Guide to the Norman Giller Interama Reports

Overview

Historical Note

In 1945 Miami purchased a plot of land known as the Graves tract, which lay between the Sunny Isles causeway and N.E. 136th Street, and between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway. The land was originally acquired for an airport, but when Miami International Airport was built at its present location, the land was designated for Interama.

Interama (Inter-American Center Authority) was created in 1951 to plan, finance, construct, operate, and maintain an Inter-American Cultural and Trade Center. The proposed center was to have been a permanent international exposition providing cultural, educational and trade activities similar to those of a world's fair.

By the mid-1970s attempts to raise money for development had failed. In 1975, the Authority was abolished, and Interama was not completed.

The land came to be used for Florida International University, a sewage treatment plant, Munisport landfill, the Oleta River Preserve, and private development.

Scope and Content

Most of the collection is from the "Special Report for Members of the Dade County Interama Authority," compiled sometime between 1969 and 1971. The individual reports discuss matters such as placing a university on the grounds, economic impact on Florida, feasibility studies, land purchase and payment schedules, maps and sketches.

Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Index Terms

Florida International University.
Interama.

Administrative Information

Cite as:
Historical Museum of Southern Florida, 2001-513.

Provenance:
Gift of Norman Giller, 2001.

Container List