), Murano at Portofino, Murano Grande at Portofino, The Apogee, and The Continuum buildings (I and II). Now, it also encompasses the area from the Atlantic ocean east to Biscayne Bay on the west, and from Fifth Street to the South Pointe Park. Although mostly residential, the area has some light commercial (mainly restaurants, a few hotels and the Miami Beach Marina complex). This area has several notable nightlife destinations, including Opium Garden, Privé, Nikki Beach Club, and Pearl. It also has several smaller, upscale bars and restaurants, including Joe's Stone Crabs, Smith & Wollensky's steak house, and China Grill. South Beach is also home to two schools in the area; Miami Beach High School and South Pointe Elementary.

Flamingo Park is a historic neighborhood directly north of Fifth and expands from Alton Road on the west to Washington Avenue on the east, with its northern boundary being Lincoln Road; it does not include Lenox. This area consists mainly of low rise art deco apartment buildings, catering to short-term, seasonal and permanent residents, with several Bed and Breakfast Inns. Commercial development is largely limited to Alton Road, Washington Avenue, and Lincoln Road. Presently, there is little notable nightlife, with the exception of Tantra at the corner of Espanola Way and Pennsylvania Ave. It is also home to Flamingo Park, one of South Beach's public parks, which includes recreational facilities such as swimming for adults and children, tennis, racketball and basketball courts, as well as a dog park.

Espanola Way Historic District, was the first historic district in Miami Beach, adopted in 1986. It is a mixed commercial/residential neighborhood extending along Espanola Way from Collins Avenue to Jefferson Avenue, and includes the famous Clay Hotel on the corner of Washington Avenue, where Desi Arnaz launced the famous rumba craze in the 1930s. The Espanola Way district abuts Flamingo Park, and is surrounded by the Flamingo Park District, and is often included when discussing the Flamingo Park Neighborhood.

Flamingo West is a neighborhood of single family homes that spans from north of the Park to Lincoln Road on Lennox and Michigan Avenues.

Collins Park is South Beach's most "up and coming" neighborhood, according to the Miami New Times. The newspaper cites the new Sanctuary Spa Resort, an updated public library, and several open projects as evidence for its claim. Collins Park is contained by 17th Street to the south, 23rd Street to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and Washington Avenue/Pinetree Drive to the west. It is directly across from the Miami Beach Convention Center. Collins Park consists mainly of low rise art deco buildings built in the 1930s and 1950s; it is also the location of the Bass Museum of Art. The area is currently undergoing gentrification, as many of the old apartments from the 1980s (many of which still have bars on their windows) are being purchased by major New York and South Florida real estate developers to be converted into condominiums.

Additionally, many high-rise buildings are located along Bay Road and West Avenue, and there are multifamily residences located north of Lincoln Road and east of Collins Park. The Flamingo, the world's largest apartment complex, is located on Bay Road.

Parks

Jewish Museum of Florida on Washington Avenue and 3rd Street
  • Lummus Park- Ocean Drive from 5th St to 14th St
  • Flamingo Park- In between Michigan Av and Meridian Av from 11th St to Española Way
  • South Pointe Park- Washington Av and South Pointe Dr
  • South Beach Park- Ocean Drive and 2nd St
  • Washington Park- Washington Av and 2nd St
  • Collins Park- Collins Av and 21st St
  • Miami Beach Golf Club- Alton Road and W 23rd St

Transportation

Public Transportation in South Beach, along with Downtown and Brickell, is heavily used, and is a vital part of South Beach life. Although South Beach has no direct Metrorail stations, numerous Metrobus lines (operated by Miami-Dade Transit), connect to Downtown Miami and Metrorail (ie: the 'S' bus line). The 'South Beach Local' or 'SBL' is one of the most heavily-used lines in Miami, and connects all major points of South Beach to other major bus lines in the city.

The Airport-Beach Express (Route 150), operated by MDT, is a direct-service bus line that connects Miami International Airport to major points in South Beach. The ride costs $2.35, and runs every 30 minutes from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. seven days a week.[21]

South Beach, along with a handful of other neighborhoods in Miami (such as Downtown and Brickell), is one of the few places where a car-free lifestyle is commonplace. Many South Beach residents get around by foot, bicycle, motorcycle, bus or by taxi, as the neighborhood is very urban, and pedestrian-friendly. Automobile congestion in the area is frequent, so getting around in South Beach by car can often prove more difficult than simply walking. Recently, Miami Beach has begun bicycle initiaves promoting city-wide bike parking and bike lanes, that have made bicycling much more popular for residents and tourists. The Venetian Causeway for example, is a popular bicycle commuter route that connects South Beach to Downtown.

Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue, and Collins Avenue are popular shopping, eating, and entertainment streets for pedestrians. Lincoln Road is a pedestrian-only shopping street, and Collins Avenue around 5th Street, is mostly upscale retail.

Currently, a streetcar system, named 'Baylink' is in the planning stages. Baylink would connect South Beach to Downtown at Government Center Station via the MacArthur Causeway.

Gallery

  • Lifeguard post with advertising airship in the background
    Lifeguard post with advertising airship in the background
  • South Beach during the summer
    South Beach during the summer
  • Ocean Drive on Super Bowl XLI weekend 2/3/2007
    Ocean Drive on Super Bowl XLI weekend 2/3/2007
  • Ocean Drive on South Beach at night featuring The Beacon Hotel, Irene Marie Models, The Colony Hotel
    Ocean Drive on South Beach at night featuring The Beacon Hotel, Irene Marie Models, The Colony Hotel
  • Ocean Drive on South Beach during the day
    Ocean Drive on South Beach during the day
  • A portion of the southern part of the South Beach skyline as seen from Biscayne Bay
    A portion of the southern part of the South Beach skyline as seen from Biscayne Bay
  • The Clay Hotel on Española Way and Washington Avenue
    The Clay Hotel on Española Way and Washington Avenue

Commercial and other areas

Ocean Drive - South Beach, View towards the north with the Victor Hotel on the left of the picture.

Lincoln Road

Lincoln Road is an open-air pedestrian mall, considered South Beach's premiere shopping area. It is home to many restaurants and several night clubs, such as Score and Funktion, as well as many retail outlets. While Lincoln Road was one time rather downtrodden, it began a renaissance in the 1980s as an arts and cultural center. With its unique boutique shops and restaurants, it has had "an esoteric chic that maintains its trendy appeal." (ref. Ocean Drive Magazine) It is located in between 16th Street and 17th Street and spans the beach in an east-west direction. Among the late 1990s restaurants on Lincoln Road was one owned by actor Michael Caine, and managed by one of his daughters. The restaurant has since closed. Lincoln Road commerce is greatly facilitated by the 17th street parking garage. The Miami Beach Preservation Board recently approved the closure of automobile traffic on the westward part of Lincoln Road, in favor of the renovation of the SunTrust building. The extension of the pedestrian mall is complemented by the opening of STAY at Lincoln in March 2008.

Ocean Drive

Española Way and Drexel Avenue - Plaza de España (view towards the north).

Ocean Drive is the easternmost street in South Beach, and stems from south of First to 15th Street, running in a north-south direction. Ocean Drive is responsible for the South Beach aesthetic that most out-of-town visitors expect. It is a popular Spring Break and tourist area, including the famous, yet predominantly local, Pearl and Nikki Beach night spots. It is also home to several prominent restaurants (including "News Cafe," "Mango's," and the MTV-popularized "Clevelander") and is the site of Gianni Versace's former ocean front mansion.

The Carlyle Hotel on Ocean Drive near 13th Street is an iconic Art Deco landmark. Built in 1939, it is one of the most sought after settings for photo shoots, televised programming, Hollywood and independent film-making. It was the outside setting for the 1996 MGM film The Birdcage.[citation needed]

Collins Avenue

Collins Avenue runs parallel to Ocean, one block west. It is also State Road A1A. Collins is home to many historic Art Deco hotels, and several nightclubs to the north, including Mynt and Rokbar.

Española Way

Española Way, which runs from Collins Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue, was conceived by N.B.T. Roney (of the Roney Plaza Hotel) in 1925 as "The Historic Spanish Village," modeled after the romantic Mediterranean villages found in France and Spain. Today it consists of art galleries, restaurants, and quirky shops. Over the past few years, its bars and restaurants have increasingly become a gathering place for the large Italian community in Miami.

