Upload
bill-lindley
View
189
Download
1
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
A Brief History of the Miami-Dade
County Park and Recreation
Department
Our Early Beginnings
The Age of the Rail
Dade County dates to 1836 but local government comes
with the arrival of the railroad and incorporation of the City
of Miami in 1896.
The first train to arrive in Miami, 1896
When the county was created in 1836, it stretched from Indian Key
to Jupiter inlet. By the late 1890s there were fewer than 1,000
residents in all of Dade County.
The Roaring 20’s: The Great Florida Land Boom
Flagler Street, 1920
In the 1920s, a real estate boom changed the area as new subdivisions
and tourist resorts were built.
The City of Miami changed so rapidly that visitors remarked that it had
“grown like magic” and Miami came to be know as the “Magic City.”
East Flagler and First Avenue, 1925
Americans Take to the Roads
By 1920, Miami’s population had grown to 29,571, an increase
of 440% during the previous decade. People from all over the country flocked to South
Florida in hopes of getting rich buying and selling real
estate.
To help attract motorists to South Florida, the Dade
County Commission set aside money in 1929 for a road
beautification program.
In 1929 Adrian D. “Doug” Barnes is hired to be the superintendent of
the county road beautification program.
The Parks Department is Born
With prison labor and $10,000, project “Superintendent” A.D.
Barnes began to plant trees that would eventually canopy the
county’s roads.
The program becomes the Dade County Parks
Department.
Deering
Fruit and Spice
Crandon
Haulover
Greynolds
Matheson Hammock
Homestead Bayfront
Our Heritage Parks: The Keys to our Past
Matheson Hammock Park
Our First Heritage Park
In 1930, Matheson Hammock becomes the county’s
first park.
“I have been waiting for
somebody to ask for the
Hammock and preserve it for the
public.”
--Commodore William J. Matheson
So spoke Commodore William J.
Matheson in the winter of 1929 when
approached by county employees
interested in the property. He
immediately agreed to donate the
land for a public park.
The Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)
was created by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in 1933 to put
unemployed young men to work
during the Great Depression.
The Civilian Conservation Corps adds to the park’s facilities in 1936.
The Civilian Conservation Core Arrives!
In Miami, CCC crews cleared land, engineered paths and
roadways, quarried stone, dredged canals, and built the walls and
structures of Dade County’s first parks.
At Matheson Hammock, the CCC
began to clear some of the
palmetto scrub, build bridges, and
dredge the area that became the
swimming beach.
A marina was built for private
boaters. The CCC also built a
concession stand area from native
rock which now housed the Red
Fish Grill.
The boat slips for the marina were
dug out by CCC workers.
The beach was enclosed early in the park’s
development after barracudas became a threat to
swimmers.
The swimming area quickly became popular with bathers. The original
concession stand is today a formal restaurant.
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Matheson Hammock Park Today
Greynolds Park
A. D. Barnes Looks to the North of the County to Build a Park
In the early 1930’s, A.D. Barnes, realized that Miami was
expanding northward. Now Barnes was looking to create
a park to serve people in the northern part of the
county.
..an old rock quarry near the Oleta River
A.O. Greynolds owned an old rock quarry near the Oleta River in Ojus,
Florida. Barnes struck a deal with Greynolds—if he donated his quarry
for a park, it would carry his name.
Barnes presented William Lyman Phillips, the landscape architect, a
challenge—take a scraped, tract of rock pits littered with machinery
and make a park that people in Miami would be willing to drive a
distance to use.
There was not enough money to
haul away the heavy machinery and
boulders left behind. Phillips
decided to bury it all under the dirt
and slag dredged up during the
creation of the lakes and
waterways.
Phillip’s solution created an
“observation mound,” 42 feet
above sea level, the highest point
of land in the county at the time.
Visitors could swim in the lake, rent a horse for $1.50 per hour,
or rent a row boat or canoe for 25 cents an hour.
Phillips also created a boating and swimming lake with a timber and
stone boat house at one end. A natural island rookery populated by
nearly 3,000 egrets, herons, and roseate spoonbills became a central
feature.
Around the perimeter of the park, Phillips laid out a roadway lined with
native oaks and other local species, providing motorists with a scenic
drive to picnic areas and horseback riding trails.
