Española Way
Miami
Española Way is a car-free street in South Beach, Miami Beach, between Washington Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. It was built in the 1920s as a Mediterranean-style village.
Whitman's colony
In 1922 Francis F. Whitman built the first houses here and called them the "Spanish colony". Those were the years when Miami Beach was growing fast. Every month new streets, houses and hotels appeared.
Roney's village
In 1925 Roney bought the colony with his company. He wanted a village of creative workshops, like certain districts in big cities. That is why he named it the "Historic Spanish Village". Antique shops, bookstores and small tearooms opened on the street, where people chatted at their leisure.
A traveling architect
The architect Robert A. Taylor took ideas from seaside towns on the coast between Spain and France. He chose the Mediterranean Revival style, which was very popular in Miami Beach. He used arches, courtyards and decorations along the facades.
A protected street
In the 1920s there were also furniture stores here. In 1986 the city declared it a historic district. Today it is a car-free street. The restored facades still show the arches and decorations of the 1920s.
