The idea of cooperation between the nations of the Americas, or Pan-Americanism, was born in 1823, when the independence struggles of Latin American nations and the support given to them by The United States through the Monroe Doctrine forged a sense of regional solidarity. Miami came to play an early role in the development of Pan-American relations and political events throughout the twentieth century. In 1898, the young city hosted troops bound for the Spanish-American War in Cuba. After 1928, Miami-based Pan American Airways played a pivotal role in linking North and Central America when the Federal Government awarded it the first foreign air routes. Increasing prosperity in Central and South America only reinforced the city’s strategic position as a cargo port and passenger hub. As early as 1943, Miami became the nation’s leading port of entry, handling forty-six percent of all international passenger arrivals and departures.

Recognizing the city’s increasing importance as a hemispheric hub, city leaders proposed the construction of a Pan-American trade mart in Miami as early as 1919. Though this and later plans failed to materialize, with Florida’s creation of the Inter-American Center Authority in 1951 under the direction of Dr. William Walker, and the selection of Miami as the host site for Interama, the city achieved a critical milestone in its effort to capitalize on its Pan-American identity.

Throughout the 1950s, the Authority advanced the Pan-American emphasis of the project by employing a diverse group of architects and planners. Miami architect Robert Fitch Smith led a team of international and local designers that included, among others, Hugh Ferriss, Russel Pancoast, Alford Browning Parker, Rufus Nims, and Venezuelan architect Luis Malaussena. Their first design proposals explored a range of futuristic architecture and modern planning ideas that included lagoons, gardens, exhibits of neighboring nations and, at one point, a prominent theme center whose central arches symbolized the unity of North, Central and South America. Though short of finances, by the late 1950s Interama had secured a prime location in the form of the Graves Tract, a 1,700 acre site in North Miami.

>>> Next

1. Interama: Miami and the Pan-American Dream
2. Pan-Americanism, Miami and Interama: 1951-1959
3. Progress with Freedom: Interama 1960-1967
4. The International Area
5. Interama's final Act: 1967-1975