{"id":23350,"date":"2022-06-15T09:47:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T16:47:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?p=23350"},"modified":"2022-06-15T09:47:28","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T16:47:28","slug":"a-walk-through-history-historic-sunset-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/a-walk-through-history-historic-sunset-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"A WALK THROUGH HISTORY                HISTORIC SUNSET DRIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"<a id=\"a-walk-through-history-historic-sunset-drive\"><\/a>\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Presented by the South Miami Historic Board. <em>(Published 2012)<\/em><br>Discover the historic buildings of South Miami\u2019 s Town Center as you enjoy a leisurely<br>walk along Sunset Drive.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"985\" height=\"639\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone.jpg 985w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone-214x140.jpg 214w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone-97x63.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone-424x275.jpg 424w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rail-rd-crossing-duotone-300x195@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Watching the endless swarm of traffic moving along Dixie Highway, it is difficult to imagine that South Miami began as an outpost accessed by unpaid trails.&nbsp; This little Town of Larkins developed here in 1899, eventually grew into the City of South Miami by 1927, thanks to the arrival of Flagler\u2019s Florida East Coast Railway (FEC).&nbsp; The railway provided a sophisticated link to expanding markets for the local homesteaders, farmers and lumbermen, and ensured their prosperity. A fixture in the downtown for over 50 years, the railway tracks once ran on about the same trajectory as today&#8217;s Metrorail. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pioneering families, such as Dorn, Opshal, Shelley, Dowling, and Williamson settled here from the end of the nineteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth, helping to establish a community.&nbsp; One pioneer, Wilson Alexander Larkins (1860-1946), the towns\u2019 namesake, settled east of presented by downtown in Cocoplum Circle in 1897.&nbsp; Eventually, he owned scores of acres of farmland, operated a small dairy (taking milk to Miami in a specially designed tanks fitted to his bicycle), the post office, a general store, and later a commissary, packing house, and siding with station near the FEC tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">With the coming of the railway, the center of the small settlement shifted westerly, growing into a city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Today\u2019s South Miami\u2019s downtown streetscape sports a mix of architectural styles, among them, historically designated buildings dated from 1914 to 1955.&nbsp; They serve to bookend two major periods of construction activity, the feverish days of the newly \u201cdiscovered\u201d 1920\u2019s era South Florida and the Post World War II boom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"193\" height=\"277\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23358\" data-link=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?attachment_id=23358\" class=\"wp-image-23358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins.jpg 193w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-97x139.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-192x275.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><em>Wilson A. Larkins<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-bike.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"409\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-bike.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23359\" data-link=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?attachment_id=23359\" class=\"wp-image-23359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-bike.jpg 409w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-bike-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Wilson-A.-Larkins-bike-97x65.jpg 97w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><em>Drawing of Larkins&#8217; specially-designed milk tanks fitted to his bicycle<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Shelly-Bike-Shop.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"302\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Shelly-Bike-Shop.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23360\" data-link=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?attachment_id=23360\" class=\"wp-image-23360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Shelly-Bike-Shop.jpg 302w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Shelly-Bike-Shop-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-Shelly-Bike-Shop-97x89.jpg 97w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 302px) 100vw, 302px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><em>The Shelly Bike Shop<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"303\" height=\"274\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"23361\" data-full-url=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/?attachment_id=23361\" class=\"wp-image-23361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn.jpg 303w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn-300x271.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Robert-and-Harold-Dorn-97x88.jpg 97w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 303px) 100vw, 303px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><em>Robert and Harold Dorn<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>1. DORN-MARTIN DRUGSTORE: 5900 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1925<br>Architect: Robert Dorn (Attributed) \/ Style: Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23368\" width=\"841\" height=\"379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE.jpg 619w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE-97x44.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE-610x275.jpg 610w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DORN-MARTIN-DRUGSTORE-300x135@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The first in a series of three buildings on this site erected by brothers Robert and Harold Dorn, the Drugstore, like the Bank building and the Post Office, is a survivor from the Florida building boom days of the 1920s.&nbsp; Fronting directly on Sunset Drive, the two-story structure exhibits all the hallmarks of the Mission style.