Belle Isle, Miami Beach, Florida
Encyclopedia
Belle Isle is an artificial island
and neighborhood of Miami Beach
, Florida
, United States
. It is the easternmost of the Venetian Islands
, a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay
in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. It is home to apartment buildings, a portion of the Venetian Causeway
, a city of Miami Beach park, and a hotel. It is between Rivo Alto Island and the main barrier island
of Miami Beach.
During park renovations, the city will need to close about 20 parking spaces at a time to make way for roadway construction. They will do the road work in sections, using a temporary 20-space parking lot toward the East end of the park to compensate for the closed parking spaces.
near the Miami barrier islands, before the use of the term "Miami Beach
".
Before fruit farmer John S. Collins
partnered with the wealthy investor Carl G. Fisher
to build the Collins Bridge
from Miami
in 1913, the new luxury properties under development in Miami Beach and Collins' large avocado orchards were inaccessible except by ferry boat. When Collins dug the Collins Canal, work crews deposited dredged sand around the rough island at the mouth of the canal, increasing its land mass and defining its shape. The "improved" island, now cleared of mangroves and platted into small parcels of land for single-family homes, extended into Biscayne Bay
and allowed Collins and Fisher to build a relatively short wooden bridge across the bay by running the road over Belle Isle. The gateway to Miami Beach earned a reputation as an enclave for fashionable millionaires, such as Joseph H. Adams, whose sprawling estate occupied the southeast corner of the island.
During the Florida land boom of the 1920s
, Belle Isle and Fisher's nearby Flamingo Hotel
were the site of the famous Biscayne Bay Speed Boat Regattas. Fisher had successfully promoted automobile races in Indianapolis, and he used his skills to stage gasoline-powered speed boat races in the smooth waters of Biscayne Bay just south of Belle Isle as a spectacle to attract the wealthy and sophisticated tourists that he was seeking as a target audience for his new exotic vacation destination.
In 1942, the University of Miami
turned a boat house on the Joseph H. Adams estate into the first "Marine Lab" for the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
. Belle Isle was also the site of the All Souls Episcopal Church as late as 1947.
Artificial island
An artificial island or man-made island is an island or archipelago that has been constructed by people rather than formed by natural means...
and neighborhood of Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the easternmost of the Venetian Islands
Venetian Islands
The Venetian Islands are a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. The islands are, from west to east: Biscayne Island , San Marco Island , San Marino Island , Di Lido Island , Rivo Alto Island , and Belle Isle...
, a chain of artificial islands in Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
in the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. It is home to apartment buildings, a portion of the Venetian Causeway
Venetian Causeway
The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in south Florida. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the...
, a city of Miami Beach park, and a hotel. It is between Rivo Alto Island and the main barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
of Miami Beach.
Renovations
Belle Isle Park, in the center of Belle Isle, recently underwent a renovation project including sidewalks, lighting and landscape improvements, picnic areas, and a dog park. A streetscape improvement project for the Venetian bridges is planned for 2008 and 2009.Parking
Parking was free on Island Avenue on Belle Isle until 2005, when residents petitioned the City of Miami Beach to create a new residential parking zone in order to ensure parking for residents after the opening of the Standard Hotel. Island Avenue is now a residential parking zone, and you must buy a permit for Zone 14. The Miami Beach parking department office at 11th and Washington is temporarily closed during renovation of the city hall building, so the department is handling many permits by mail. Belle Isle residents can purchase a one-year residential decal or one visitor permit hang tag per household for $46.00 or a six-month pass for $23.00. Belle Isle residents can also purchase up to five scratch-off one-day visitor permits per month for $1.07 each.During park renovations, the city will need to close about 20 parking spaces at a time to make way for roadway construction. They will do the road work in sections, using a temporary 20-space parking lot toward the East end of the park to compensate for the closed parking spaces.
Community
The Belle Isle Residents Association was established in December, 2004. Board meets approximately 6 times per year. General Membership Meetings are called as needed at a minimum of once a year. The association's mission is to "enhance the quality of life for the residents of Belle Isle", specifically regarding "security, traffic control, ease of parking, noise control, park beautification, cleanliness, open spaces, planning, development, licensing, permitting, and all issues that may affect the residents and their quality of life on Belle Isle".History
Belle Isle was originally called "Bull Isle", and was later renamed. Unlike the other Venetian Islands, Belle Isle is not completely artificial. Like the Sunset Islands, Belle Isle was originally a rough mangrove hammock island sitting in north Biscayne BayBiscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
near the Miami barrier islands, before the use of the term "Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
".
