The Lummus Park Historic District or simply Lummus Park, is on the National Register of Historic Places and a locally historic designated district in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. It is roughly bound by Northwest Fifth Street to the north,
Flagler Street to the south, Northwest Third Avenue to the east, and the
Miami River to the west. On October 25, 2006, it was added to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. Lummus Park has some of the oldest structures in Miami, and over the decades, has been able to retain a large part of its early pioneer character.
History
Lummus Park, was created in 1909, as one of Miami's first open, green spaces. The opening of the park in 1909, spurred development in the area, and today, most of the building around the park were built before 1926. The neighborhood has a variety of
Mediterranean Revival
Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...
, Frame, and Masonry Vernacular styles of
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
, and is home to Miami's old Scottish Rite Temple.
Lummus Park represents development in Miami before the phenomenal growth of the
Florida land boom of the 1920s
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble. This pioneering era of Florida land speculation lasted from 1924 to 1926 and attracted investors from all over the nation. The land boom left behind entirely new, planned ...
. The Lummus Park area was platted in 1909, following the creation of Lummus Park in 1909. The park was the catalyst for the development of the surrounding area into a residential neighborhood. The land on which the neighborhood is located was originally owned by the Model Land Company,
Henry Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founde ...
's real estate company. The extant buildings and structures, such as the Scottish Rite Temple, are illustrative of the growth patterns in Miami, where areas closest to the water and downtown developed early in the history of the city.
The district is also significant as one of the last remaining residential neighborhood in close proximity to downtown Miami. Over the years, the historic district has been separated from the rest of downtown through the construction of I-95 to the east of the neighborhood and the construction of large high-rise structures on the surrounding properties.
Two of the buildings situated within
Lummus Park – Fort Dallas, and the William Wagner House – are significant as the last remaining structures associated with Miami's pioneer history. Both structures have been moved to their present site because they were threatened with demolition and there was no other alternative to assure their preservation. The erection of Fort Dallas at Lummus Park presents a combination of a reconstruction and moved structure. The 1920s endeavor to save the structure heralded the city's first
historic preservation
Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...
effort. This was quite a civic undertaking, as the city was just more than three decades old when the preservation effort began.
Architecture of Lummus Park
![421 NW 3rd St Miami Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/421_NW_3rd_St_Miami_Florida.jpg)
Additionally, this neighborhood maintains importance because it exemplifies the architecture of the early part of the twentieth century. The remaining
Mediterranean Revival
Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...
and Frame and Masonry Vernacular residences and buildings illustrate the building styles and types that were once prevalent throughout downtown Miami, primarily in the 1910s and 1920s. The simple frame residences and early masonry apartment buildings represent the variety of residential building types that once flourished within
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is the urban city center of Miami, Florida. The city's greater downtown region consists of the Central Business District, Brickell, the Historic District, Government Center, the Arts & Entertainment District, and Park West. It ...
, but only the buildings comprising the historic district survive as a small remnant. The inclusion of the park, its recreational buildings, the Trinity CME Church, and the Scottish Rite Temple serve to recall the vitality of this neighborhood and serve as anchors to the district boundaries.
The buildings of Lummus Park represent the diversity of architectural styling that characterized early construction trends in Miami. In addition to the two pioneer-era structures, there are various examples of Frame Vernacular residences which represent an attempt to erect moderately-priced housing quickly, using locally available construction materials. The residences and apartment buildings executed in this regional style were influenced by other local buildings as well as the
sub-tropical
The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north and ...
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
climate. The presence of the
Mediterranean Revival style
Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...
in the neighborhood represents the firm establishment of a vernacular style incorporating architectural elements derived from countries with similar climate and proximity to water. The unique architecture of the Scottish Rite Temple makes this building a highly important architectural landmark in the city.
Individually designated structures
*
Fort Dallas
Fort Dallas was a military base during the Seminole Wars on the banks of the Miami River in what is now Downtown Miami, Florida, United States.
History
Old Fort Dallas was established on the plantation of Richard Fitzpatrick and William English ...
, the earliest surviving example of native
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
construction in Miami and the only remaining structure associated with Miami's early military history.
*
William Wagner House
The Wagner Homestead was built by William Wagner, who came to Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade Co ...
, moved in 1979 to its present site and was the home of one of Miami's leading pioneer citizens, the man responsible for erecting the first church in
Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...
, and its structure represents a unique example of braced frame construction in the area.
*Scottish Rite Temple
Transportation
Lummus Park is served by
Metrobus throughout the area, and by the
Miami Metrorail
Metrorail is the heavy rail rapid transit system of Miami and Miami-Dade County in the U.S. state of Florida. Metrorail is operated by Miami-Dade Transit (MDT), a departmental agency of Miami-Dade County. Opened in 1984, it is Florida's only ra ...
at:
*
Government Center (NW 1st Street and NW 1st Avenue)
Gallery
File:Miami FL Lummus Park HD Wagner Homestead01.jpg, Wagner Homestead in Lummus Park
File:Miami FL Lummus Park HD park01.jpg, Lummus Park
File:Miami FL Lummus Park HD Freemason Temple01.jpg, Scottish Rite Temple, next to the park, built in 1924
See also
*
Lummus Park, Miami
Lummus Park is a urban park in the Lummus Park Historic District of Miami, Florida, just west of Downtown.
Geography
Lummus park is on the eastern side of Miami River and it is roughly bounded by NW 3rd Street to the north, where the park has ...
*
Downtown Miami Historic District
The Downtown Miami Historic District is a U.S. historic district (designated as such on December 6, 2005) located in the Central Business District of Downtown Miami, Florida.
The district is bounded by Miami Court, North Third Street, West T ...
*
References
External links
{{National Register of Historic Places in Florida
2006 establishments in Florida
Geography of Miami
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
Neighborhoods in Miami
National Register of Historic Places in Miami