I first saw - and entered El Jardin in 1982/83. At that time it contained the office of Father…read moreRoger Radloff, a Catholic priest and Jungian psychologist which he used in relation to a private practice that he maintained in addition to being the "shrink for the diocese" as he put it. His assistant at that time was Eugene Ritter. I believe Radloff also offered services to students at the adjoining Carrollton School, which owned the gatehouse. As with all Miami revival architecture, El Jardin is at one with the earth, looks organic, and is built with color, shapes and textures as well as stone.

I went to coconut Grove to see as many historical places as possible, and spotted this one. See…read moreinfo I got from the net regarding it. El Jardin is a house located at 3747 Main Highway in Miami, Florida. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. El Jardin is now home to Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1974. Built in 1918 along a ridge of oolitic limestone, El Jardin expresses the broad training of its architect, Richard Kiehnel of Kiehnel and Elliott, and the experience of its owner, John Bindley, then president of Pittsburgh Steel. Kiehnel, in a September 1928 article for Tropical Home and Garden, referred to the house as a "progenitor of the Modern Mediterranean style home." Kiehnel relocated to Miami from Pittsburgh and became the architect for many landmark buildings, including the Coral Gables Congregational Church, Miami Senior High, and the Coral Gables Elementary School.

Definitely an historic landmark in East Hollywood evident by the post declaring the neighborhood as…read morea legit historic area by the Hollywood Historical Society. The area borders Dixie Highway and Sheridan Street. Mostly lower end residential housing with Kings Market at the center of the neighborhood and the Hopes Restaurant is permanently closed. Drove thru the main JA Ely Blvd that connects Stirling Rd to Sheridan St. Construction is in progress. The area is fruitful of pedestrian traffic with a high crime rate and do not recommend it as a tourist attraction at night, although does have historical importance.

While driving through Hollywood I discovered Broward County's newest historic marker which is part…read moreof the Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. The markers raise awareness of Florida's cultural history while enhancing the enjoyment of historic sites for residents and tourists. The blue historic markers tell the stories of the people and places that were important to Florida's history and they can be found in front of buildings, schools, forts, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, cemeteries, churches, and historic districts like this one. Historic marker F-1238 was installed in 2025 by the Hollywood Historical Society and the Florida Department of State. The town of Hollywood-by-the-Sea was designed by Joseph W. Young, Jr. He knew segregation laws would prevent Black workers and potential landowners from helping the city to grow so he purchased land near Dania where there was already an established Black community. In August 1923, he announced the new town of Liberia for African Americans. It was named for the country in Africa that was created for freed slaves that wanted to go back. The Young Company laid roads, ran power and electricity, and built four frame houses. They also donated land for schools, churches, and parks. Black families from other parts of the south, like Georgia and South Carolina, moved to Liberia along with Bahamian immigrants. Liberia and the neighboring Black community in Dania thrived. Liberia became a self-sufficient neighborhood where Black residents built and owned homes, businesses, places of worship, pool halls, and night clubs. This area was home to the sixty-five-time champion Red Bird baseball team at Historic Attucks High School. Eartha Kitt visited Attucks to raise money for the swimming pool. The last all Black class graduated from Attucks in 1968. Other significant community institutions included the Masonic Lodge, the laundromat, King's Grocery owned by Ivan Emmanuel King, Mr. Sears' Grocery, Mr. Harry's Store, Smith's Store, OC Barbershop, Johnny Hill's Barbershop, Ms. Parlor's Beauty Shop, Bryce Davis Funeral Home, West Lawn Cemetery, Tony's Bar, Foxx Bar, Penn's Pool Room, the Paradise Club, and the speakeasy at Robert Mitchell's house used by Black entertainers like the Temptations. Many early settlers, well-known athletes, and entertainers spent time in Liberia. Sam Cooke, as a member of the Soul Stirrers, performed at a local church and James Brown stayed at the home of his aunt. John Evans, Brown's relative had the first telephone in the neighborhood. B.B. King also performed here. Liberia and Dania were welcoming communities for Black entertainers like Cab Calloway who were not able to perform in other areas because of Jim Crow laws. This marker is located in front of the RD Sanders Neighborhood Network Center. The Hollywood Historical Society worked for three years to get this marker installed so that the rich history of this community could be told. It was unveiled on February 15, 2025. Kudos to the Hollywood Historical Society for highlighting Historic Liberia's legacy of resilience, culture, and economic contribution to early Hollywood.

Had the opportunity to finally visit the Freedom Tower and was amazed by the architecture and…read morecurrent exhibitions. I came for one of the recent MoAD panels discussing Purvis Young and his work. Looking forward to coming back and spending more time with the exhibitions to really appreciate the work, history, and intention of the space.

