Miami MilestonesHistorical Outline (Abridged) 1909Construction of the Miami Canal begins west of today’s 27th Avenue as part of the state’s efforts to drain the Everglades. 1909 June 12, 1913John Collins, with financial support from Carl Fisher and the Lummus brothers, completes a two-mile wooden bridge connecting Miami with the spit of oceanfront land that would become the City of Miami Beach. June 12, 1913 1913The 400-seat Lyric Theater opens in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood and serves as a source of pride for the area’s black community. The theater, built by developer Geder Walker, is the oldest theater in the city. 1913 Dec. 24, 1916James Deering moves into his grand bayfront estate, Villa Vizcaya. Designed by architect F. Burrall Hoffman and Paul Chalfin, the Venetian palazzo cost an estimated $22 million. Dec. 24, 1916 Nov. 1917U.S. Navy fills in the land between shore and the then-island of Dinner Key in Coconut Grove and establishes a Naval Air Station on the property. Nov. 1917 Feb. 17, 1920The County Causeway, present-day MacArthur Causeway, opens to traffic. Feb. 17, 1920 Nov. 27, 1921Developer George Merrick sells the first lots in community of Coral Gables, which was originally part of the City of Miami. Greater Miami’s 1920s land boom is in full swing as eager buyers purchase, divide, and often resell property seemingly overnight. The boom ends by the fall of 1926 Nov. 27, 1921 April 2, 1924Pioneering Miami physician Dr. James Jackson dies; city officials rename the local hospital in his honor. April 2, 1924 Sept. 2, 1925Miami residents vote to annex the areas of Coconut Grove, Silver Bluff, Allapattah, Lemon City, West Little River, and Little River. Sept. 2, 1925 Jan. 10, 1926A 241-foot steel-hulled schooner named Prinz Valdemar flips on its side and blocks the Miami shipping channel. Ships are unable to leave or enter the harbor for nearly a month. The unexpected closure and a subsequent hurricane in September hasten the end of Miami’s 1920s real estate boom. Jan. 10, 1926 Sept. 18, 1926The massive hurricane slams into South Florida killing one hundred people and causing millions of dollars in damage. The storm becomes known as the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926. Sept. 18, 1926 Nov. 14, 1929Sears Roebuck store opens in downtown Miami. It is considered among the first Art Deco buildings in the city. Nov. 14, 1929 Sept. 15, 1928Pan-American begins daily mail service from Miami to Havana, Cuba via Key West. The planes take off from the Miami Municipal Airport (today’s Miami International Airport). Sept. 15, 1928 Feb. 15, 1933An Italian anarchist named Giuseppe “Joe” Zangara attempts to assassinate President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Bayfront Park. Zangara shoots three bystanders, including Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak, who later died from his injuries. Feb. 15, 1933 March 4, 1933Former U.S. Congresswoman Ruth Bryan Owen, a longtime resident of Miami, becomes the first woman appointed as a U.S. ambassador when President Roosevelt selects her as Ambassador to Denmark and Iceland. March 4, 1933 Jan. 1934Pan American Airways opens a modern Art Deco terminal building at Dinner Key for their fleet of “flying boats.” The company’s famed seaplane service lasts until 1945 when Pan-Am sells the building to the City of Miami. The structure currently serves as Miami’s City Hall. Jan. 1934 Oct. 15, 1936Miami city leaders dedicate Liberty Square, one of the first federally funded public housing complexes in the country. The 15-square-mile area eventually becomes the nucleus of today’s Liberty City. Oct. 15, 1936 June 1, 1937Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan take off from Miami Municipal Airport on their ill-fated round-the-world flight June 1, 1937 1941-45During World War II Miami and Miami Beach become major sites for military training and shipbuilding. 1941-45 March 21, 1949WTVJ begins television broadcasts in Miami. March 21, 1949 « Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next »
