Matheson Hammock Park
Matheson Hammock Park | |
---|---|
Matheson Hammock Park with the Miami skyline in the background | |
Type | Municipal |
Location | Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County, Florida |
Area | 630 acres (2.5 km2) |
Created | 1930 (1930) |
Operated by | Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department |
Website | Matheson Hammock Park Matheson Hammock Marina |
Matheson Hammock Park is a 630 acres (2.5 km2) urban park in metropolitan Miami on 9610 Old Cutler Road, just south of Coral Gables, Florida. The park surrounds the north and western ends of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
History
Matheson Hammock opened in 1930 as the first county park of Dade County, a gift of 80 acres to the county from William J. Matheson.[1] Originally administered by the county's first director of public parks, A. D. Barnes, and designed by the landscape architect William Lyman Phillips,[2] today it is owned and managed by Miami-Dade County.
Matheson wanted the land to be used as a park "to preserve the wild and natural beauty." It grew with further donations by the Matheson heirs, purchases by county commissioner Charles Crandon, and other donations to its current 630 acres.[3] Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews were assigned to Matheson Hammock in 1936 and began to develop the Bayfront park area. Coral stone buildings rose and the picnic area had a coral stone shelter.
Without the use of the inexpensive and skilled labor force under the state and federal assistance programs, it would have been impossible to build the miles of carefully hewn coral stone walls and native stone buildings. The quality of the CCC's work was verified in 1945 when a hurricane resulted in 12-foot waves rolling over Matheson Hammock, causing immense damage to equipment and furnishings, and depositing layers of mud and trash in the park, but the basic CCC structures stood firm and the park recovered.[4]
Facilities
Matheson Hammock Park is a scenic park featuring a man-made atoll pool, which is flooded naturally with the tidal action of adjacent Biscayne Bay. The beach sea breeze is popular among families. The park operates a snack bar and a restaurant built into an historic coral stone building, picnic pavilions and nature trails.[5]
In conjunction with the park, the county runs an on-site marina accommodating vessels of up to 50 feet (15 m). Other facilities include a fishing tackle shop, boat launch ramps, gas and diesel fuel, and wetslips.[6]
Controversy over development
Seeking to improve access to Biscayne Bay for boaters, the County contracted with Aqua Marine Partners on July 7, 2011, to construct and operate a five-story, $18-million warehouse to store an additional 360 boats in the marina, provide ample facility parking and preserve the parking for the marina's existing wet slips, relocate the existing trailer-storage capacity, and obtain environmental permits to create a new boat launch. The contract was the subject of discussion at two public hearings conducted at the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers.[citation needed] The project awaits final approval from the City of Coral Gables.
Critics note that a similar proposal was rejected by the City of Coral Gables in 2008, and claim that the current project's promoters are trying to "sneak [it] through" the public approval process.[7] Richard J. Heisenbottle, one of its main promoters, resigned as chairman of the Coral Gables Historic Preservation Board on 19 January 2012 amid accusations that he had been lobbying Coral Gables officials for the project without a permit, and without telling them that he was the Board chairman.[8]
The Matheson family have stated that they are against the project.[9] The homeowner associations of nearby Gables by the Sea and Pinecrest by the Sea have voted to formally oppose it.[10] The City of South Miami[11] and the Village of Pinecrest,[12] also oppose the project. Concerns include visibility of the building, preservation of the historic character of Matheson Hammock's facilities, traffic impact on Old Cutler Road, dredging, loss of green space (including mangroves), environmental damage, noise pollution and an adverse effect on property values.[13]
A grassroots organization called Save Our Matheson Hammock Park has collected over 6,000 signatures for a petition to block the project.[14]
References
- Notes
- ^ Historical Association of South Florida[permanent dead link]
- ^ Miami-Dade EcoAdventures Archived 2012-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jackson 1997. p. 158.
- ^ American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Miami-Dade Park and Recreation - Matheson Hammock Park Archived 2011-01-04 at the Wayback Machine - retrieved 1 April 2011
- ^ Miami-Dade Park and Recreation - Matheson Hammock Marina Archived 2011-08-11 at the Wayback Machine - retrieved 1 April 2011
- ^ HuffingtonPost 01/24/12
- ^ cggazette.com 01/24/12
- ^ Miami New Times 01/27/12
- ^ Coral Gables Gazette, 24 January 2012
- ^ City of South Miami Commission Meeting 02/07/12
- ^ "ACN | Noticias de Venezuela y el mundo". Archived from [http:// the original] on 2017-02-20. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ Coral Gables Gazette, 24 January 2012
- ^ Save Our Matheson Hammock Park Archived 2012-01-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Bibliography
- Jackson, Faith Reyher. Pioneer of Tropical Landscape Architecture. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 1997. ISBN 0-8130-1516-2.
