Hotel McAllister Grand Opening in 1919
The story of the grand opening on New Year's Eve of one of Miami's signature hotels along Biscayne Boulevard from 1919 until 1988.
Originally announced as an 8-story hotel to be erected on the corner of Twelfth street and the Boulevard, today’s Flagler Street and Biscayne Boulevard, in the spring of 1916, the 10-story Hotel McAllister celebrated its grand opening on New Year’s Eve in 1919 and became the tallest building in Miami when it opened. Originally targeted to open on February 1, 1917, the project timeline endured a series of setbacks, including a standoff with a previous tenant on the lot where the hotel was to be constructed, a hurricane, lack of availability of construction workers and materials due to World War I, and a change in ownership, which led to nearly a three-year delay in the opening of the hotel.
Emma McAllister, the developer of the inn, was an experienced real estate agent who bought and sold land that she and her husband purchased during Miami’s pre-1920s building boom period. In addition to initiating the development of her namesake hotel, she also divided the family homestead and sold lots in what became known as the McAllister Terrace subdivision in Miami, as well as redeveloping her downtown residence on Flagler Street where she constructed the Ponce De Leon hotel a block west of Hotel McAllister.
Whether the weight of the delays and obstacles faced during the project, or whether it was her plan all along, Emma McAllister sold her namesake hotel to Olof Anderson of Louisville, Kentucky, in July of 1919. Olof and his investment group completed the last six months of construction, then took over the operation and management of the hotel after it opened. While Emma no longer had ownership in the hotel, Anderson kept the name ‘Hotel McAllister’ after the sale.
The grand opening of the hotel took place on Wednesday, December 31, 1919, and was advertised as a grand way to celebrate the end of a decade while welcoming the addition of Hotel McAllister as the tallest building in Miami’s burgeoning skyline, a vista that would change dramatically during the middle years of the 1920s. The celebration included a dinner in the hotel’s lavish dining room on the ground level, and a dance in the ballroom on the third floor of the building. The dance hall opened to balconies overlooking the bay. Throughout the evening, according to a writer for the Miami Daily Metropolis covering the grand opening, flashlight photographs were taken of the guests, as well as the decorations and amenities in both the dining room and ballroom.
Guests for the grand opening were a who’s who of early Miami pioneers. The McAllisters, Highleymans, Sewells, Merricks, Ralstons, and Tatums were just some of the prominent families in attendance. The Metropolis writer reflected on the evening and the building and declared that the structure “stands as a splendid monument to its original owner, Mrs. E.C. McAllister, and to the present owners and promoters.”
Emma McAllister would continue to be a major player during the building boom of the mid-1920s, selling lots in the McAllister Terrace subdivision, constructing the Ponce De Leon hotel, and buying and selling real estate throughout South Florida during those formidable years. Emma died in November of 1936 after a life of establishing a reputation as a shrewd real estate investor during her more than 38-years in Miami.
The McAllister Hotel was a mainstay in Miami’s skyline from the day of its grand opening on New Year’s Eve in 1919 until its demolition in May of 1988. The 50 Biscayne condominium building now sits on the lot that the McAllister Hotel called home for nearly 70 years.
Resources:
Miami Herald: “Broke Ground for the New McAllister”, March 17, 1916.
Miami Daily Metropolis: “Hotel McAllister is Formally Opened”, January 1, 1920.
Miami Herald: “Miami Pioneer Dies in her Georgia Home”, November 10, 1936.
Miami Herald: “End of an Era”, by Buddy Nevins on January 6, 1988.
Some grand reaches what we called down town Miami.