&nbsp; Of note is the curvilinear central parapet, the broad expanses of stucco, the use of barrel tile coping at the parapet, the engaged plasters that separate the windows and entry bays, and the decorative glazed ceramic tile accents.<br>The front entrance, now squared-off, was originally in the form of an arch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>2.\u00a0 BANK BUILDING: 5910 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1926<br>Architect: Robert Dorn (Attributed) Style: Neoclassical (Derivative)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BANK-BUILDING.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23371\" width=\"841\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BANK-BUILDING.jpg 616w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BANK-BUILDING-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BANK-BUILDING-97x43.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/BANK-BUILDING-300x133@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Part of a series of buildings constructed by the Dorn Brothers, the Bank building was originally designed to host the South Florida Bank.&nbsp; However, this site was never home to any bank.&nbsp; It has been used throughout time as retail space.&nbsp; The two-story building wraps around the corner of Sunset Drive and is remarkable for its fa\u00e7ade with triple arched openings, alternating large and small blocks of stone, cast relief medallions, all topped by a weighty cornice.&nbsp; One major change was the removal of the mullions from the original widows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>3.\u00a0SOUTH MIAMI POST OFFICE: 5904 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1926<\/strong><br><strong>Architect: Robert Dorn (Attributed) \/ Style: Mediterranean Revival<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SOUTH-MIAMI-POST-OFFICE.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23372\" width=\"403\" height=\"370\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SOUTH-MIAMI-POST-OFFICE.jpg 304w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SOUTH-MIAMI-POST-OFFICE-300x274.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SOUTH-MIAMI-POST-OFFICE-97x89.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SOUTH-MIAMI-POST-OFFICE-301x275.jpg 301w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">One of South Miami\u2019s post offices, this building fronts only 25 feet of space along US 1.&nbsp; Best described as Mediterranean Revival, the one-story building achieves a strict symmetry as it is divided into a center bay that terminates above the roof line in a pediment form and is flanked by two bays of equal dimensions that feature blind, rounded arches above the square storefront windows.&nbsp; Original windows have been replaced by modern float glass.&nbsp; Through time the building has served a variety of retail purposes. <em>(Historic photo unavailable)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>4.\u00a0 COMMERCIAL BUILDING: 5893 SW Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1948<\/strong><br><strong>Architect\/Builder: E.J. Newby \/ Style: Streamline Moderne (Derivative)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23375\" width=\"834\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING.jpg 610w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING-300x136.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING-97x44.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING-608x275.jpg 608w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/COMMERCIAL-BUILDING-300x136@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 834px) 100vw, 834px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Built during the Post World War II boom, this tidy little building literally had to be wedged into a 57.6 x 70-foot space.&nbsp; Originally the building had two prominent slabs of concrete that ran completely around the structure shading the windows on the first and second floors.&nbsp; These \u201ceyebrows\u201d were reminiscent of an architectural style that was popular in the 1930s.&nbsp; At some point in the life of the building the brows were removed and replaced with stucco banding.&nbsp; The combination of this building with the Dorn structures directly across Sunset Drive serve to announce the eastern entrance to South Miami\u2019s downtown retail center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>5.\u00a0 DOWLING BUILDING: 5875 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1914-1926<\/strong><br><strong>Architect\/Builder: Unknown \/ Style: Commercial Masonry Vernacular<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23378\" width=\"841\" height=\"377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING.jpg 615w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING-97x44.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING-613x275.jpg 613w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/DOWLING-BUILDING-300x135@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">This structure has as its core one of the oldest surviving concrete block buildings in the city. Originally built in 1914 as a general store for pioneer John Opsahl, it was transformed by William Manning Dowling in 1926.\u00a0 Opsahl\u2019s utilitarian design was enriched by the addition of a number of architectural elements.\u00a0 The new affair added and arcade, a curved and crenellated front parapet, and a screened porch above the arcade.\u00a0 Dowling added apartments to the second floor, maintaining retail on the first.\u00a0 In 1994 significant changes included the addition of windows to the porch, apartments made into offices, crenellations removed and the arches reshaped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>6.\u00a0SHELLEY BUILDING: 5837 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1926<\/strong><br><strong>Architect: Robert Shelley \/ Style: Mediterranean Revival\/Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23383\" width=\"840\" height=\"379\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1.jpg 615w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1-300x135.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1-97x44.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1-611x275.jpg 611w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/SHELLEY-BUILDING-1-300x135@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The Shelley Building was another product of the building boom underway in the 1920-era Town of Larkins.&nbsp; The Shelley family arrived in the area in 1911 when George Shelley purchased five acres of land from a Flagler subsidiary.&nbsp; Originally a one-story retail structure, Robert Shelley <em>(son of George)<\/em> later added a second floor with four apartment and the front arcade.