25°40′37.06″N 80°15′29.58″W / 25.6769611°N 80.2582167°W / 25.6769611; -80.2582167
- v
- t
- e
- Downtown Miami
- Arts & Entertainment District
- Brickell
- Central Business District
- Historic District
- Government Center
- Park West
and universities
- Barry University
- Broward College
- Carlos Albizu University
- Florida Atlantic University
- Florida International University
- Florida Memorial University
- Johnson & Wales University
- Miami Dade College
- Miami International University of Art & Design
- Nova Southeastern University
- St. Thomas University
- University of Fort Lauderdale
- University of Miami
- Alice Wainwright Park
- Amelia Earhart Park
- Arch Creek
- The Barnacle Historic State Park
- Bayfront Park
- Big Cypress National Preserve
- Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
- Biscayne National Park
- Brian Piccolo Sports Park & Velodrome
- Chapman Field Park
- Crandon Park
- Dinner Key
- Everglades National Park
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
- Fort Dallas
- Fruit & Spice Park
- Greynolds Park
- Haulover Park
- Jungle Island
- The Kampong
- Margaret Pace Park
- Matheson Hammock Park
- Miami Seaquarium
- Monkey Jungle
- Museum Park
- Oleta River State Park
- Peacock Park
- Pride Park, Miami Beach FL
- Shark Valley
- Simpson Park Hammock
- South Pointe Park
- Tamiami Park
- Tropical Park
- The Underline
- Virginia Key
- Zoo Miami
- Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts
- Amerant Bank Arena
- Bass Museum
- Bergeron Rodeo Grounds
- Biltmore Hotel
- Bonita Chita Key
- Broward County Convention Center
- Butterfly World
- Coral Castle
- Downtown Miami
- FIU Stadium
- Florida Grand Opera
- Fontainebleau Miami Beach
- Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop
- Frost Art Museum
- Frost School of Music
- Gulfstream Park
- Hard Rock Stadium
- HistoryMiami
- Holocaust Memorial
- Homestead
- Jewish Museum of Florida
- Kaseya Center
- Las Olas Boulevard
- LoanDepot Park
- Lowe Art Museum
- Lincoln Road
- Lummus Park
- MacFarlane Homestead
- Miami Beach Architectural District
- Miami Beach Convention Center
- Miami Children's Museum
- Miami City Ballet
- Miami Conservatory
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- New World Symphony Orchestra
- Normandy Isles
- North Shore
- Ocean Bank Convocation Center
- Ocean Drive
- Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
- Pérez Art Museum Miami
- Riverwalk
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
- South Beach
- The Miami Line
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
- Watsco Center
- Wolfsonian-FIU
- Wynwood Art District
- Aventura Mall
- Bal Harbour Shops
- Bayside Marketplace
- Boynton Beach Mall
- Brickell City Centre
- Broward Mall
- CocoWalk
- Coral Square
- Dadeland Mall
- Dolphin Mall
- The Falls
- The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale
- The Gardens Mall
- Lincoln Road
- The Mall at 163rd Street
- Mary Brickell Village
- Miami International Mall
- Midtown Miami
- Midway Crossings
- Miracle Marketplace
- Pembroke Lakes Mall
- The Promenade at Coconut Creek
- The Shops at Sunset Place
- Sawgrass Mills
- Southland Mall
- Shops at Merrick Park
- Town Center at Boca Raton
- Westland Mall
- Amtrak
- Broward County Transit
- Brightline
- Government Center
- Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport
- Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport
- Miami-Dade Transit
- Metrobus
- Metromover
- Metrorail
- MIA Mover
- MiamiCentral
- Miami Intermodal Center
- Miami International Airport
- Miami–Opa Locka Executive Airport
- North Perry Airport
- Palm Beach International Airport
- Palm Tran
- Pompano Beach Airpark
- Port Everglades
- PortMiami
- Tri-Rail
- East 6th Avenue
- North 36th Street
- North 54th Street
- North 79th Street
- North 103rd Street
- North 125th Street
- North 135th Street
- West 7th Avenue
- West 12th Avenue
- West 27th Avenue
- West 107th Avenue
- Allapattah Road
- Alton Road
- Bird Road
- Biscayne Boulevard
- Brickell Avenue
- Broad Causeway
- Collins Avenue
- Coral Reef Drive
- Coral Way
- County Line Road
- Douglas Road
- Flagler Street
- Galloway Road
- Gratigny
- Ives Dairy Road
- Julia Tuttle Causeway
- Kendall Drive
- John F. Kennedy Causeway
- Killian
- Krome Avenue
- William Lehman Causeway
- Le Jeune Road
- Ludlam Road
- MacArthur Causeway
- Miami Avenue
- Miami Gardens Drive
- Milam Dairy Road
- Miracle Mile
- Okeechobee Road
- Old Cutler Road
- Port Boulevard
- Quail Roost Drive
- Red Road
- Rickenbacker Causeway
- South Dixie Highway
- Sunset Drive
- Tamiami Trail
- University Drive
- Venetian Causeway
- West Dixie Highway
- WikiProject