Lost Landmarks
The 50-foot Observation Tower holds the distinction of being the first building constructed in Opa-locka, strategically positioned at the southwest corner of the city’s center to serve as a commanding lookout. Designed by Bernhardt Muller and associate Carl Jensen on December 29, 1925, the tower was a striking symbol of new beginnings and the promise of Glenn Curtiss’ visionary development.
The tower was built to impress potential buyers brought in from downtown Miami, inviting them to ascend to the top and witness “Araby” being built before their eyes. This immersive experience was intended to inspire visitors to purchase land and commission their own dream homes from the Opa-locka Company.
Although the U.S. Navy later demolished the tower early in the city’s history, its concrete base remains visible today, a silent reminder of Opa-locka’s ambitious origins.
The Observation Tower
Long before Opa-locka was founded, the land that would become Opa-locka Park held deep significance. Known earlier as Cook’s/Ford’s Hammock, this 60-acre preserve was set aside by Glenn Curtiss for the enjoyment of residents, and it is said he would have stepped onto this very land upon arriving in the area.
When the U.S. Navy acquired land west of the city’s core, much of the park was overtaken by military operations and housing. Despite these changes, the site remains an archaeological treasure, with artifacts from the Tequesta people discovered here, linking Opa-locka’s modern history to the region’s ancient past.
The Opa-locka Park
As one of Opa-locka’s key attractions, particularly tied to aviator Glenn Curtiss’ legacy, the Florida Aviation Camp offered residents and visitors an exhilarating taste of early flight. Located on the site of today’s Amazon fulfillment center, the camp featured experienced pilots offering quick two-person flights for $5.00 on Sundays. Daredevil aerial performances were a common spectacle, and flight classes introduced newcomers to the excitement of aviation.
While the exact date of its closure is unknown, the camp likely ceased operations when the U.S. Navy acquired the land in 1930, marking the end of this early chapter in Opa-locka’s aviation history.
The Florida Aviation Camp
One of Bernhardt Muller’s finest designs, the rose-colored, one-story Archery Club and Pro Shop was conceived in January and February of 1926 and completed by May of that year. Located just north of the observation tower and near the Florida Aviation Camp, it was among Opa-locka’s earliest constructed facilities.
The Archery Club was the first of its kind in Florida, offering a luxurious interior where residents and visitors could enjoy lunch, practice Curtiss’ favorite sport of archery, and take in the serene surrounding landscape. Advertisements promoted scheduled offerings, including lunch from 12–2 p.m., tea from 4–6 p.m., and “chicken dinner every Sunday.” The club also hosted competitive events, including the “first annual archery-golf tournament” in February 1928, sanctioned by the National Archery Association of the U.S., allowing Opa-locka residents to compete against local and national clubs.
Following the devastating September 17–18, 1926 hurricane, the Archery Club served multiple community roles: it became a schoolhouse, a place of worship, and hosted performances by Opa-locka’s second mayor, H. Sayre Wheeler, as well as the city’s first marriage ceremony. Later, the building was converted into captain’s quarters for the Navy before ultimately being destroyed during airport expansion.
The Pro Shop, saved in the 1970s or 1980s, was relocated across from the Opa-locka Administration Building on Perviz Avenue, but unfortunately, it was demolished in the 2000s.
The Archery Club and Pro Shop
The Opa-locka Aquatic Auditorium/Bathing Pavilion
One of Opa-locka’s earliest attractions was the Opa-locka Pool, a pavilion-style landmark that opened on December 19, 1926. Built at a cost of $15,000, the reinforced concrete pool measured 64 feet wide and several hundred feet long. Remarkably, it was known as “the only pool in Greater Miami that could be filled in less than eight hours,” thanks to a 50-foot-deep, 6-inch well.
Seating up to 2,000 guests, the pool hosted vaudeville performances, beauty pageants, and even alligator wrestling, performed by local Seminole Wilson Doctor and Miamian Jack Coppinger. Managed by aquatics promoter Alexander Ott, the pool became a major draw for the Miami region. In 1927, advertisements invited visitors from Miami and the Northeast to take the White Way Bus for a $1.00 roundtrip fare — admission to the pool included — departing from the McAllister Hotel in Miami. Thrilling acts, including swan diving by Ott’s seven-year-old son Jackie, billed as “The World’s Perfect Boy,” entertained visitors for just 50 cents.
