Flagler Memorial Island is located in the aquamarine
waters of Biscayne Bay which separates the City of Miami
from the City of Miami Beach. It is also equal distance
from the Mac Arthur and Venetian Causeways with Star,
Hibiscus, Dilido and Rivo Alto Islands nearby.
The structure on this speck of an island is a 60
foot obelisk dedicated to Henry Morrison Flagler and
built by Carl Fisher, the major developer of Miami Beach,
in 1919. At the monument's dedication he said,
"I am a great admirer of the late Mr. Flagler.
Florida owes more to Mr. Flagler than any other
man who set foot in this state." On each
side of the monument's base are allegorical statutes
representing pioneering, education, industry and prosperity.
Henry Flagler was a partner of John D. Rockefeller
in the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and it was
Mr. Flagler who in the post Civil War era planned the
strategy of monopolies or trusts that created the most
successful business enterprise of that time. By
1879, the Standard Oil Companies controlled over 90%
of the world's oil refining capacity. In 1883,
Mr. Flagler honeymooned in St. Augustine where there
was no direct rail service from Jacksonville nor first
class hotel accommodations. He set out with a
vengeance to correct these shortcomings, creating the
Florida East Coast Railroad, extending rail service
from Jacksonville to St. Augustine; and contacting the
firm of Carrere and Hastings to build one of America's
most luxurious resort hotels, the Ponce de Leon. In
1896, he extended his railroad to Miami and two
years later opened the Royal Palm Hotel, a luxurious
wooden structure with over 500 feet of covered verandahs
located at the mouth of the Miami River and Biscayne
Bay.
In 1912, the railroad was extended to Key West. Henry
Flagler was responsible not only for creating Ft. Lauderdale,
Miami and Key West but also for building hospitals,
schools, churches, and utility companies. When
hurricanes damaged newly built properties along his
railway, Mr. Flagler personally provided financial assistance
to those in need. Upon his death in 1915, his
wife Mary became the richest woman in the world with
a net worth of $100,000,000.
The monument says much about the flamboyant Carl
Fisher. He was the Prest-O-Lite millionaire from
Indianapolis; the father of the Indy 500; and
the creator of both the Lincoln and Dixie Highways,
the first paved roads in America to connect the continent's
cities. He was responsible for quadrupling Miami
Beach's land mass from 1,600 to 6,200 acres by dredging
up the bay bottom, creating a dozen residential islands
and more than 200 miles of waterfront properties. Most
east coast communities in the State of Florida honored
Mr. Flagler by naming streets after him. By erecting
the unique obelisk in the middle of Biscayne Bay, Carl
Fisher chose to honor Mr. Flagler in a more striking
and original manner.
The painting's subject and composition resulted from
discussions between Pierre Marcel, the artist, and Richard
Hoberman who commissioned the work. The tree in
the foreground is a sea grape, once prevalent along
South Florida's coastline. Star Island in the
background boasts many fine examples of 1920's Mediterranean
Revival architecture.
Richard Hoberman, January 99. |
