Ariel W.
Yelp
Miami Beach and the area that is now Lincoln Road was once a mangrove forest. In 1912, Miami Beach developer started clearing the mangroves and created the town social center from the Atlantic to Biscayne Bay. In 1914 construction was started on Lincoln Road, the main street in Miami Beach. It was named after Abraham Lincoln and it was where Fisher had his real estate office.
In the 1940's retailers like Bonwit Teller, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harry Winston Jewelers, Cadillac and Packard car dealerships had moved in. Lincoln Road Mall was called "Luxury Lane" and it was the shopping destination of the well to do. It was the place to scoop the newest fashion trends and it was promoted as the "Fifth Avenue of the South."
By the 1950's the road was suffering from competition and traffic back ups. Architect Morris Lapidus, who designed Miami Beach's Fountainebleau and Eden Roc hotels was hired to redesign Lincoln Road. He designed Lincoln Road in the MiMo (midcentury modern) design he had pioneered. He closed the mall to traffic making it one of the first pedestrian malls in the nation. Of the controversial decision to close the road, Lapidus said , "I designed Lincoln Road for people- a car never bought anything." Lapidus then added gardens, fountains, shelters, and an amphitheater. A reborn Lincoln Mall had its grand opening on November 28, 1960.
In the mid 1980's Lincoln Road Mall had become a vacant trip. Artists started moving in to the area putting their own stamp on the historic mall.
In 2006, the Miami Beach Preservation Board approved extending the pedestrian mall west to Alton Road. On May 6, 2011 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Lincoln Road Mall.
Today Lincoln Road is an 8-block stretch pedestrian walkway, filled with shops, boutiques, restaurants, cafes all the art deco and Mediterranean architectural styles. There is a multiplex cinema, parking garage, the newly restored Colony Theatre, New World Center concert hall, the offices of Viacom Latin America, along with 200 boutiques, local merchants, national retail stores, restaurants, and bars. It is one of the popular tourist destinations in South Beach.
I like to come here to check out the architecture and people watch. The median of the mall is always filled with interesting local vendors and performers. On this trip I spotted the very cool Salty Donut pop up. Lincoln Mall is an iconic South Beach destination. Come out and play tourist for a day.