Security Building (Miami, Florida) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Security Building
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 Location in Miami
Location in Florida
Location in the United States
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| Location | Miami, Florida |
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| Built | 1927 |
| MPS | Downtown Miami MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002990 |
| Added to NRHP | January 4, 1989 |
The Security Building is a very old and important building in Miami, Florida. You can find it at 117 Northeast 1st Avenue. This tall building has 16 floors and stands about 68 meters (225 feet) high. It was built a long time ago, between 1926 and 1927. Because of its history, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1989. This means it's a special place that should be protected.
Contents
Building History: From Bank to Offices
How the Security Building Was Built
The Dade County Security Company started way back in 1901. By the mid-1920s, they needed a much bigger office. They decided to build a new main office on the same spot where an old hotel, called the Security Hotel, used to be. Famous architect Robert Greenfield designed the new building.
Construction on the Security Building began in 1926. When it opened in 1927, the first two floors were used for banking offices. The floors above had 275 office spaces. People could reach these offices using four "high-speed" elevators, which were very modern for the time! The building was known as the Security Building until 1945.
Different Banks and New Names
Over the years, the building changed its name several times as different banks moved in.
- In 1945, a new bank called Pan American Bank of Miami became the main tenant. The building's name then changed to the Pan American Bank Building.
- In 1952, the Pan American Bank moved out. The building's name went back to the Security Building.
- In 1953, the Metropolitan Bank moved into the banking area. By 1957, the building was renamed the Metropolitan Bank Building.
- In 1962, Capital National Bank took over Metropolitan Bank. From 1964 until 2015, the building was often called the Capital Bank Building or just the Capital Building.
In 2003, the city of Miami officially recognized the building as a historic landmark.
Modern Uses: From Lofts to Co-working
Between 2004 and 2008, there was a plan to turn the building into "Capital Lofts." This project aimed to create office condominiums, which are like apartments but for businesses. However, this plan stopped because of a big money problem in 2007–2008.
In 2014, a group called the Downtown Arts and Science Salon (DASS) started using the first floor. They held art shows and talks there.
The WeWork Era
In 2015, the Capital Building was sold. Soon after, a company called WeWork decided to rent the entire building for 15 years. WeWork creates shared office spaces for different companies and people.
In December 2017, the building opened as WeWork's main location in downtown Miami. It offers space for over 1,200 members. It has private offices, meeting rooms, lounges, and event areas. They even turned the old bank vault on the first floor into a "quiet room"!
Around 2019, some investors wanted to buy the building using a new type of digital ownership called "tokenized" ownership. This was a very modern idea for buying real estate. However, the deal did not go through.
Building Design and Look
The Security Building stands out on NE 1st Avenue. It's much taller than the buildings next to it. The main entrance opens right onto the sidewalk.
The building has a special design that makes it look grand, especially the first three floors. These floors have tall, decorative columns and special bronze decorations between the windows. The name "Security Building" is carved into the stone above the entrance.
The fourth floor starts the transition to the taller part of the building. Floors five through 13 have groups of windows, with more windows in the middle section.
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The very top of the building, floors 14 and 15, are designed to look like one big section. They lead up to a unique roof called a mansard roof. This type of roof has a double slope and was made popular by a French architect named Francois Mansart. It helps create more space inside the attic.
The mansard roof of the Security Building is covered in copper. It has many arched windows and round "bull's-eye" windows. From the center of the roof, an eight-sided tower called a cupola rises up. It also has windows and a copper dome.
The sides of the building are simpler, with metal windows. The back part of the building, which extends to the east, has a flat roof and many windows.
See also
In Spanish: Edificio Security (Miami) para niños