Before fruit farmer John S. Collins
John S. Collins
John Stiles Collins was an American Quaker farmer from Moorestown Township, New Jersey who moved to southern Florida and attempted to grow vegetables and coconuts on the swampy, bug-infested stretch of land between Miami and the ocean, a barrier island which became Miami Beach.Although the farming...
partnered with the wealthy investor Carl G. Fisher
Carl G. Fisher
Carl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...
to build the Collins Bridge
Collins Bridge
The Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer...
from Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in 1913, the new luxury properties under development in Miami Beach and Collins' large avocado orchards were inaccessible except by ferry boat. When Collins dug the Collins Canal, work crews deposited dredged sand around the rough island at the mouth of the canal, increasing its land mass and defining its shape. The "improved" island, now cleared of mangroves and platted into small parcels of land for single-family homes, extended into Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
and allowed Collins and Fisher to build a relatively short wooden bridge across the bay by running the road over Belle Isle. The gateway to Miami Beach earned a reputation as an enclave for fashionable millionaires, such as Joseph H. Adams, whose sprawling estate occupied the southeast corner of the island.
During the Florida land boom of the 1920s
Florida land boom of the 1920s
The Florida land boom of the 1920s was Florida's first real estate bubble, which burst in 1925, leaving behind entire new cities and the remains of failed development projects such as Aladdin City in south Miami-Dade County and Isola di Lolando in north Biscayne Bay...
, Belle Isle and Fisher's nearby Flamingo Hotel
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, which is now known as the Flamingo South Beach....
were the site of the famous Biscayne Bay Speed Boat Regattas. Fisher had successfully promoted automobile races in Indianapolis, and he used his skills to stage gasoline-powered speed boat races in the smooth waters of Biscayne Bay just south of Belle Isle as a spectacle to attract the wealthy and sophisticated tourists that he was seeking as a target audience for his new exotic vacation destination.
In 1942, the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
turned a boat house on the Joseph H. Adams estate into the first "Marine Lab" for the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is a college and research institute for the study of oceanography and the atmospheric sciences within the University of Miami . It is located on a 16 acre campus on Virginia Key in Miami, Florida, USA...
. Belle Isle was also the site of the All Souls Episcopal Church as late as 1947.
See also
- Biscayne Island – Original site of Viking Airport.
- Collins BridgeCollins BridgeThe Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer...
– The first bridge from Miami to Miami Beach, which ran over Bull/Belle Isle. - Flagler Monument IslandFlagler Monument IslandFlagler Memorial Island is an artificial island that was built in 1920 along with the other Venetian Islands of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida, complete with a monument visible from the Flamingo Hotel in Miami Beach. A high obelisk with allegorical sculptures at its base stands as a monument to...
– Site of an obelisk monument to Henry M. Flagler. - Flamingo Hotel, Miami BeachFlamingo Hotel, Miami BeachThe 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, which is now known as the Flamingo South Beach....
– Carl G. FisherCarl G. FisherCarl Graham Fisher was an American entrepreneur. Despite having severe astigmatism, he became a seemingly tireless pioneer and promoter of the automotive, auto racing, and real estate development industries...
's famous luxury hotel near Belle Isle. - Isola di LolandoIsola di LolandoA Miami real estate bubble burst in the mid 1920s as a land boom fueled by outside speculators was stricken by economic realities and unexpected hurricanes. One failed development project left its remains scarring north Biscayne Bay near Miami Beach, Florida...
– A failed Venetian Island construction project. - Venetian CausewayVenetian CausewayThe Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in south Florida. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the...
– The modern replacement for the Collins BridgeCollins BridgeThe Collins Bridge was a bridge that crossed Biscayne Bay between Miami and Miami Beach, Florida. At the time it was completed, it was the longest wooden bridge in the world. It was built by farmer and developer John S. Collins with financial assistance from automotive parts and racing pioneer...
, which today runs over Belle Isle. - Starfish Island – A landmark in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityGrand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
is based on Belle Isle.
External links
- City of Miami Beach
- Belle Isle Residents Association
- Satellite photo of Belle Isle
- Belle Isle on a map
- Photographs of current park construction: Park Construction Photos For Travelers
- Historical photograph: East bridge of Venetial[sic] Way
- Historical photographs from Miami Beach document archival system:
- Collins Bridge some time between its construction 1913 and replacement in 1925
- Belle Isle in 1940