Collins Avenue, partly co-signed
State Road A1A
State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through m ...
, is a major thoroughfare in
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
, United States. The road runs parallel to the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
in
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
, one block west. It also runs through the cities of
Surfside and
Sunny Isles Beach to the north. Collins Avenue was named for
John S. Collins
John Stiles Collins (December 29, 1837 – February 11, 1928) was an American Quaker farmer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey who moved to South Florida at the turn of the 20th century. He attempted to grow vegetables and coconuts on the swam ...
, a developer who, in 1913, completed Miami’s first bridge,
Collins Bridge
The Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins (1837–1928) wi ...
, connecting Miami Beach to the mainland across
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...
.
Background
Collins Avenue is home to many historic
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
hotels, and several nightclubs to the north.
North of 41st Street this boulevard lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the
Indian Creek, lined by palm trees, and famous hotels from the 1950s and 1960s such as the
Eden Roc and the
Morris Lapidus
Morris Lapidus (November 25, 1902 – January 18, 2001) was an architect, primarily known for his Neo-baroque "Miami Modern" hotels constructed in the 1950s and 60s, which have since come to define that era's resort-hotel style, synonymous w ...
-designed
Fontainebleau Hotel
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach (also known as Fontainebleau Hotel) is a hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Designed by Morris Lapidus, the luxury hotel opened in 1954. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in the American Institute ...
, built in the curvy, flamboyant
Neo-baroque fashion that defined the 1950s "Miami Beach" resort hotel style.
The Collins Avenue Story - Absolutely Florida
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Significant events
The annual Miami International Boat Show
The Miami International Boat Show is an annual event in February, produced by thNational Marine Manufacturers Associationin Miami, Florida, United States. It had previously been held in three separate venues; two in Downtown Miami, and the other ...
occurs on Collins Avenue. On February 2, 1973, a mentally ill man firebombed a cafeteria at 1921 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, killing three people and injuring over 130. On June 24, 2021, an apartment building at 8777 Collins Avenue in Surfside partially collapsed, resulting in 98 fatalities.
References
Further reading
* Kleinberg, Howard, ''Woggles and cheese holes : the story of Miami Beach hotels'', Miami Beach, FL : Greater Miami & The Beaches Hotel Association, 2005.
* Kleinberg, Howard, ''Miami Beach : a history'', Miami, FL : Centennial Press, 1994.
* Lejeune, Jean-François, et al., ''The making of Miami Beach, 1933-1942: the architecture of Lawrence Murray Dixon
Lawrence Murray Dixon (February 16, 1901 - October 8, 1949) was an architect in Miami Beach, Florida. He was born in Live Oak, Florida, attended the Georgia School of Technology (1918-1919) and worked in New York for Schultze and Weaver from 1 ...
'', Miami : Bass Museum of Art
The Bass Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located in Miami Beach, Florida. The Bass Museum of Art was founded in 1963 and opened in 1964.
History Early years
John Bass (1891-1978) and Johanna Redlich (m. Feb. 21, 1921) were Jewish-im ...
, 2000
{{Greater Miami
Roads in Miami Beach, Florida
Roads in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Shopping districts and streets in the United States
Tourist attractions in Miami-Dade County, Florida