Today South Beach is an ultra contemporary, bustling area of Miami Beach with nearly worldwide acclaim, a fact that makes its initial beginnings as sparse farmland somewhat surprising. The names of some of its famous streets and landmarks are largely named after the people who made South Beach what it is today.

 

Henry Collins and the Lummus siblings are largely responsible for making the 160+ acres acres of South Beach what it is today. If those name sound familiar, it’s because of Lummus Park, a commons right across from Ocean Drive and famous Collins Avenue, a much frequented street in Miami Beach.

 

Interestingly, Carl G. Fisher, best known as the father of Fisher Island attempted to make South Beach its own city. Although it never happened, Fisher was instrumental in paving the way for the Venetian Island since it was he who loaned Henry Collins the $50,000 to create the roadway. It was finally on March 26, 1915 when Collins, Lummus, collectively incorporated the town we know as Miami Beach, paving the way for the creation of the MacArthur Causeway and the huge land boom and trademark Art Deco design that would become the city’s trademark for several years.

The 1960s is when South Beach first began to emerge from an attractive place to visit to the lively world class hotspot it is today. Then famous comedian and actor Jackie Gleason decided to tape his popular Jackie Gleason Show in South Beach, something that was then largely unheard of. With the new exposure, South Beach started to attract mostly retirees and seedy individuals until a certain 1980s television show about two undercover detectives changed all that.

 

With the help of Miami Vice and a sudden influx of “fashionistas” choosing to move to the area, South Beach quickly became the stylish Art Deco haven commonly seen on film, television and magazines that it still remains to this day.