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Highways, Homes, And Hurdles

The Impact of Interstate 95's construction on Miami’s Historic Overtown Region.

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Table of Contents

Click on each heading to learn more information about Historic Overtown and Miami's I-95 highway

Overtown's Beginnings

Overtown in the 1900s

The Impact of I-95

1960, 1970, and 2010's

Population Statistic

Unique and Rare Findings

Sources

Call to Action

Settled in the 1890s, Overtown is the historic heart of Miami’s black community. It was originally known as "Colored Town". During first half of 1900s, Overtown was port of entry for black immigrants from Cuba, Barbados, Haiti, Trinidad + Tobago, and Jamaica By the 1950s, Overtown’s population peaked, and the community was known as a cultural mecca Many schools, churches, businesses were built throughout Overtown. Soon after, many restaurants and first-class hotels.

Overtown's Beginnings

Settled in the 1890s, Overtown is the historic heart of Miami’s black community. It was originally known as "Colored Town". During first half of 1900s, Overtown was port of entry for black immigrants from Cuba, Barbados, Haiti, Trinidad + Tobago, and Jamaica By the 1950s, Overtown’s population peaked, and the community was known as a cultural mecca Many schools, churches, businesses were built throughout Overtown. Soon after, many restaurants and first-class hotels.

Overtown's Beginnings

Image shows segregated areas during Jim Crow Era

Image shows Overtown's Famous Lyric Theater

Overtown in the 1900s

Image shows the start of the construction of I-95

Click to view video

By 1965, half of Overtown’s population had been displaced to make way for construction of an expressway connecting I-95, I-395, and State Highway 836 Many residents were displaced to completely different cities without compensation from Miami. Some of the cities include Richmond Heights, Brownsville, Allapattah and Liberty City. By early 1960’s, Americans began to protest rapid highway construction on the premise of negative consequences that destroyed parks, historic sites, and entire communities. These protests were known as freeway revolts.

The Impact of I-95

Click here to read about Hine's experience living in Overtown in the year 1965

Bea L. Hine, Overtown Resident

"Then, one day the world that I once knew and loved was gone. One day we were going about business and the next day, it seemed the gigantic bulldozers and tractors had moved in....Overtown was a devastated village."

Data in 1960, 1970, 2010

Found in the University of Miami's Special Collections, these photos and documents are rare and unique primary sources that are specific to the Overtown region. Click on the headings to view the photos and documents.

Withdrawn Projects for Overtown

The Crosswinds Project

Discarded Plans to Revitalize the Overtown Region

The Power "U" Fact Sheet

Unique and Rare Findings

What can we do?

Harm Reduction

Community Involvement

Demographic Data

Image shows current day I-95 through Overtown

Call to Action

https://www.housingissues.org/overtown/expressway.html

University of Miami's Special Collections

https://www.library.miami.edu/ohp-overtown-chronology.html

https://www.cnu.org/what-we-do/build-great-places/overtown-expressway

https://www.theblackarchives.org/about-2/overtown-reclaiming-a-sense-of-place/

Sources

Opposition to the 14th Street Ramp: it is dangerous to students and other pedestrians, it does not serve the needs of the community, and it serves only the development plans that will displace many people and serve the benefit of a few. The Florida Department of Transportation falsely claimed that this ramp will make I-95 accessible to the residents of Overtown, but it already is accessible through multiple points PowerU supports these development principles: 1) development in a community must serve that specific community first, 2) development should include development of people, not just buildings and infrastructure, 3) current residents in the area should be meaningfully involved in the process of this development

Power U Fact Sheet

Strategies to preserve affordable housing, create job opportunities for displaced residents, and invest in community health initiatives Moreover, it should ensure that policies are in place to prevent further disenfranchisement of communities of color Importantly, there should be a strong system for monitoring and accountability, ensuring that the recommendations of the REIS are implemented in practice

Harm Reduction

Ongoing input from residents of the impacted neighborhoods. This participatory approach ensures that the voices of the community—who know best the unique challenges they face—are heard and respected throughout the planning and decision-making process. A solid REIS will also use a regional lens, understanding that the effects of highway construction ripple outward beyond the immediate vicinity of the project.

Community Involvement

Link to Article

“White men's roads through black men's homes: advancing racial equity through highway reconstruction”, A proposal was made to combat the issue at hand. The adoption of Racial Equity Impact Studies (REIS) is a critical tool that can help policymakers understand the full, lasting consequences of these projects. By systematically analyzing how racial and ethnic groups will be impacted at every stage of highway construction REIS can provide the information needed to create policies that actively promote fairness and reduce harm.

What can we do?

Overtown in the mid-20th Century

Until the mid-20th century, the neighborhood had been considered the most prosperous Black community in South Florida. Although the Overtown region is now disturbed by highway construction, Overtown was previously a notable site of cultural mixing between Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American cultures. Overtown’s rich and vibrant past is best reflected in the memories of those who witnessed the region’s unique cuisine, entertainment, and diaspora-influenced diversity. Since the settlement of Overtown, multiple harships were faced by the people of the community. Many black incorporators lost their rights while many of the residents of Overtown were subjected to Jim Crow Laws during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This led to many of the residents having severe restrictions in their rights. Residents of the town were subjected to Black Codes (later known as Jim Crow laws) causing many of the black people to lose their rights as well as black men not being able to be registered voters. Despite these challenges, Overtown flourished leading to businesses being built Overtown’s decline can be attributed to “American circumstances” such as moderate forms of white supremacy, class-based stratification in segregated communities, and the rise of suburbs in the post-WWII era.

Require the collection and analysis of demographic data to assess how various racial and ethnic groups are situated in relation to the proposed project. This analysis should focus on factors like racial segregation, poverty rates, and access to key resources such as education, housing, and healthcare. The REIS would then evaluate how the construction or redevelopment of a highway would affect these factors, considering both the short-term impacts

Demographic Data

Click to watch video on Lyric Theater's Cultural Impact

Lyric Theater opened in 1913 and became the building known for entertainment for blacks in Miami. It was considered "the most beautiful playhouse owned by colored people." Celebrities of the time (such as Josephine Baker, Arethra Franklin, and Count Basie) performed to a very wide audience in the heart of Overtown

Historic Overtown's Lyric Theater

Click here to view document in detail

Another housing complex called “Crosswinds” was also set to open in the Overtown region PowerU opposed the construction of Crosswinds, stating that the 20% of affordable housing it would offer is not nearly enough to ensure the people living in Overtown can still live there and will not be displaced The City of Miami agreed to revisit the project and see how beneficial it would be

Crosswinds Project Being Reviewed

Click here to view article

In 2006, the City of Miami promised to put $30 million into the Community Redevelopment Agency as part of a larger plan to restore Overtown and its local economy Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones (whose district includes the Overtown region) even claimed that Miami does not have a signature, specific portion to represent all of the Black influence it has received Organizations claimed that parts of the revitalization plan were acceptable, but likely the housing would be still too expensive for the struggling people of the community.

Plan to Revitalize Overtown

Click here to view document in detail

A building project called Lyric Promenade was set to open in the Overtown region Consisted of 160 condos starting at 225k, 150 affordable rental units, and a 149 room Hilton Garden Inn In the end the proposal was taken away due to the “developer risk being no longer viable” This project would have massively strengthened the local economy and helped to restore Overtown to its former glory, but because of the I-95 construction through the heart of Overtown, the project was just too risky.

Projects Withdrawn