If you have ever been to downtown Miami, the Freedom Tower looms large as an iconic landmark. But…read moredo you know its history? Come along with me as we check it out. Admission is normally $18 for adults, but on the first weekend of each month, Bank of America account holders can visit for free through the Museums on Us program. You can also park for free in the Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus Garage, located just a block from the tower. The story of the Freedom Tower begins with James Middleton Cox, a former Ohio congressman, governor, and presidential candidate who came to Miami in 1923. He built the tower in 1925 to house his newly purchased newspaper, The Miami Daily News and Metropolis, which later became The Miami News. With 17 floors, the tower became Miami's first skyscraper. It was designed by the prestigious New York architectural firm Schultze and Weaver, which also designed the Waldorf Astoria New York, The Breakers, and the Hotel Sevilla-Biltmore. The Miami News Tower was modeled after the Giralda bell tower of the Cathedral of Seville in Spain. It was designed in the Mediterranean Revival style, which was popular during Florida's land boom years of the 1920's. In 1957, Miami News moved out of the tower. From 1962 to 1974, it was the home of the Cuban Refugee Center, which opened following the Cuban Revolution. Enacted during President John F. Kennedy's administration, the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 authorized aid for the large number of Cubans fleeing the island in search of political asylum. The U.S. government leased the building to process, document, and provide medical and dental care for the influx of Cuban exiles. During this period, the building became known as "El Refugio" ("The Refuge"), or the Freedom Tower. Nicknamed the "Ellis Island of the South," the Freedom Tower became a symbol of hope and freedom for those seeking democracy. After the refugee center closed, the tower was sold, fell into neglect, and was nearly demolished. Community leaders stepped in to save it, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 1997, the tower was purchased by Jorge Mas Canosa, founder and leader of the Cuban American National Foundation. He passed away only two months after purchasing the building, but his family continued with his restoration plans. In 2004, they sold the tower to another Cuban American family, the Pedro Martin family. In 2005, the building was donated to Miami Dade College, the largest Hispanic-serving institution of higher education in the United States. The tower was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 6, 2008. In July 2025, the Freedom Tower celebrated its 100th anniversary. As part of the centennial celebration, the tower underwent significant renovations, including several new exhibits. These include Libertad, a permanent exhibition on the first and second floors that tells the story of how Miami was shaped by immigration through digital installations, personal testimonials, and historic artifacts. Another exhibit, El Refugio in Context, examines the Freedom Tower's role as a Cuban Refugee Center during the 1960s. One room has been recreated to look as it did when the tower served as a Cuban processing center. Another exhibit, Unidad: The World's Game, was created by the FIFA Museum and showcases how soccer, or fútbol, inspires and connects billions of people around the world. Visitors can explore historic artifacts, interactive stations, and immersive installations. I expect this exhibit to be especially popular when the FIFA World Cup comes to Miami in June. The tournament is the most prestigious competition in international soccer, bringing together the world's best men's national teams every four years to compete for the sport's highest honor. I also enjoyed viewing Languages of Migration in the Kislak Center. This exhibition explores global migration through rare maps, colonial-era artifacts, and contemporary art. The Freedom Tower is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. I very much enjoyed my visit and highly recommend adding this historic landmark to any itinerary that includes downtown Miami. The exhibits bring Miami's rich history to life. Freedom is not free, and the tower stands as a powerful reminder of that through the stories and memories of those who have left their mark on this important cultural landmark.

Hialeah Entrance Plaza is one of the landmarks in the City of Hialeah. I have to say when it was…read morefirst restored in 2005 (for a whopping $411,000), I didn't like it. It grew on me as time progressed and I always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. Then again that exemplifies my whole experience being a born and bred Hialeahan. Hialeah's motto is the "city of progress", but being born and raised here I can tell you that the city and its people can get a bad rap from the rest of the county, state and heck even sometimes the rest of the country. Sometimes to be fair to the detractors, rightly so, other times very unfairly. Its to the point that the city is mocked as the land of "agua, fango y factorias", or water, mud and factories. There have been times where I have been judged for being from Hialeah. Its a working class/poor area of Miami-Dade County, heavily minority, with a large percentage of its residents who do not speak English. Still, I was born and raised in Hialeah and it has shaped who I am and who I became. In the end, this structure shows Hialeah is more than what its detractors say it is. It is beautiful, well maintained, with a cascading fountain. As an aside, one of my fondest memories of this place was when back in September 10, 2009 some high school student spiked the fountain with soap just before rush hour. I laughed so hard right on my way to work! Like to the story: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/hialeah-fountain-throwing-a-suds-party/2051397/?amp=1 I took pictures myself that I found which are attached. Ahhh sweet memories!

