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This cache was placed here at the request of a good friend of mine. It is a great area to relax and enjoy nature. It is a historic part of the Greater City of Miami. The cache is only available from sunrise to sunset. Good Luck!!
The Morningside Historic District is significant to the history of architecture,
landscape architecture, and community development in Miami. Developed
primarily between 1922 and 1941, Morningside contains a wealth of
Mediterranean, Art Deco, and vernacular style houses that reflect the diversity
and direction of architectural design during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Morningside is
one of Miami’s best planned subdivisions, featuring wide, tree-lined boulevards
that contribute to the character of the area. This neighborhood was envisioned as
an exclusive, residential community, and its amenities and location on Biscayne
Bay attracted many influential and prominent local residents. One of Miami’s
most intact historic neighborhoods, Morningside is the City’s best remaining
example of a boom-era suburb.
As Miami’s population expanded during the late 1920’s and early 1920’s, new
subdivisions reached northward along Biscayne Bay. In 1922, a large,
undeveloped bayfront tract near the northern city limits was platted. Called Bay
Shore, this area was subdivided by the Bay Shore Investment Company and was
the first of three phases that would be developed by the company between 1922
and 1924.
James H. Nunnally, president of the Bay Shore Investment Company, envisioned
Bay Shore as an exclusive residential community and planned for every modern
convenience. Before the first lot was offered for sale, the subdivision was fully
developed: streets, which bore such names in the community’s infant years as
Toxaway, Hibiscus, Cocoanut, and Albermarle, were paved and curbed; parkways
were curbed and planted with trees and foliage; trees, foliage, shrubbery, and
grass were planted between sidewalks and curbs; and street lighting was laid in
underground conduits.
At a time when many lots in other Miami subdivisions were being sold
undeveloped an unimproved, Bay Shore was notable for its carefully conceived
plan for development.
The exclusiveness of the area was also guaranteed by the deed restrictions that
the developers attached to each lot. These restrictions specified the minimum
price of each house, ranging from a low of $7,000 inland to $13,000 along the Bay.
Duplexes, apartment, and hotels were prohibited, as were houses constructed of
wood. Building setbacks and lot frontage were also regulated, and the developer
required that all plans be submitted for approval prior to construction.
Although Bay Shore developed steadily during the boom and even the
Depression, the area witnessed its greatest building expansion between 1936 and
1941. In 1936 the neighborhood was expanded, and a small area south of Bay
Shore, along N.E. 55 Street and N.E. 55 Terrace, was subdivided as Bayshore Plaza
by Islands Incorporated. Although the houses were often smaller than those in the
earlier subdivision, similar deed restriction guaranteed a continued high level of
development.
Houses constructed in the Morningside Historic District reflect the eclecticism
popular in the early twentieth century. The earlier buildings in the district are
predominantly Mediterranean Revival in style, while structures built in the 1930’s
and early 1940’s are frequently Art Deco. Outstanding examples of both styles are
found here.
Morningside also features a large number of masonry vernacular buildings that
frequently utilize elements of several styles. An unusual Tudor Revival style house
and one of the City’s best examples of Mission style architecture add to the area’s
architectural diversity.
Many of the buildings in the district utilize a variety of local materials, such as
keystone and oolitic limestone, and decorative tropical motifs. Especially
prevalent are wrought iron screen doors and precast concrete vents displaying
palm trees, flamingos, and pelicans.
The Morningside Historic District features the work of more than 40 well-known local
architects. Kiehnel and Elliott, who introduced the Mediterranean Revival style to
South Florida, designed several houses, including those at 463 N.E. 55 Terrace, 527
N.E. 56 Street, and 759 N.E. 57 Street. Marion Manley, South Florida’s first known
female architect, designed the house at 598 N.E. 56 Street. The works of Gene
Baylis, L. Murray Dixon, H. George Fink, Martin Hampton, Gordon Mayor, V.H.
Nellenbogen, Paist and Steward, and Robert L. Weed are also represented here.
In addition to the quality of its buildings, the Morningside Historic District is also
significant for its landscape architecture. Inspired by the designs of other suburbs
and estates throughout the United States, the developers adapted these ideas to
take full advantage of Miami’s wealth of tropical trees and plants. After more
than 4,000 trees had been planted, the subdivision presented the following
appearance in 1924.
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(Decrypt)
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