Miami Beach Centennial

In 2015, Miami Beach, is celebrating a milestone birthday. Considering the effects over the years on this Art Deco treasure of a beach city, from economic depressions and natural disasters, the Centennial, spearheaded by Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, is not only cause for reflection, but also a cause for rejoicing.

The original intention of the first settlers in Miami Beach, a father-son team named Henry and Charles Lum, who bought the land in 1870 for 25 cents per acre, was to help shipwreck victims. Their building, the Biscayne House of Refuge, located around 72nd Street, was Miami Beach’s first, though it no longer stands. A decade later, two industrialists from New Jersey tried and failed to launch a coconut plantation. However, a partner in the venture, John S. Collins, succeeded in diversifying the crops, mainly into mangos and avocados, by the early 1900s.

It was Collins and his family who soon saw possibilities beyond agriculture. Separately and together with other financiers, mainly members of the Pancoast family; the Lummus brothers, bankers from Miami; and a tycoon from Indianapolis, Carl Graham Fisher, they cleared the land, connected it to the mainland, and built numerous, historic resorts. Several of these still survive, including Brown’s Hotel, where the uber-popular Prime 112 restaurant, run by Myles Chefetz, is located, as well as the Roney Plaza Hotel and the recently redone Nautilus South Beach Hotel.

In the 1920s, Fisher and his friends dredged the Bay and land-filled what would become the exclusive, mansion-studded Star, Palm, and Hibiscus Islands. They also created the Sunset Islands, much of Normandy Isle and most of the Venetian Islands. Today, you can take a “Hydra Terra” ride with Duck Tours South Beach to see, at least from a distance, these fabulous homes, where celebrity musicians, including longtime Miami supporters Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Enrique Iglesias and retired tennis pro Anna Kournikova, and Lenny Kravitz live.

You’ll also find many sites named for these developers, including Collins Avenue, home to renowned resorts renovated in both the 90s and recently, such as the DelanoNational Hotel Miami Beach,Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach (a Morris Lapidus original) and SLS South Beach, as well asLummus Park, located beachside on Ocean Drive.

Miami Beach is turning 100 years old this year! To commemorate this historic event the City will host a spectacular 100-hour non-stop celebration! It will feature the world’s longest fashion runway, a concours car show, a world-class CAA tennis exhibition with internationally renowned tennis players and will be highlighted by a FREE oceanside mega concert! The centennial concert will include performances by some of the world’s leading artists, playing to create awareness of the critical issue of rising tides, climate change initiatives and the importance of environmental protection. See you there!

Officially, Miami Beach, is turning 100 on March 26, 2015. Throughout this week, from the 22-26, Mayor Levine says, “We are planning a major 100-hour extravaganza that appropriately celebrates our diverse and lively history.”

He retained Bruce Orosz, longtime Miami Beach resident and CEO of event management firm ACT Productions, Inc., to both launch the celebration and plan the pinnacle events. Orosz says, We have been provided a blank canvas by Mayor Levine and are busy developing events the city can be proud of. We look forward to making the announcement soon as to the performing artists we have secured to play on the two concerts’ nights, March 25 - 26, 2015.”

However, promotions are being planned throughout the year at cultural, fashion, sports and entertainment hot spots of Miami Beach – ranging from Art Basel Miami Beach to the Miami International Auto Show – beginning immediately after Halloween, 2014.

For instance, the city’s cherished epicurean event, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival will offer 100 days of continuous giveaways from through January 28, 2015. In addition, the Lee Brian Schrager-directed Festival is also sponsoring a citizen participation cake design contest through December; the winner’s cake is exhibited at the February event in front of world-renowned chefs and hometown crowds alike.

The party won’t stop until October 31, 2015. But then again, these days, in “America’s Riviera” – the name the City of Miami Beach is now known as – the party never really does. For more information, visit MiamiBeach100.