Flamingo Hotel, Miami Beach

The Flamingo Hotel overlooked Biscayne Bay on the west side of the newly formed city of Miami Beach, Florida, until the 1950s, when it was torn down to make room for the new Morton Towers development,[1] which is now known as the Flamingo South Beach.

Flamingo Hotel
Aerial view of the Flamingo Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, c.1922
General information
StatusClosed
LocationMiami Beach, Florida, United States
Coordinates25°47′13″N 80°08′41″W
Groundbreaking1920
Construction started1920
Topped-out1921
Opening1921
Closed1955
Demolished1955
Technical details
Floor count47
Floor area420 m2 (4,500 sq ft)
Design and construction
ArchitectRubush & Hunter
DeveloperCarl G. Fisher
Other information
Number of suites1,117
Number of restaurants1
Parking669
The Flamingo South Beach apartments as seen from the Biscayne Bay seawall, 7 July 2003

History

The hotel was built by pioneering Miami Beach developer Carl G. Fisher in 1920,[2] designed by Rubush & Hunter of Indianapolis,[3] and opened in 1921. An adjoining golf course was designed by Captain H.C. Tippet. Fisher was determined to avoid the ocean-side beaches where his development partner John S. Collins had established a casino. He saw the smooth waters of Biscayne Bay as the perfect place for a boat racing spectacle, as an attraction for wealthy and refined tourists.[4] The automobile racing promoter established the Biscayne Bay Speed Boat Regattas near Belle Isle as a publicity draw for his large new hotel. He would continue to stoke the exotic vacation destination image that drove the land boom in the area with stunts like his publicity photos with his elephant Rosie. The Flamingo site overlooks Flagler Monument Island in Biscayne Bay.

In 1935, despite a reservation by the New York Giants baseball team, Jewish players Phil Weintraub and Harry Danning were refused entry to the hotel, which had a "No Jews" policy. However, the hotel backed down and the Jewish players were allowed to stay, when Giants manager Bill Terry threatened that he would remove the whole team to another hotel if his Jewish ballplayers were not allowed in.[5][6][7]

References
  1. Flamingo Hotel, Miami Beach, database entry
  2. Miami Beach Historical Events Timeline
  3. Manufacturers Record 77, no. 21 (May 20 1920): 141.
  4. "Woggles and Cheese Holes, The History of Miami Beach's Hotels". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2006.
  5. Jews and Baseball: Volume 1, Entering the American Mainstream, 1871–1948 - Burton A. Boxerman, Benita W. Boxerman
  6. "JewishPress.com". Archived from the original on 25 October 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2013.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. Jewish Major Leaguers in Their Own Words: Oral Histories of 23 Players - Peter Ephross, Martin Abramowitz
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