The Miami Aquarium Inbox

Carl Fisher was charmed by the Miami Beach that he saw in 1910. Much like the development of Speedway, Indiana, he quickly saw the development possibilities presented by the sun, the sand, the warm temperatures. He began modestly enough with 200 acres of land gained by loaning property owners funds with which to complete a bridge to the mainland and an additional 150 acres by loaning a developer with funds to continue his real estate development. Fisher started Alton Realty and over the next ten years transformed Miami Beach from a small barrier peninsula with mangrove swamps to an island for wealthy tourists and winter residents.
 
While Jim Allison originally declined to join Fisher in the development of Miami Beach, a trip in March 1914 resulted in Allison being charmed by the seaside village with the tropical breezes and blue skies. As early as 1916, Allison became involved in the development of Miami Beach, primarily as a financier.
 
Fisher was always looking for activities for the winter residents—polo, golf, and speedboat races—and approached Allison about developing a botanical garden in Miami Beach which he declined.
 
As a youngster in Indianapolis, Allison pictured himself sponsoring the finest collection of fish in the world. He had a passion for sport fishing and in 1919 started thinking about developing a world-class aquarium that would have as its focus tropical sea life. The aquarium would have a laboratory to expand knowledge about sea life. When Allison told Fisher about his dream to build an aquarium, Fisher was enthusiastic. Allison forged ahead with his plans with a goal to open the aquarium in 1920. Due to significant building on Miami Beach, the goal of opening for the 1920 tourist season was missed. The grand opening was held on January 1, 1921.
 
M. Hawley McLanahan of Philadelphia designed the aquarium. It was in the shape of a Maltese cross with a rotunda at the center of the building. The building also had a two story section which allowed for laboratories, offices and an apartment on the second floor. The plans for the aquarium included a 60,000-gallon saltwater tank. The pumps to bring the water from the bay into the tank could handle 400 gallons per minute.
 
Louis L. Mowbray was hired as the director of the aquarium in May 1919. Mowbray was an assistant director of the New York Aquarium. He had previously developed and run an aquarium in Boston. Mowbray and local fishing captain Charlie Thompson began gathering specimens for the aquarium, in the fall of 1920. Instead of gathering the fish by rod and reel, they used traps along the sea floor with crawfish as bait. The traps would then be loaded into holding tanks on the aquarium’s large fishing boat. When the boat arrived at the aquarium dock, the fish would be transferred to one of two large holding tanks outside of the aquarium. When the aquarium opened for visitors on January 1, Allison was there to greet them.
 
The aquarium had a soft gray exterior appearance. Inside were brightly colored Moravian pottery tiles. The window trim and doors were painted to pick up the bright colors of the tiles. On the walls, there were fourteen reproductions of watercolors done by H. Murayama, a Japanese painter. On either side of the entrance were two mounted fish—a marlin and a tuna. Along the corridors extending from the Maltese cross entryway were fifty exhibition tanks. Skylights over each of the tanks enabled visitors to see the multihued fish from the tropics without the optical illusions which arise from artificial lighting.
 
The aquarium featured tropical fish caught within 50 miles of Miami Beach. The aquarium had 2,500 specimens when it opened ranging from a great tarpon to tiny angel fish. Outside the aquarium, there were two open tanks, one of which had a manatee and the other alligators. For many visitors, this was the first exposure they had to the wonders of tropical fish.
 
While the aquarium was favorably compared to other great aquariums in the United States (Boston, New York, Detroit, and Philadelphia), it was not self-sustaining as its operations spanned only four months a year. In fact, only in February was the aquarium profitable. Allison made the decision to close the aquarium. There was an effort made to have the city of Miami financially support the aquarium by an increase in the millage rate on real estate as it benefitted the entire region. It failed to do so despite strong public urging. After closing, the fish at the aquarium were either returned to the Caribbean or were shipped to the Detroit Aquarium. The building was torn down and a hotel was built.
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