The Tobacco Road was a bar in the

Brickell Brickell ( ) is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida located directly east of Interstate 95, south of the historic CBD, and north of Coconut Grove. Brickell is known as the financial district in Miami, as well as South Florida. Brickell was found ...

area of

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

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 was popularly known as the oldest bar in the city. The liquor license it amended was first issued in November 1912 (though property records show the building as being built in 1915, as a bakery) and operated nearly continuously since its opening, having been shut down briefly at times for run-ins with the law, such as when the upstairs, now a live music venue, was used as a

speakeasy A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies. Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...

during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. Tobacco Road was located at 626 South

Miami Avenue Miami Avenue is a main north–south street running through Coconut Grove, Brickell, Downtown, and Midtown in Miami, Florida. It is the meridian road dividing the street grid of Miami and Miami-Dade County into east and west avenues. Route ...

, on the south side of the Miami River, putting it in Miami's

district, where it was classified as a classic

dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele ...

, being popular among locals. Tobacco Road celebrated its 100th anniversary in November 2012. In 2012, the land on which Tobacco Road lies was purchased for $12.5 million. On October 26, 2014, Tobacco Road closed and was demolished by Thunder Demolition Inc. An estimated 4,000 people came on its last night.

Sale and closure

In April 2012, developer Carlos Mattos purchased the large lot which included Tobacco Road, though it was stated that Tobacco Road had a three-year lease and could remain open for at least that long before the lot was developed. In 2014, the bar's owners announced that they were planning on selling the bar to its employees, regardless of whether or not demolition was imminent, and relocating to another building nearby. The bar closed on the morning of October 26 with plans to relocate to another building in the same block. In October 2015,

Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), also known in short as Norwegian, is an American cruise line founded in 1966, incorporated in Bermuda and headquartered in Miami. It is the fourth-largest cruise line in the world by passengers, controlling about 8.6 ...

's ''

Norwegian Escape ''Norwegian Escape'' is a ''Breakaway'' Plus-class cruise ship operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. She was the fleet's first ''Breakaway'' Plus-class ship to be delivered and was designed wit ...

'' began service from PortMiami, with the ship including a bar named "Tobacco Road", which was "reimagined as a fancy cigar bar".

Gallery

File:TobaccoRoadpink.jpg, Tobacco Road in 2011 painted pink for

Breast Cancer Awareness Month Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), also referred to in the United States as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awaren ...

File:Tobacco Road bar Miami 2012.jpg, Back to its more traditional color in 2012 File:Tobacco Road Miami demolition 2014.jpg, Demolition in 2014, one year before building would have turned 100

References

* "Tobacco Road's Last Call Ever: Closing Night at Miami's Oldest Bar" new times Oct. 26 2014

External links

Official website
{{coord, 25.767815, -80.193502, display=title Buildings and structures in Miami History of Miami Drinking establishments in Florida Bars (establishments) Speakeasies 1912 establishments in Florida 2014 disestablishments in Florida Demolished buildings and structures in Miami Buildings and structures demolished in 2014