Miami History Podcast

The latest episode of the Miami History Podcast will tell the story of the Miami Daily News and the building that it occupied from 1925 until 1957, when the newspaper relocated to a new building near the Miami River. The tower was vacant for nearly five years when it was given a second life. From 1962 until 1974 it became the Ellis Island for newly arriving Cuban refugees. During its time as the p...

This podcast episode features historic Fort Dallas Park in downtown Miami. Once the core of Julia Tuttle's estate on the north bank of the Miami River, it became a fine upscale residential area following her death. Harry Tuttle, Julia's only son, platted out property that spanned from NE First Avenue to South Miami Avenue from east to west, and the river to midway between SE Third and SE Second St...

This podcast episode features the story of the Miami City Cemetery. Aside from a city's history museum, there may not be a better way to learn about an area's past than a walk through its oldest cemetery. The city cemetery on NE Second Avenue certainly tells the story of early Miami. Miami's signature graveyard has interred many of the city's most important pioneers. From railroad men who were dis...

The Wynwood neighborhood has received a lot of attention over the last couple of decades. However, its history is more than a hundred years. The neighborhood was originally named Wyndwood Park. Later the name would drop the park from the name and the 'D' from the spelling of Wynwood. The area was mostly occupied by working class residents. It featured companies such as the Coca Cola bottling plant...

The second part of the history of the Miami River describes the evolution of the river from the mid-1800s through modern times. Prior to the Brickells arriving to the area, the big cash crop in the area was the cultivation and processing of the cyad plant, known as Coontie. It was one of the few industries that provided trade for the area. After the Tuttles and Brickells came to an agreement with...

The Miami River is the serpentine tributary that separates downtown Miami from today's Brickell neighborhood. The history of the area has centered around this waterway as the regions earliest inhabitants found refuge, food and security along the banks of the river. Juan Ponce De Leon named the indigenous people found along the river as "Tequesta" during a voyage on Biscayne Bay in 1513. The river...

Sports have been a big part of Miami's entertainment fabric from the very beginning. In the first couple of decades baseball games were played at Royal Palm Park which was adjacent to the Royal Palm Hotel. Given the access to the ocean, fishing tournaments were a big draw, particularly for conventioneers who traveled to Miami during the winter months. The Art Deco Age began in the late 1920s and l...

As Steve Perricone prepares to move his namesake Brickell restaurant and marketplace to a new location, he sat down for an interview with the Miami History Podcast to share his personal story and what led him to Brickell. Steve began his career as a party promoter in New York. Circumstances led him into the restaurant business and his early ventures provided valuable lessons that he now applies to...

As December approached in the year of 1896, the recently incorporated city of Miami was winding down a very eventful year. The extension of the FEC Railway to the banks of the Miami River was completed, construction of Flagler's Royal Palm Hotel was nearing completion and the residents of the new city were preparing for their very first Christmas. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com...

This podcast episode features the structures that held the distinction of being the tallest buildings in Miami from 1912 through the present. From the time that Roddy Burdine decided to build the five-story retail and office building until the recent completion of the Panorama Tower, Miami has had several buildings that have held the distinction being considered Miami's tallest edifice. Miami Hist...

This podcast episode discusses the history of a unique street in downtown Miami that was given the nickname of Short Street by early Miami pioneers. Its formal name was originally Avenue A, but given its span of only two-blocks, it was much shorter than the other avenues that were laid out during the incorporation of the city of Miami. Short Street was the centerpiece of Miami's first upscale resi...

This podcast episode features Miami's Ball & Chain. Within the confines of Little Havana stands an institution that has lived a couple of lives. Within the walls of a building that was constructed in 1930 is an entertainment venue that provides libations, live music and dancing in the heart of the Tamiami Trail. In its first incarnation, the night spot provided live music and dancing beginning in...

