When Lawrence O. Davis decided to make his first investment in Miami, he had already built his wealth operating a chain of theaters in his hometown of Hazard, Kentucky. Davis had traveled the world seeking the perfect location for his…
The downtown Miami of yesteryear was just as likely to feature blocks of residential single-family homes as it was commercial structures. A good example of a prominent residential section in the downtown area of the early 1900s was the two-block…
It was not long ago that Brickell Avenue was lined with beautiful single-family homes, each designed with a contemporary architectural style. During this era, the avenue was primarily a tranquil, tree-lined residential corridor that was bracketed by winter domiciles built…
Sixty years is a good run for a building in Miami. Many of the city’s early twentieth century structures had a far shorter lifespan. When the YMCA building at 40 NE Third Avenue, aka Short Street, was opened in 1918,…
By the mid-1950s, a lot of the fine residences lining Brickell Avenue had begun to disappear in the name of progress. The neighborhood was evolving from single family residences to mid-rise commercial and apartment buildings during the growth period in…