Bayfront Park

Bayfront Park
View of western side of Bayfront Park, northward on Biscayne Boulevard, circa 2004
Type Municipal
Location Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States
Coordinates 25°46′30″N 80°11′10″W / 25.775°N 80.186°W / 25.775; -80.186Coordinates: 25°46′30″N 80°11′10″W / 25.775°N 80.186°W / 25.775; -80.186
Area 32 acres (13 ha)
Created 1925
Operated by Bayfront Park Management Trust
Public transit access Bayfront Park (Metromover station)

Bayfront Park is a 32-acre (13 ha) public, urban park in Downtown Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay. The Chairman to the trust is Joe Carollo.

History

Historic Aerial Photograph of Bayfront Park in 1940

The park began construction in 1924 under the design plans of Warren Henry Manning and officially opened in March 1925.[1] Beginning in 1980, it underwent a major redesign by Japanese-American modernist artist and landscape architect, Isamu Noguchi. Today, Bayfront Park is maintained by the Bayfront Park Management Trust, a limited agency of the city of Miami, Florida.

Bayfront Park is bordered on the north by Bayside Marketplace and the American Airlines Arena, on the south by Chopin Plaza, on the west by Biscayne Boulevard and on the east by Biscayne Bay. Bayfront Park is host to many large events such as the New Year's ball drop, Christmas celebrations, concerts, the Bayfront Park Amphitheater, the Tina Hills Pavilion, as well as boat tours around Biscayne Bay.

Seven blocks north is Bayfront Park's partner park, the 30-acre (0.12 km2) Bicentennial Park. This park’s name has been changed to Museum Park and it is home to The Perez Art Museum and the Frost Science Museum.

Site of assassination of Anton Cermak

On February 15, 1933, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was shot three times in the chest and mortally wounded while shaking hands with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in front of Bayfront Park by assassin Giuseppe Zangara. Along with Cermak, who died of his wounds 19 days later, four other people were hit by the gunman, one of whom also died.[2] A serious debate has ensued as to whether Zangara had been actually trying to assassinate Roosevelt instead of Cermak, however no firm evidence has been found out to prove this theory.

Events

Bayfront Park holds the city's annual "America's Birthday Bash" on Independence Day, which attracted over 60,000 visitors in 2011. The park also hosts the city's official New Year's Eve party that annually hosts over 70,000 visitors. Visitors are encouraged to take public transport for events at Bayfront Park as parking can be scarce and expensive. The nearest Metrorail station is Government Center. From there a connection to the Metromover is available with three stops near the park, Bayfront Park, First Street, and College/Bayside.[3] It also holds the Ultra Music Festival which goes on for 3 days and has seen attendance of 55,000 people each day and 165,000 people over the three days. In 2018 Bayfront Park will host the qualifiers and finals for American Ninja Warrior.

Notable people

The large fountain on Biscayne Bay is a landmark in the park.
  • Caesar LaMonaca, was a composer and band leader for the City of Miami. His band gave musical performances in its Bayfront Park from 1928-1978. LaMonaca ended his lengthy tenure as the city’s musical maestro in 1978, after falling from the podium during a performance and breaking his hip.[4]

Facilities

  • The Klipsch Amphitheatre (formerly Bayfront Park Amphitheater until October 2011[5]) has a seating capacity of 10,000 people: 2,672 fixed benches and 7,328 in the lawn.
  • The Tina Hills Pavilion is an open-air pavilion with a seating capacity of 1,000 people: 200 fixed seats and 800 in the lawn.

Auto racing

A series of motorsports events have taken place on a temporary street circuit at Bayfront Park dating back to 1983.

References

  1. ↑ "Public Pulse: Regarding Bayfront Park". Miami Daily News. 31 March 1925. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "Freedom of Information Act : Franklin D. Roosevelt (assassination attempt) [electronic resource]". Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  3. ↑ "Miami-Dade Transit extends service for New Year's celebrations in downtown Miami". Miami-Dade County. December 29, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.bayfrontparkmiami.com/pages/history/historyphotos.html
  5. ↑ "Audiovox's Klipsch puts name on amphitheater". Long Island Business News. The Dolan Company. October 28, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
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