Alton Road

Alton Road is the main westside north-south street located 1-3 blocks from Biscayne Bay. On the part that traverses South Beach, the road is host to many local businesses, including dry cleaners, small furniture stores, small grocery markets, non-chain restaurants and fast food restaurants. It is mainly residential once it crosses Michigan Avenue north of South Beach. The fictional character and protagonist from the first three games of the series Driv3r, Officer Tanner, lived on a fictional cul-de-sac, that spurs off Alton Road.

Washington Avenue

Washington Avenue is one of the best-known streets in South Beach. Running parallel with Ocean and Collins, Washington is notorious for having some of the world's largest and most popular nightclubs, such as Cameo and Mansion. During "season" (October 15 to May 15) the street is jammed with traffic until early in the morning (as late as 6 am) every night of the week. In the 1990s explosion of South Beach as a nightclub venue, its nightclub moguls included Ingrid Casares, whose investors included the singer Madonna.

Nightlife

Women dancing at Mango's bar on Ocean Drive

South Beach has an active club and bar scene. It is host to more than 150 clubs and other venues, most of which close at 5 am. South Beach can be expensive, and access to nightclubs is often difficult for non-locals who do not have connections, or do not plan their evenings. Access to more popular nightspots can cost $20–60 depending on event and venue and sometimes comes with a wait of several hours, in addition to evaluation by door staff.

Nightlife in South Beach is dynamic and ever-changing, although The Clevelander and Mac's Club Deuce have remained steadfast tourist destinations on Ocean Drive for well over a decade. The average club is only open for about a season or less. Recently, the local government has been taking steps to prevent these short-lived venues from establishing themselves at all.

The television program, "UberGuide", produced by Peace Arch Entertainment, recently profiled South Beach, naming B.E.D. nightclub as one of the top ten legendary bars in the world.

Notes

  1. ^ Muir. pp. 108-9.
  2. ^ Muir. pp. 109, 111, 137-8.
  3. ^ "Causeway Our Thanks for Bataan". The Miami Daily News. Miami. 1964 Apr 6. p. 1. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Muir. p. 137.
  5. ^ MSNBC: South Beach: Life imitates art, quite vicely www.msnbc.com
  6. ^ a b O'Neill, Natalie. "Gays leave unfriendly South Beach for Fort Lauderdale." Miami New Times. January 12, 2010. 3. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.
  7. ^ a b O'Neill, Natalie. "Gays leave unfriendly South Beach for Fort Lauderdale." Miami New Times. January 12, 2010. 1. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.
  8. ^ a b Rothaus, Steve. "Miami New Times: Gays flee dangerous South Beach for Broward (No. 1 in gay hate crimes)." Miami Herald. January 12, 2010. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.
  9. ^ O'Neill, Natalie. "Herald Blogger Calls New Times Article Baloney, Forgets to Read Past the Second Section." Miami New Times. Wednesday January 13, 2010. Retrieved on January 15, 2010.
  10. ^ "MLA Data Center Results of Miami Beach, FL". Modern Language Association. Retrieved 2008-09-26.
  11. ^ http://www.edgemiami.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=101090
  12. ^ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-01-14/news/gays-are-leaving-south-beach-for-fort-lauderdale/
  13. ^ http://www.edgemiami.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc3=&id=102439
  14. ^ http://www.justnews.com/news/22519475/detail.html
  15. ^ http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2010-03-25/news/miami-beach-cops-are-paid-up-to-225k-and-face-lawsuits-galore/
  16. ^ http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2010/02/breaking-news-aclu-to-sue-miami-beach-two-cops-for-unlawful-targeting-harassment-and-arrests-of-gay-men.html
  17. ^ http://forums.miamibeach411.com/general-discussion/4336-skinny-late-night-beach-romps-south-beach-photo.html
  18. ^ http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Miami-Beach-police-officer-involved-in-two-shooting-deaths-in-four-days.html
  19. ^ http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/MiamiHerald2-16-05.pdf
  20. ^ http://www.edisonresearch.com/home/archives/MiamiHerald2-16-05.pdf
  21. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/1328946.html

References

  • Florida, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, 2004, pg. 67
  • Muir, Helen. (1953) Miami, U.S.A. Coconut Grove, Florida: Hurricane House Publishers
  • Saving South Beach. Stofik, M. Barron. 2005. University Press of Florida.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Beach&oldid=367969010"