Coral Gables was
officially incorporated on April 29th, 1925. To say there was electricity in
the air would be no understatement. In fact, the statement could be taken quite
literal. Not only did Gables residents find themselves citizens of a
newly-founded city, they also found themselves standing beneath the
electrically charged wires which would power the street cars which defined mass
transportation in the area throughout the 1920’s and 1930’s. The electric
trolley shaped and transformed the urban landscape and enhanced the way people
traveled from place to place. Although the electric trolley system finally got
it’s feet off the ground in Miami in the 1920’s, the venture was a product of
trial and error dating back to the early 1900’s.
In 1906, ten
years after the City of Miami was founded, the first incarnation of an electric
trolley system appeared. Despite the fact that the city’s population had grown
significantly since its founding in 1896, the recently instituted city did not
have the ridership required to support the venture. The project was scrapped a
year and a half later due to lack of income. A second, slightly more successful
attempt was made at developing a sustainable trolley system in 1915, though it
would meet a similar demise only four years later. As the old saying goes: the
third time’s a charm. 1922 marked the beginning of Miami’s Electric Trolley Era
when the first streetcar using overhead wires was constructed. The Miami trolley
system continued to expand throughout the greater Miami area and offered
residents a new form of rapid transportation.
Coral Gables,
however, would not benefit from the Electric Trolley Era until 1924, when it
was announced by Merrick that the existing Miami trolley track would be
extended from Flagler Street to the newly completed Granada Entrance. This was
an important development in the city’s history, as it provided a vital
connection between the residents of Coral Gables and Miami’s downtown urban
center. Merrick was quoted as saying that the extension of the trolley was “…of
far-reaching importance, not only in Coral Gables’ development, but in the
advance and progress of all western Miami.” It would take approximately 40
minutes to arrive in the Gables from downtown Miami.
Merrick, ever the
visionary, must have been enticed by the idea of laying down his own tracks
within the boundaries of his development and creating his own fleet of electric
powered trolleys, which would be painted to compliment the color palettes and
ascetics for which Coral Gables was known.
Once the Flagler Street extension arrived at the edge of Coral Gables,
work begun by laying a track south on Ponce de Leon Blvd. The trolley system
would be up and running within the Gables’ downtown area by 1925.
Moving forward,
there was a need to extend and expedite trolley access to the southwestern
corners of the greater Miami area. Merrick took the opportunity and founded the
Coral Gables Rapid Transit Corp in the latter half of 1925. One of his goals
was to cut down on the travel time via trolley from Downtown Miami to Coral
Gables. According to an article in The
Miami News from July 1925, it was announced that Merrick’s new line would be
laid on Coral way, S.W. 13th St, and South Miami Ave. These new inter-urban
trollies could reach an excess of 55 miles an hour and could seat up to 60
passengers. The creation of these high-speed inter-urban lines would cut the
transportation time from downtown to Miami to the Gables via trolley from 40
minutes to a mere 15-20 minutes.
Despite some
delays, Merrick’s vision was fulfilled and five cars were in operation by May
27, 1926. The street cars, like anything Merrick was involved in, were
extravagant and ornate. The Miami News described the interior of the trolleys:
“Roomy, high-backed Pullman seats are of Spanish leather, flooring is of rubber
tile and woodwork is of cedar and cypress. Lightning is obtained through use of
old Spanish lantern reproductions.” The trolley maintenance yard was located
where the Village of Merrick Park is currently situated. Merrick’s rapid
transit line would prove to be one of the most popular methods of travel in the
area from 1926 to 1935.
The electric
powered trolley was not without its share of critics, however. General Motors
had launched a series of publicity campaigns which declared that the trolley
was outdated, noisy, and old fashioned. EG Sewell, Mayor of Miami from 1933 to
1935, shared similar sentiments and was often outspoken on the subject. This
growing distain of the electric trolley system and a new general inclination
towards internal combustion engines was punctuated by the 1935 hurricane, which
marked the beginning of the end of Miami’s Trolley Era. The hurricane, which
landed on November 4th, did extensive damage to the tracks and ceased operation
of several pivotal routes which were never revived. Within several years,
electric transportation went belly up and made way for the era of
transportation we currently find ourselves living in today.
Malcolm Anthony
Lauredo
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