So many people came from all over
the county and outside Florida that
picnic shelters, parking areas, and
restrooms had to be doubled after
the first year of operation.
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Greynolds Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park
In the 1930’s, the town
of Homestead
considered a number of
ideas to promote its
development. One of
their ideas was to
create a public park on
the bayfront.
James Sottile, owner of South
Dade Farms, donated 1,200
acres of bayfront for the park
project.
Much of the land
originally set aside for
Homestead Bayfront
Park was eventually
annexed into
neighboring Biscayne
National Park, including
the land were the visitor
center is located today.
An existing canal was dredged and widened to improve boat access.
An atoll tidal pool was created, modeled after the swimming atoll in
Matheson Hammock Park, and areas were cleared for roads and a
parking lot.
Development was delayed by World War II. The Army Corps
used the park as a base for rescue boats. German U-boats
seriously disrupted our coastal shipping.
The park reverted to civilian use after the war. In 1947, bonds were issued
to complete the park and marina construction. A two-story building was
renovated as a concession stand and living quarters for the Park
Superintendent.
Six thousand people attended the
official opening on January 28th,
1951.
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Homestead Bayfront Park Today
Crandon Park
In 1941, Charles Crandon, a county commissioner, had a bold idea. The county
would offer to build a causeway from the mainland if the Matheson family, owners
of most of the island, would donate the beach area for a public park. The deal was
struck in 1941 but was delayed by World War II.
Eventually, in 1947, the Eddie Rickenbacker Causeway was opened by the war
hero himself and Commissioner Charles Crandon, whose vision and dedication
earned him the honor of having the new park bear his name.
New attractions were added to entice people across the
causeway—cabanas, a zoo, trams, trains, and a carousel.
In this 1950’s photograph, Bill Baggs State Park is at the bottom of the island.
Just above is the Village of Key Biscayne, with Crandon Park at the top.
Beyond Key Biscayne, continuing north, is Virginia Key, the undeveloped
Fisher Island, and Miami Beach.
A world class golf course was added in 1972. The state-of-the-art tennis center
draws international crowds for tournaments. The bayside marina gives boaters
access to Biscayne Bay and provides a beautiful venue for dining and sunset
watching.
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Marina
Crandon Beach
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Beach
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Beach Cabanas
Crandon Park Today
Crandon Golf Course
Crandon Gardens
Crandon Park Today
Haulover Beach Park
In 1924, the government dredged Haulover Cut, creating open
access to the sea.
Phillip Edward Baker, a Civil War Veteran and prosperous Keys sponge
fisherman hacked through the mangroves clearing a portage, then set up
a shack and charged fishermen to “haul over” their fishing boats across
the narrow neck of land separating the bay from the sea.
This 1925 photo shows the recently dug Haulover Cut at bottom. The
inlet and path to the ocean, center, constitute “Baker’s Haulover.”
In 1935, the county bought undeveloped lots to form Haulover Beach.
In 1939 the Lighthouse Restaurant was purchased along with another
72 lots.
Docks were built making possible the development of
commercial fishing and charter sport fishing.
Local skippers served as “sub-spotters” during World War II,
reporting German U-boat sightings to the Coast Guard stationed at
Haulover.
Seeking relief from the
heat on Labor Day in
1948, bathers flock to
Haulover Beach.
A 1948 storm sends waves crashing over the old A1A
bridge at Haulover Cut. Erosion has been an ongoing
problem in the park.
Today Haulover Park is known worldwide for its international sport fishing
tournaments and its “clothing optional” area the only official “naturist”
beach in South Florida.
The Sea Turtle Hatchery at Haulover Beach protects endangered sea turtles. In
2003, more than 30,000 hatchlings returned to the sea, making the hatchery one
of the largest sea turtle rescue programs in Florida.
Haulover Beach Park Today
Aerial View from the South
Haulover Beach Park Today
Haulover Beach Inlet
Haulover Beach Park Today
Newly Built Boat Docks
Haulover Beach Park Today
Haulover Beach Jetty
Haulover Beach Park Today
9-hole Family Golf Course
Haulover Beach Park Today
Haulover Boat Dock
Haulover Beach Park Today
Haulover, Bay Shoreline
Haulover Beach Park Today
Art Deco Lifeguard Stands
Haulover Beach Park Today
The Fruit and Spice Park
Surrounded by thousands of acres of tropical farmland, the park is a
showcase for South Florida's agricultural community. An active exchange
program with botanical gardens and parks in Central America, Southeast Asia
and Australia ensures the quality and variety of species on display.