It's not the Arc de Triomphe but it is the monument that serves as the entrance way to Hialeah. In…read morethe 1980s and 1990s, a coral rock fountain on a grassy patch at SE Fourth Street and Okeechobee was all that stood here. In 2005 the city built the that pale yellow Mediterranean style building that features two sentry towers and a stone fountain on the ground floor at a cost of a $411,848.56. In 2011 the Miami New times listed it as "the worst public works projects in Miami-Dade, where bureaucrats and elected officials take pride in wasting millions in taxpayer dollars on crap residents have little-to-no use for." They site the lack of parking, no sidewalk, and the inability to climb up to the top although there is a staircase on the inside. On occasion pranksters will fill the fountain with soap causing the suds to spill out onto the roadway. Although the New Times may have a point that the fountain was an expensive cost to tax payer, it's final price tag came in twice as much as it's budget, I still like it. It fits nicely in with the Mediterranean Revival theme that was popular in the 1920's when Hialeah was founded. It would however be better if it was more accessible for public use like the entrance ways to Coral Gables.

Exhibition 'On The Ban Wagon' curates a memorable experience, powered by The Black Archives and…read moreMUCE on banned books. Featuring "Walker's Appeal", a significant historical document written by David Walker in 1829. It's a powerful abolitionist pamphlet advocating for the end of slavery in the United States. Its bold message and call for justice made it controversial at the time and led to efforts to suppress it. Exhibiting Artists | Azizi DeSouza, Godwin Ferrier, Inna Malostovker, Lump, Nate Dee, Nica Sweet, Oscar Esteban Martinez, Tierra Armstrong...Showcase art pieces weaved in the concept of authors and books that have been banned. Depicting a message from the authors books or the authors personal story, the gallery glorifies the ancestral voices of African American history on book bans that certainly spark curiosity. They often challenge norms and push boundaries. It's a great way to explore the impact of censorship on literature and society.

Here is some info about this old style house in Overtown…read more Built for his bride in 1915 by the area's first black millionaire, real estate magnate D.A. Dorsey, the Dorsey House boasted electricity throughout. Now it is a rental property owned by the Black Archives.

While visiting the Miami Circle, arguably one of the most important archaeological finds in North…read moreAmerica, I first came across this sculpture called the Pillar of History, located mid-span on the Brickell Avenue Bridge where the Miami River meets Biscayne Bay. Miami is built on land first inhabited by the Tequesta nearly 2,500 years ago. The Tequesta were an Indigenous people who inhabited southeast Florida from Boca Raton to Key West, as well as the Everglades. They lived on fish, shellfish, berries, and small game, and were well adapted to the environment of South Florida. They thrived for nearly 2,000 years until they became victims of war and disease brought by Europeans in the 1500s. The prevailing theory is that the site of the circle was used by the Tequesta and may have served as the location of a council house. Many artifacts, including shell tools, stone axe heads, and human teeth, have been found at the site. The Pillar of History, created by Cuban artist Manuel Carbonell, memorializes Miami's first people, the Tequesta. It was commissioned by the Florida Department of Transportation and marked the department's first effort to integrate public art into a bridge design. The piece was installed in 1995 during the reconstruction of the Brickell Avenue Bridge and remains one of Florida's largest bronze monuments. The base features 16 bronze bas-reliefs honoring Miami's early pioneers, including Henry Flagler, D. A. Dorsey, William Brickell, Mary Brickell, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Julia Tuttle. There are also 12 bronze bas-reliefs of local wildlife adorning the base of the flagpoles. The 36-foot-tall column consists of 158 figures that narrate the history of the Tequesta people. At the top of the column is a sculpture titled "Tequesta Family." It portrays a Tequesta warrior aiming an arrow toward the sky, searching for his place in eternity. Beside him is his wife, searching for a better life, while their son covers his face with his hands, aware of his people's inevitable extinction. The Brickell Avenue Bridge symbolically connects Miami's earliest inhabitants, the Tequesta, to its earliest pioneers, such as the Brickell family, for whom the area is named. As someone with an ardent passion for both art and history, the Pillar of History is one of my favorite public art sculptures in Miami. Now I look forward to seeing it every time I cross the bridge.