In later years, the pool’s iconic pool house was destroyed by the U.S. Navy in the late 1930s or early 1940s, and the pool itself was used by naval officers stationed at the base. After World War II, Miami-Dade County absorbed the site, transforming it into Regional North Park. The pool was eventually demolished in 1986, the same year preservationists recognized its historical significance and sought to protect it.
Established in April 1926, the Opa-locka Zoo quickly became a major draw, attracting crowds eager to explore the fledgling community, especially on Sundays. While not Miami-Dade County’s first zoo, it was the largest and most enduring zoological attraction for years, following temporary zoos in nearby Hialeah and Country Club Estates.
Managed by G.F. Sirmon, a recognized authority on birds and animals who contributed articles to The Miami Herald in 1928, the zoo featured multiple concession structures and animal enclosures. In 1926, it housed several hundred animals, and by 1930, it reportedly welcomed 440 “happy guests.”
After Glenn Curtiss’ death in 1930, Sirmon leased the property for five years. By February 17, 1935, The Miami News hailed the Opa-locka Zoo as one of the most popular and diverse in the South, boasting 2,500 animals and 174 exhibits, including Egyptian baboons, Malacca cockatoos, African porcupines, tortoises, and more.
In June 1936, Sirmon relocated the zoo to North Miami at 132nd Street and Dixie Highway, expanding it into the country’s only tropical zoo, which was subsequently renamed the North Miami Zoo.
The Opa-locka Zoo
The Opa-locka Riding Academy
For those eager to learn horseback riding and hunting in Miami, the place to be was Opa-locka’s Riding Academy. Construction began in August 1926, and the academy opened shortly thereafter. Managed by renowned horseman and instructor J. S. Stewart, the facility featured an 8-mile cross-country bridle path, well-trained horses, and experienced instructors for riders of all levels.
Visitors would schedule appointments through the Opa-locka Company office at 132 E. Flagler Street. The academy also hosted special exhibitions, including a February 13, 1927 article in The Miami Herald noting, “Horses will jump in contest today.” While the exact date of the building’s demise is unknown, the Riding Academy remains an iconic example of Opa-locka’s early recreational attractions.
In 1926, Opa-locka’s reputation as a vibrant new community attracted businesses, including the King Trunk Company. Their manufacturing facility and showroom were designed by Bernhardt Muller and associate P. Leiske on August 31, 1926. The luxury trunk and bag company relocated from downtown Miami to this innovative development, even staging a publicity stunt that involved dropping one of their trunks from “a height of 1,000 feet,” according to contemporary newspaper reports.
Little is known about the company’s operational duration in Opa-locka, but the building remained vacant for decades before being demolished sometime after 2015. Despite this, the King Trunk Factory Store was recognized locally and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving its legacy as part of the city’s commercial and architectural history.
The King Truck Factory Store
One of Opa-locka’s earlier mixed-use buildings, the Lee Helms Store & Apartments, was designed by Bernhardt Muller and associate Carl Jensen in November and December 1926. Several design plans show the second floor containing six bedrooms, the first floor two bedrooms, and three commercial spaces, one of which was designated as a drug store.
The exact date of demolition is unknown but likely occurred in the 1990s or early 2000s, after a historic assessment conducted in the late 1980s. The building was locally designated and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, reflecting its significance in Opa-locka’s early commercial and residential development.
The Lee Helms Store & Apartments
One of Opa-locka’s later commercial buildings, the two-story E.E. Root Building, was designed by Bernhardt Muller and associate Carl Jensen on July 21, 1927. Over the years, it hosted several businesses.
By the 1990s, the E.E. Root Building had been abandoned and left to deteriorate. It eventually collapsed during a tropical storm sometime after 2013. Despite its demise, the building had been recognized for its significance, listed on both the local historic registry and the National Register of Historic Places.