&nbsp; Today the building is minus the lovely balustrade that once graced the top of the arcade, the windows on the storefronts and second floor are not original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>7.\u00a0 D.J. RED BUILDING: 5850 Sunset Drive &#8211; Built: 1923<\/strong><br><strong>Architect\/Builder: Unknown \/ Style: Mediterranean Revival<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"407\" height=\"276\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/D.J.-RED-BUILDING.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/D.J.-RED-BUILDING.jpg 407w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/D.J.-RED-BUILDING-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/D.J.-RED-BUILDING-97x66.jpg 97w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 407px) 100vw, 407px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The D.J. Red family arrived in Larkins in 1914.&nbsp; D.J. Red served as City Commissioner and City Clerk.&nbsp; Designed to accommodate living quarters on the second floor and retail shops the first, another building section was added by son Jesse Red In the 1940s which extended the structure along SW 58th Court.&nbsp; The newer addition once served as an automotive shop.&nbsp; The Red building often housed popular restaurants including the Waffle Shop in the 1960s and JJ\u2019s American Diner in the 1980s <em>(Historic photo unavailable)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>8.\u00a05800 SUNSET DRIVE \u2013 Built: 1929<\/strong><br><strong>Architect\/Builder: Unknown \/ Style: Mediterranean Revival<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"406\" height=\"277\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5800-SUNSET-DRIVE-jpg-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5800-SUNSET-DRIVE-jpg-1.jpg 406w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5800-SUNSET-DRIVE-jpg-1-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5800-SUNSET-DRIVE-jpg-1-97x66.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/5800-SUNSET-DRIVE-jpg-1-403x275.jpg 403w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 406px) 100vw, 406px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-medium-font-size\">This building expresses the elements of the Mediterranean Revival style in its masonry construction, the regularly spaced windows, and the prominent parapet that peaks in a triangular pediment in the center, extending higher at the ends of the building on both north and south sides.\u00a0 The ornamentation is concentrated around the windows and the primary elevation which a pronounced band of stucco in relief. \u00a0 There have been alterations over time however the original character of the building prevails.\u00a0 The building was designed to accommodate residences on the second floor and retail on the first.\u00a0 <em>(Historic photo unavailable)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>9.\u00a0 CROSSROADS BUILDING: 5700 Sunset Drive \u2013 Built: 1955<\/strong><br><strong>Architect: M. Tony Sherman \/ Style: Mid-Century Modern<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CROSSROADS-BUILDING.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23389\" width=\"841\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CROSSROADS-BUILDING.jpg 615w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CROSSROADS-BUILDING-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CROSSROADS-BUILDING-97x43.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/CROSSROADS-BUILDING-300x133@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Built as a shopping center \u201cWhere Town and Country Meet,\u201d this structure holds a distinctive place in the streetscape, announcing the western entrance to the city\u2019s downtown retail district.&nbsp; Now missing are the slat cladding on the central tower and a set of oversize vertical \u201cfins\u201d from the eastern elevation.&nbsp; Designed with ground floor shops and second floor offices, it enjoyed the luxury of air-conditioning.&nbsp; The Crossroads continues to host a variety of shops including Lanes, which has been selling clothing in this location since the building first opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"709\" height=\"474\" src=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23391\" srcset=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926.jpg 709w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926-97x65.jpg 97w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926-411x275.jpg 411w, https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/The-GREAT-MIAMI-HURRICANE-OF-1926-300x201@2x.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 100vw, 709px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The<\/strong> <strong>GREAT MIAMI HURRICANE OF 1926<\/strong> in September was a large and intense tropical cyclone that devastated the Greater Miami area and caused catastrophic damage in the Bahamas and the U.S. Gulf Coast accruing a US$100 million damage toll. As a result of the devastation wrought by the hurricane in Florida, the Land Boom in Florida ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Pictured here is the devastation to the newly constructed Dorn Brothers bank building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The University of Miami had been founded in 1925 and opened its doors for the first time just days after the hurricane passed. The university&#8217;s athletic teams ere nicknamed the Hurricanes in memory of this catastrophe. The school&#8217;s mascot is Sebastian, an ibis. The ibis is a small white bird that can be seen around South Florida, including on the UM campus. According to folklore, the ibis is the last bird to leave before a hurricane strikes and the first to return after the storm, hence its selection for the school mascot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Presented by the South Miami Historic Board. (Published 2012)Discover the historic buildings of South Miami\u2019 s Town Center as you enjoy a leisurelywalk along Sunset Drive. Watching the endless swarm of traffic moving along Dixie Highway, it is difficult to imagine that South Miami began as an outpost accessed by unpaid trails.&nbsp; This little Town<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/somimag.com\/a-walk-through-history-historic-sunset-drive\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":23395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[310,336,1,319],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23350"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23350"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23396,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23350\/revisions\/23396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/somimag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}