The Aviation Building, also known as the Fritz Hotel, was a building located in

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 County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, Florida, United States. The building stood from 1927 to the mid-1970s when it was torn down and replaced. The address of the building was 3240 NW 27th Avenue which was 16 blocks east of the east end of

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concre ...

9/27 at

Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most c ...

. The building was used for a number of purposes, none of which was a hotel.

History

Construction

Construction Construction is a general term meaning the art and science to form Physical object, objects, systems, or organizations,"Construction" def. 1.a. 1.b. and 1.c. ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) Oxford University Pr ...

for the Fritz Hotel began in 1925 by M.R. Harrison Construction Company. By 1927 three quarters of the construction was completed, but halted due to the Great Depression. The unfinished building was never used as a hotel. The building served many other purposes throughout its 50-year history as the owners repurposed the hotel's shell. After being unoccupied for 10 years, the building was rented out to small businesses. The owners would complete parts of the building to the specifications of different manufacturers.

Hen House

The first use of the building was a temporary hen house where it held up to 60,000 hens. Because such an expensive building was used for hens, it was often nicknamed the "Million Dollar Hen House".

Embry-Riddle

In November 1940 the Technical Division of Embry-Riddle School of Aviation (now Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) moved into the south wing of the building. The Technical Division handled

aircraft mechanic In the US, an aircraft maintenance technician (AMT) is a tradesperson and also refers to a licensed technical qualification for carrying out aircraft maintenance. AMTs inspect and perform or supervise maintenance, preventive maintenance, repa ...

training. By 1941 Embry-Riddle had acquired the entire building, filled it with offices, classrooms, workshops, military barracks, a cafeteria, library, and clinic, and renamed it the Aviation Building. In April 1965 the school was packed into trucks and moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, overnight.

National Weather Service

On June 1, 1958, the

National Weather Service The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the ...

(NWS) Forecast Office of Miami, Florida, moved into part of the building, while Embry-Riddle remained there. A

WSR-57 WSR-57 radars were the USA's main weather surveillance radar for over 35 years. The National Weather Service operated a network of this model radar across the country, watching for severe weather. History The WSR-57 (Weather Surveillance Radar ...

network radar was installed on top of the building on June 26, 1959. The NWS moved its offices out of the building on December 23, 1964.

Clothing factory

After the NWS and Embry-Riddle moved out the building remained

vacant Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is t ...

for a few years. In the late 1960s the building was used as a clothing factory. Lorenzo Blanco owned the structure.

Removal

The building was demolished in May 1971 and replaced with a county

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and courthouse.

References

{{coord , 25.8063 , -80.2422 , region:US-RI_type:landmark , display=title Demolished buildings and structures in Miami 1927 establishments in Florida 1970s disestablishments in Florida Buildings and structures completed in 1927 Buildings and structures demolished in 1971