Coral Gables is known for it's numerous plazas, entrances, and fountains from 1920's. That's why I…read morefind it so interesting to see what current works of art are being added. Anything new needs to harmonize with the beautiful features that George Merrick added in when he created the city. In 2014 the city approved two sculptures to be installed at the traffic circles along Segovia Street. They were designed by New York-based artist and sculptor Alice Aycock. The two installations are the first public art pieces to be added since George Merrick was alive. The sculptures are inspired by the passion flower and are constructed of more than 4,000 pieces of metal. The two sculptures are different. The sculpture on Biltmore is larger and has two flower designs. The Coral Way sculpture is designed to mimic a flower flowing in the breeze. More than 180 submissions were judged before a panel selected Aycock's design. The flowers have received mixed reviews from the community. Many feel that the modern art is not in keeping with the look of the city. A group of residents tried to have the sculptured removed but did not muster enough signatures for the ballot. Some of the complaints are that the sculptures are not Mediterranean and that accidents have increased at the traffic circles since the sculptures were installed. Others complain bitterly that they are not even able to choose a paint color for their house yet the city has moved away from the Mediterranean look of the city without consulting them. The city has decided to keep the sculptures despite the protest of some people who do not care for the look of modern art in their 1920's Mediterranean Revival city.

Interesting new metal art located near the golf course and situated on two roundabouts. There are…read moretwo pieces one on each roundabout - They are passions flowers. Other people here have told the history about them so I will leave it at that. However what I did read about on the net and thought was amusing - was some local residents were not very happy with them, thinking they did not represent Coral Gables mediterranean image, so they started a petition to get them remove. They did get over a thousand signatures but no where near enough to make an impact and get them removed. Looks like they are here to stay. I was not too keen when I first saw them and had a little chuckle to myself as the largest one is situated in front of a plastic surgery office (HE HE)...(apt? - you decide). However after walking around and actually really looking at them, the location, the area, they started to grow on me!...Let me know what you think - when you go for a look!

Bayfront Park in downtown Miami is more than just your typical park. It is also a culturally…read moreimportant outdoor museum, with art and monuments that add beauty and historical perspective. One of my favorite statues in the park, next to the children's playground, is that of Julia Tuttle (January 22, 1849 - September 14, 1898), who is known as the Mother of Miami. She was the only woman to have founded a major American city. This statue of her was dedicated on July 28, 2010, on Miami's 114th birthday. Julia Tuttle relocated from Cleveland to Fort Dallas, now known as Miami, in 1891. She arrived as a widow with two children to claim land that had been left to her by her parents as an inheritance. She purchased 640 acres on the north side of the Miami River for her home. Where others saw only swampland and a few orange groves, Julia saw the potential to turn the land into a city, but she knew that a railroad would be necessary for development. Julia Tuttle convinced railroad magnate and industrialist Henry Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami by offering him half of her land, 320 acres on the north bank of the Miami River. This, combined with an additional 100 acres for a hotel and railroad terminal, sealed the deal. Legend has it that Julia sent Henry a bouquet of orange blossoms during the severe winter freeze of 1894-1895 to show that Miami was frost free. While the flowers make for a great story, it was really her business acumen that brought the railroad to South Florida. On April 22, 1896, the Florida East Coast Railway train service came to the area. A few months later, on July 28, male residents voted to incorporate a new city: Miami. Ironically, it was a vote that Julia, as a woman, was not allowed to participate in. Julia was instrumental in establishing early infrastructure, including setting up the town's first laundry, bakery, and dairy. She passed away in 1898 at the young age of 49 from meningitis. She is buried in the City of Miami Cemetery. The project to commemorate Julia Tuttle began in 1996 through the efforts of the Miami Commission on the Status of Women. It took 14 years, along with joint efforts from the Miami-Dade County Commission for Women, to raise the necessary funds. Artists Eugene Daub and Rob Firmin were chosen to create the 10-foot-tall bronze statue. Julia is depicted looking toward the horizon and the future while holding a basket of oranges in one hand and an orange blossom in the other. Her skirt is adorned with symbols of Miami's history, including images of local flora and fauna, the train that connected Miami to Florida, Tuttle shaking Flagler's hand, and the Native Americans and African Americans who were among the area's first settlers. This is a sculpture that requires you to stop for a few minutes and truly look at it to appreciate its full impact. Julia Tuttle was both a savvy businesswoman and a landowner, which was quite a remarkable achievement for a woman of her era. Her vision and foresight left a legacy in Miami that can still be felt today.

Come see what Julia Tuttle looked like. We all have a lot to thank her for. who is she though?…read moreJulia DeForest Sturtevant Tuttle, A landowner who was key to the development of Miami, Julia Tuttle was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She married in 1871, bore two children, and visited Miami for the first time in 1875. After her husband's death in 1891, she moved there permanently. Tuttle bought a square mile of land at the mouth of the Miami River, more than half of which she donated to induce others to settle there. She convinced rail executive Henry Flagler to extend train service from Palm Beach to Miami by sending him orange blossoms during the great freeze of 1894-95 after the orchards further north had frozen. Known as 'the Mother of Miami,' Julia Tuttle died there at age 50, two years after the railroad arrived. 'It is the dream of my life,' she had written, 'to see this wilderness turned into a prosperous country.'