Carl G. Fisher, Lincoln Road, and Morris Lapidus
Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Marker Inscription
Lincoln Road Mall Carl Fisher conceived of Lincoln Road as a Main Street for Miami Beach, and its construction began in 1914. It was promoted as the "Fifth Avenue of the South," and flourished as a prominent shopping destination. By the late 1950s, however, Lincoln Road suffered from traffic congestion and increased competition. In a bold move to save their businesses, property owners contacted Morris Lapidus, architect of the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc hotels, to develop a new plan for the road. In an article published in 1960, Lapidus described his vision for Lincoln Road: "It will not just be a place of shopping. It will be a promenade where people can walk and see beautiful flowers and foliage, in addition to what they see in the store windows." Completed and opened to the public in December 1960, the project was organized around a black and white "piano key-like" paved central spine interspersed with architectural follies, planting beds, and water features. The Lincoln Road Mall is regarded as one of the first instances in the United States where a major thoroughfare was closed to traffic and pedestrianized. It is the oldest pedestrian mall in Florida, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. F-1097 A FLORIDA HERITAGE SITE SPONSORED BY THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, AND THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2020
Erected by Florida Department of State
The Story
Carl Fisher laid out Lincoln Road in 1914 as Miami Beach's "Fifth Avenue of the South," and it flourished as a fashionable shopping street. When traffic and competition threatened it in the late 1950s, merchants hired architect Morris Lapidus, who in 1960 reimagined it as a landscaped pedestrian promenade with his signature "piano key" paving, planting beds, and follies. It became one of the first pedestrianized thoroughfares in the United States and the oldest pedestrian mall in Florida.
Why it matters
Lincoln Road pioneered the American pedestrian mall, an influential mid-century experiment in reclaiming city streets for people rather than cars.
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Related people
- · Carl Fisher
- · Morris Lapidus
Themes & tags
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