This podcast episode will tell the story of Little Havana. Prior to the neighborhood taking a new name in the 1960s, it was known as two different neighborhoods. The Riverside neighborhood was located north of SW Eighth Street and was created by a lot of different developers during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The Shenandoah neighborhood developed south of SW Eighth Street and was name...

This podcast episode features the history of Coconut Grove. From its inception, 'The Grove' was a place that attracted characters and developed on its own terms. Long before Henry Flagler decided to extend his railway to the banks of the Miami River, Coconut Grove was an active community that was much larger than what would become the core of downtown Miami. The community attracted counts, authors...

This podcast episode features the father of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher and one of his most notable hotels. Carl Fisher was a serial entrepreneur who made his fortune marketing technology to provide headlamps for early automobiles. After he and his partner, James Allison, sold Prest-O-Lite to Union Carbide, Fisher was in search for his next project. As fate would work its magic, Fisher ended up "reti...

This podcast episode features Miami's first luxury hotel. As part of his agreement with Julia Tuttle, Henry Flagler built the Royal Palm Hotel on the north bank of the Miami River in an area that became downtown a few decades later. Shortly after the signing of the agreement between Tuttle and Flagler, Joseph A. McDonald and John Sewell got to work to build the iconic hotel. The structure was a fi...

This podcast episode focuses on Miami's pioneer physician. Dr. James Jackson was the son of a doctor who grew up in Bronson, Florida. Although his father wanted him to manage the family orange grove business, James wanted to follow in his father's footsteps as a doctor. He got his medical degree from Bellevue Hospital in New York City and joined his father to practice medicine back in Bronson. How...

The eighth episode of the Miami History Podcast discusses the Burdine family and their namesake store. Opportunity brought William Burdine and his family to Miami in 1898. Having heard about the influx of soldiers deployed to Camp Miami during the Spanish American War, William dispatched his son, John, to the two-year old Magic City. Miami History Channel: www.miamihistorychannel.com Miami History...

The seventh episode of the Miami History Podcast discusses the history of Bayfront Park. Built with bay bottom fill in the mid-1920s, the park has been the front porch of the City of Miami since it opened in 1925. It has been a location for many of Miami's most notable events for large gatherings. While it has been considered for conversion from a park to other uses, it has remained the most impor...

The sixth episode of the Miami History Podcast features the story of the iconic Orange Bowl. Long before it was known as the "Orange Bowl" it was a baseball stadium on land provided by the Tatum Brothers. During the early 1930s, several prominent Miami pioneers came up with the idea to have the city host a New Year's Day football game. In the game's third year, the same committee of men facilitate...

The fifth episode of the Miami History Podcast continues the story of the Brickell family. Part two discusses the Brickell family's impact on Miami from the turn of the twentieth century to modern day. Following the death of Bill Brickell in 1908, Mary Brickell assumed the role as leader of the family business. While she was a tough business woman, she was considerably more tactful than her late h...

The fourth episode of the Miami History Podcast begins the story of the Brickell family. This is a two-part series explains what brought the family to the banks of the Miami River and their impact on the development of the City of Miami. William Brickell was considered a soldier of fortune who traveled the world to find his fortune. During his travels, he met his wife Mary Bulmer. By the time the...

The third episode of the Miami History Podcast features the story of Julia Tuttle. She is considered by most the "Mother of Miami". Although she was unable to cast a vote for the incorporation of the city on July 28. 1896, there was no bigger catalyst for the founding and development of Miami. Julia was a young woman when she first visited the banks of the Miami River. From the moment that she saw...

The second installment of the Miami History Podcast continues the story of Henry Flagler's journey through Florida. The hosts discuss Flagler's negotiation with Julia Tuttle and the Brickells. In addition, the podcast tells the story of Flagler's Oversea Railway that terminated in Key West in 1912.

The first several episodes of the Miami History Podcast will feature stories of the founders of the City of Miami. The first two episodes will feature Henry Flagler, considered the "Father of Miami".