Why does this street have that name? It all has to do with putting Miami on the map
The Miami area has a lot of street names. But what’s the story behind them?
In many cases, short stretches of streets have names to honor community leaders. Even so, the streets are still known by their numerical designation. (When was the last time you told people to take a left at Miami Sound Machine Boulevard?)
But major streets and causeways go almost strictly by name. Take Flagler and Collins, Lehman and MacArthur, for instance.
So who are the names behind the names?
Here’s a guide to the big ones:
Flagler Street
This is downtown Miami’s main street and also a major thoroughfare through Little Havana and West Miami-Dade. It’s named for Henry Flagler, the industrialist and developer who brought his railroad south to Miami and spurred a building boom in the Magic City.
Brickell Avenue
Miami’s financial nerve center and condo canyon is named for Mary and WIlliam Brickell. They were native Ohioans who helped put Miami on the map. In 1871, William built a house at Brickell Point and his family relocated there soon after. They helped found both Miami and Fort Lauderdale. After her husband’s death, Mary also helped build Miracle Mile and helped develop The Roads area, which she originally called Brickell Hammock.
Collins Avenue
A1A in Miami Beach is designated for John Collins, a developer behind the first causeway across Biscayne Bay to the mainland in 1913.
MacArthur Causeway
The span connecting Fifth Street in Miami Beach to downtown Miami is named after World War II Gen. Douglas MacArthur. It was known as County Causeway when it opened in 1920 and renamed in 1942.
Ludlam Road
Named for pioneer Walter Ludlam, who helped fund construction of the roadway. It was named for him in 1914.
Killian Drive
Named for Dan Killian, a businessman and former county commissioner in the 1920s.
Kendall Drive
The suburban stretch now filled with strip shopping malls was named for Henry Kendall, a trustee of a development company that purchased land in the area. He was responsible for managing the company’s land and groves int he early 1900s.
Julia Tuttle Causeway
This Biscayne Bay causeway, which connects 41st Street in Miami Beach to Biscayne Boulevard and the Airport Expressway, is named for the “mother of Miami.” Julia Tuttle earned her place in South Florida history by giving railroad magnate Henry Flagler land in exchange for his extending a railroad line to Miami.
Rickenbacker Causeway
The span connecting the Brickell area to Virginia Key and Key Biscayne is named for Eddie Rickenbacker, a World War I flier and former president of Eastern Airlines.
William Lehman Causeway
The causeway that goes from just south of the Aventura Mall to Sunny Isles Beach was named for former congressman William Lehman, who represented Northeast Miami-Dade.
Krome Avenue
The street best known for its stretch through agricultural South Miami-Dade is named for William Krome, a construction engineer with the Florida East Coast Railway.
