Take a virtual walk down historic East First Avenue in downtown Miami in the video below. See photographs of some of the earliest institutions along this important thoroughfare including pictures of the Fort Dallas Park neighborhood from both an aerial and ground perspective. Some of the earliest hotels and apartment buildings were located along this avenue including the Fort Dallas Hotel, the Clyde Court Apartments, the Gralynn Hotel, as well as the Security Hotel.
Length of Video: 02 minutes and 55 seconds
East First Avenue was known as ‘Church Row’ due to the number of houses of worship that were erected along this thoroughfare. The Holy Name Parish sat on the corner southeast corner of NE First Avenue and NE Second Street, but was renamed to Gesu Church when the current structure replaced the Holy Name chapel in the 1920s.
Some of Miami’s most important commercial and government buildings can be found along East First Avenue. The first and second Federal Courthouse and Post Office buildings were constructed along this street. Some early financial institutions such as the First National Bank and the Miami Bank and Trust could be found between Flagler Street and NE First Street along NE First Avenue.
You can tour this historic downtown street in person on Saturday, February 10, 2024, from 10:00AM to 12:30pm:
Tour Guide: Casey Piket
Date: Saturday, February 10, 2024
Time: 10:00am – 12:30pm EST
Cost: $20
Click on the following link to learn more about or to sign up for the tour: Historic Downtown Miami Tour – East First Avenue
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Photos:
- Cover: Avenue C (East First Avenue), looking south from today’s SE First Street in the 1910s. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
- Video Cover: Security Hotel on Avenue C in the late 1910s. Courtesy of HistoryMiami Museum.
- Photos in the video courtesy of HistoryMiami Museum, Miami-Dade Public Library – Romer Collection, Library of Congress, and Casey Piket.