The park is the product of one woman’s vision: Mary
Calkins Heinlein who wanted to display the variety of
produce that come from the Redland district where her
family settled when she was a child.
Mary Calkins was the driving force behind the
establishment of the Redland Fruit and Spice Park and was
the park’s first superintendent and primary planner
beginning in 1944. She remained superintendent until her
retirement in 1959.
The Redland Schoolhouse was built
in 1906. The Redland Women’s Club
bought the building in 1916 after
the children transferred to the
Redlands Consolidated School.
The building was destroyed by
Hurricane Andrew in 1992. A
replica of the schoolhouse
serves as the park office and
store.
In 1944, the Fruit and Spice Park was set up in the
Redlands as a showcase for South Florida’s agricultural
community.
In 1980, the park’s name was changed to the Preston B.
Bird and Mary Heinlein Fruit and Spice Park.
In 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused massive damage to the
park gardens and buildings.
The Fruit and Spice Park Today
Chris Rollins, Park Manager
The annual Redland Natural Art Festival—in its third
decade –attracts more than 15,000 visitors each year.
The park store stocks horticultural supplies, books on cooking and
gardening, reference books on tropical fruits and vegetables, and a
variety of spices, tropical jellies and specialty items.
The Fruit and Spice Park is a unique 35-acre display of tropical and
subtropical plants from around the world, where visitors are invited to taste
their way through ripe displays.
There are guided and self-guided tours, a tram ride, picnic tables, agricultural
classes, workshops and festivals. The park is the only tropical botanical
garden of its kind in the United States. It has over 500 varieties of exotic
fruits, herbs, spices and nuts and the largest collection of bamboo and
banana varieties in the country.
The Deering Estate at Old Cutler
The Deering Estate is one of
the most beautiful public
settings in the United States
—433 acres of pine rockland
and native hardwood
hammock with a mangrove-
fringed view out to sea.
Deering From Above
One of the wealthiest men of his age, Charles Deering was
an astute art collector, a scholarly reader, and a passionate
amateur naturalist. He loved the subtropical, Florida
climate and was dedicated to its conservation.
Deering Estate is named after Charles Deering, a 20th-century
industrial mogul.
Two very distinctive houses—the Stone House and
Richmond Cottage—represent the one hundred year span
of European settlement. Richmond Cottage was built by
pioneers on the edge of the wilderness in 1896.
The Stone House was built by Deering in 1922.
Charles Deering moved to Miami in 1914. He first built an
estate on the north Miami waterfront, but sold out during
a housing boom to purchase the remote Richmond Cottage.
Deering bought as much adjacent land as he could to save the native
hardwood hammock from future development.
A large section of the Ingraham Highway, the original coast road from
Coconut Grove, runs directly through the park.
Deering moved the road and built the Chinese Bridge on the
bypass as a tribute to his years in Asia as a U.S. Naval Officer.
The Deerings lived
first in the
Richmond Cottage,
named for the
family who built it.
Richmond Cottage
Stone House
The Stone House was constructed
as a residence and gallery for
Deering’s priceless art collection,
much of which is now in the Art
Institute of Chicago.
Convinced that the draining of the Everglades would have a
negative impact on the South Florida climate, he had
weather-measuring instruments installed on the property.
http://fulltext10.fcla.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=rte;cc=rte;sid=953a3ff50f5f6eb7bf88674aa471f914;rgn=full%20text;idno=RTCM00500010;a=48;view=jpg;node=RTCM00500010%3A14;seq=14
Charles Deering died at the Deering Estate in 1927. He was
75.
The estate remained in the family until it was purchased with county
and state funds in 1985. The park is owned by the State of Florida and
operated by Miami-Dade County.
In 1992, Deering Estate was devastated by Hurricane Andrew.
Reconstruction lasted eleven years.
Deering Estate Today
Deering Estate Bayside
Deering from Above
Royal Palm Bay View from Stone House
Royal Palms on Bay Side