The History of the Everglades Hotel in Miami- Swami Yogananda stayed at this hotel in Miami in 1927
Devotee
By Elizabeth Nickelaid
The Everglades Hotel in downtown Miami was a grande dame with a
checkered past. The story begins in 1926, when the hotel opened after
being built for $3 million. How the Everglades went from that
illustrious beginning to its eventual end as a mountain of rubble is a
tale of storm, war and an unscrupulous suitor.
Grand Opening Coral Gables' Biltmore Hotel sprang from the same
inspiration as the Everglades.
The Everglades Hotel, like several of its Miami contemporaries, was
patterned on the Giralda Tower in Seville, Spain. At its opening, the
Everglades was the biggest, most lavish hotel in the city. Its rooftop
banquet space gave visitors unrivaled and unprecedented views of
Biscayne Bay. The Miami Herald called the hotel "majestic."
The First Test The hotel weathered its first storm early, as a
damaging hurricane pounded Miami in September 1926 and flooded the
ground floor. It became a temporary refuge for residents who lost
their homes to the hurricane, which killed more than 370 people and
injured more than 6,000. Having survived that disaster, the Everglades
Hotel prospered for the next quarter-century.
Two Wars
During World War II, the Everglades was called into service once again
to house the displaced; this time it was sailors in Miami for
training. As the Navy relinquished its lease on the hotel, another war
was brewing. Hotels were springing up in Miami beach, with the sand at
their doorsteps. It became hard for downtown hotels like the
Everglades to compete.
During this era, the first alteration was made to the hotel's classic
Mediterranean Revival style. An antenna was erected on top of its
regal cupola, making Miami's first TV transmission possible, but also
giving the Everglades an architectural black eye. Worse was to come.
Teamsters Property
In 1959, struggling to survive with new competition, the hotel's
owners turned to Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa, who took out a
mortgage on the place and loaned millions for a renovation. With no
thought to historic preservation, the owners and their new partner
lopped off much of the charm that remained, removing the hotel's
cupola to make way for a rooftop pool and nightclub.
Soon the hotel's fortunes sank further, and the Teamsters bought it
outright. Hoffa was eventually imprisoned for taking kickbacks in the
Everglades deal, among others, then disappeared upon his release. The
hotel, in the meantime, continued to decline and the union sold it in
1978, a mere shadow of its former beauty.
The End After limping along as a budget hotel for a couple of decades,
the Everglades closed its doors for the last time in 2003. With its
architectural details stripped away and its glory gone, the hotel was
unable to attract a buyer interested in preserving it. A Mexican
development company bought the property with the intention of building
condos on the site. Explosives imploded the historic Everglades Hotel
in less than 20 seconds on Jan. 23, 2005.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Nickelaid is an editor and writer with more than 20 years'
experience in the newspaper industry. She has won state and national
awards for headline writing and has collaborated with Pulitzer Prize-
winning reporters. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from
Wake Forest University.
Courtesy of
http://www.travels.com/destinations/usa/history-everglades-hotel-miami/