Historic Overtown Village - Black History Month Article 2

Written By Gil Katzman

*If using a cell phone, hold phone horizontally for better view of photos

Aside from Coconut Grove, Overtown is the second oldest continuous inhabited neighborhood in Miami and is a significant part of Miami’s history and Culture. This area was initially populated by workers who arrived to work on the construction of the FEC railroad and the Royal Palm Hotel, both owned by Henry Flagler.  With the Incorporation of Miami in 1896 and due to the Jim Crow Laws, blacks in Miami lived in two neighborhoods. Coconut Grove, predominantly Bahamian Americans and Overtown, African-Americans.  

Initially called “Colored Town” the area rapidly developed. And with the opening of the Lyric Theater in 1913 and other similar venues, it became an entertainment center for both blacks and whites. The neighborhood changed its name later to Overtown. One of the many stories we heard why the name changed, was that black entertainers who performed on Miami Beach came “Over Town” to play and lodge as they could not stay on the beach due to segregation. The construction of the Midtown Interchange that connected I-95 and the Dolphin Expressway in the early 1960’s caused a massive displacement of residents by forcing 80% of them to leave(approximately 40,000) severely depressing its economy. In recent years, the community has experienced an economic and cultural renaissance.

Our first visit was to the City of Miami Black Police Precinct & Courthouse Museum.  In 1944 the City of Miami hired five black police patrolmen and created the new black police force that was assigned to the “Central Negro District” that included Overtown and parts of Liberty City.  At first, they were headquartered in the dental office of Dr. Ira Davis on Second Avenue. They had no authority over whites, were not considered officers, did not attend the academy, were only given on-the-job training and were not assigned patrol cars.  They rode bicycles, and at times if needed to transport suspects to other precincts, they had to transport them on the handlebars.      A year later, the force grew to fifteen, Coconut Grove was added to its responsibility and a new sub-station opened.  The patrolmen were given a prescribed route between the stations to avoid interaction with whites.   In 1950 the new headquarters building was completed on 11th Street. The two-story building housed the police station on the ground floor including two jail cells and a Court room on the second floor that handled misdemeanor cases. The station was overseen by two white officers and not until 1960 did a black candidate attend the police academy. The first black officer to graduate from the academy was Clarence Dickson and he rose to become Miami’s first black police chief in 1985.  In 1963 the precinct was integrated into Miami Police; the officers were transferred to Miami Police Headquarters and the building was closed.  In 2008 the building reopened as a museum with help from Miami Retired Police Officers Community Benevolent Association, the City and the County. It is important to note that the black precinct was comprised of both African and Caribbean-American officers.

We were met at the museum by Terrance Cribbs-Lorrant, Executive Director, curator and a passionate historian.  Terrance highlighted not only the difficulties black patrolmen experienced at the time performing their job, but the general challenges most blacks encountered in Miami daily.  As a cyclist who rides between 35-60 miles per week, I am still trying to imagine what it felt like riding a police bicycle through town with a prisoner on the handlebar handcuffed with a chain.  A police report from 1946 filed by a white police officer describing the removal of a black passenger who refused to board from the rear door using the N word six times; guns that were issued to patrolmen without bullets:the front desk of the station where only white officers sat and the two small jail cells that at times housed up to eight inmates are just a few examples of life in segregated Miami of the 1940’s and 1950’s.  

Terrance escorted us to the second-floor courtroom. He spoke with passion about judge Lawson E. Thomas who was the first black person to hold office in post reconstruction south. The judge, who at times conducted 80 cases per day, packed the room with spectators as his popularity turned the court into a classroom. A few years prior to his appointment as judge, he participated in the famous “Wade-In” where seven prominent black activists entered Haulover Beach waters to protest the lack of access for blacks in Miami’s public beaches.   It eventually resulted in designating Virginia Key as a “black only” beach.  We listened with great interest about the other five judges who were mostly Jewish. Terrance highlighted the close relationship between the black and Jewish communities during the period of the civil rights movement.  

From the museum we headed over to Lil Greenhouse Grill for lunch and a meeting with Nicole Gates, who partnered with executive chef Karim Bryant to open the restaurant in 2017. Karim grew up in Overtown and worked in some of Miami’s top restaurants including Capital Grill and Smith and Wollensky. Both are part of a growing group of young social activists and businesspeople who believe in the neighborhood and are helping transform it into a vital business and cultural center. The theme of the restaurant as described by Nicole is “Edgy neo-soul cuisine”. Their vision is to attract both neighborhood residents and foodies from greater Miami and beyond. We had the Seafood Cake and the Grilled Shrimp with Grits and it certainly touched our souls. An outside patio is being added to the restaurant and will be available for seating within a month. Nicole recommended additional points of interest and other folks who can introduce us to the community.  We were impressed with the food and the welcoming atmosphere and are certainly coming back.

Adjacent to the restaurant is the Culmer Overtown Public Library. The exterior walls of the library are covered with Purvis Young’s “Everyday Life” painting. Young, who created the mural in 1984, was a self-taught artist, known for his Outsider Art genre and has spent most of his life in Overtown. We met Lavette Moore, Head Librarian, who at the time coordinated the Purvis Young project. Lavette grew up in Overtown and has fond memories of her youth. One of these is of the arrival of Barnum and Bailey circus at the train platform on Northeast Second Avenue and 29th Street. Since the circus performed in Miami Beach and the train ended in Miami, the animals were marched from the train platform across the Venetian Causeway to Miami Beach. Since her parents could not afford to buy circus tickets the whole family, once a year, would wait for the train to arrive and observed the animals march on the way to the causeway.  We recommend entering the library and viewing additional art by Purvis Young as well as other African American artists.

Next, we headed over to Ward Rooming House at 249 Northwest Ninth Street, once a rooming house for out-of-town Native Americans and Blacks who could not find accommodations in downtown Miami. The building has been restored and is now an art gallery curated by Hampton Art Lovers, an organization founded by Chris Norwood and is dedicated to “inspiring the appreciation of African-American Fine Art”.  We met Chris Norwood who gave us a breathtaking lecture on Black art history, Outsider Art and Purvis Young. Chris, who completed his undergraduate studies at Hampton University, home to the largest African-American art collection, went on  to Cornell and St. Thomas University for his Master’s and Law Degrees, but remained passionate about art.  The gallery is available for rent for private events and Chris Norwood is available to speak on African-American Art at these events. During Black History Month, the gallery will be hosting “Dennis Manuel: The Eye of AFROPUNK” a photographic art exhibit.  

Important to note that throughout Overtown, there are 21 sidewalk decals with bar codes in front of historic places created by Urban Health Partberships, Goingovertown.org and Allegheny Franciscan Ministries. By scanning the barcode with a smartphone, one can read information about the place, save it to the phone or share it. The decals are numbered, and the website’s Historic Overtown Legacy Trek estimates that the walking tour of all 21 sites should take 45 minutes (not including the visit time). You can download the map from the link below.

There are many more interesting sites to visit in Overtown such as The Lyric Theater, D.A Dorsey House, The Urban and many of the remaining spots on the Historic Overtown Legacy Trek.  We will return to explore as we discover Miami one backyard at a time  



Important links











Gil Katzman https://www.touristsinourbackyard.com
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