Like for the sleeping beauty it took a long time for the newly designated MIMO Historic District on Biscayne Blvd. from 50th to 77th street to wake up from a long 25-30 years sleep, but it was really worth waiting and it has became lately a very trendy neighborhood.
Biscayne Bay has always been an attraction to visitors and has played a major role in the development of the city. It is here where most of the pioneers have been visiting, living or working since the Tequestas Indians on Little River, the Spanish Conquistador with their galleons, Julia Tuttle and the development of Miami or the glamorous 50’s with the motels and the celebrities.
Julia Tuttle acquired land all over North East Miami that became part of the swap deal with Henry Flager that brought the Florida East Coast Railroad to Miami. One can still watch old trains of the FEC railroad company crossing the railroad at NE 125th street, some of them with the name of Flager on the wagons, amazing!
But a little too far away from the tourist main stream of South Beach or North of Collins Avenue, also a MIMO landmark with the legendary Fontainebleau and the Eden Roc, the 27 blocks of Biscayne Boulevard Miami’s first commercial historic district, with 115 buildings and 65 classified as contributing, were falling apart few years ago.
It is now a nice long stretch of nationwide recognized restaurants as UVA advertised in Glamour, June edition or awarded as Moshi-Moshi winner of the nationwide Sushi Masters, newly opened fashion shops, French wine gourmet bistro and art galleries or cultural spots bring a whole new crowd to the place.
Since the beginning of 2009, it has been nothing else than a succession of awards in the MiMo District such as The Miami New Times Best of 2009 honors for Best Restaurant – Red Light, Best Neighborhood Bar/Central – The News Lounge, Best Diner – Jimmy’s Eastside Diner
Remarkable charity team work with Casa Toscana – Moonchine Asian Bistro – Anise Waterfront Taverna partnering to help the Institute for Child & Family Health was picked up by 84 different media channels with the most significant being South Florida Business Journal, Forbes.com and Yahoo News.
Maybe the come back in December 2008 of the Coppertone Girl also helped with so many awards thrown to her revival and for the best of all the neighborhood like the 2009 Urban Environmental League Orchid Award and the Miami New Times Best of 2009 – BEST PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT.
All this possible with the preservation, renovation and designation of the neighborhood as an Historic District and thanks to all the people involved in such a master work like the MiMo Biscayne Association and others like Dade Heritage Trust, Honors being bestowed by the Dade Heritage Trust as An Outstanding Restoration Project 2009.
The Coppertone Girl, no not Jodie Foster making her acting debut as the Coppertone girl in a television commercial when she was 3 years old, but the famous original plastic, metal and neon sign designed and made in 1958 by Tropicalites was first located in the neighborhood on North West 54th Street on Parkleigh House.
Then in 1991 the sign was removed and Schering-Plough the owner company donated the sign to the people of Miami in the good hand of Dade Heritage Trust.
Miami’s Coppertone girl sadly sat in a warehouse until 1995 when the repaired girl, her 12-foot long dog and 5-foot high letters were mounted on the east wall of the Concord Building at 66 West Flagler Street.
Then again after years outside and few hurricanes the girl and the dog had to be removed and restored, the sign was then donated by Dade Heritage Trust to MiMO Biscayne Association, which oversaw the restoration of the Coppertone girl.
Now on the side of the wall at 7300 Biscayne Boulevard more glamourous years are yet to come for this beautiful architectural component of this district and an entire neighborhood her new kingdom.
Congratulations for all this remarkable work and your tenacity.
All work and interviews were commissioned by Premier Guide Miami. Photos courtesy of MIMO BISCAYNE ASSOCIATION.