Are these buildings still around? See how Miami has changed through the years
This collection of stories captures the evolution of Miami's landscape, neighborhoods and landmarks over the decades. The bustling streets, clubs and hotels of South Florida reflect a city that your grandparents might not recognize today.
A luxury hotel on Brickell Key prepares for demolition, marking the end of an era as new condos and resorts rise.
Little Havana transformed from its early days with Cuban exiles bringing new cultural energy to the area.
Miami's nightclubs and sports stadiums have come and gone, painting a picture of a dynamic city always in motion.
See the photos and stories below.
Dupont Plaza, flanked by with highway ramps, seen in 1968 from first National Bank Building.
NO. 1: REMEMBER WHEN SOUTH FLORIDA LOOKED LIKE THIS? SEE THE STREETS, CLUBS, HOTELS, STORES
There's some history here. | Published October 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives
No image found Hotel Mandarin Oriental, Miami
NO. 2: SEE CELEBRITIES AND GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THIS MIAMI LUXURY HOTEL THAT IS DISAPPEARING
Actors promoted their movies here. | Published December 24, 2024 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archives
No image found The Little Havana business district in the 1960s.
NO. 3: LITTLE HAVANA USED TO LOOK LIKE THAT? SEE THE OLD PICTURES FROM THE 1960S, '70S AND '80S
The president had lunch there. | Published February 14, 2025 | Read Full Story by Miami Herald Archive
The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
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Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Vietnamese are helping Cuba with 38-cent donations. A lot of them.
Her donation joined a chain-reaction of generosity. A new crowdfunding campaign for Cuba led by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society has raised more than $13 million in the first week — far more than organizers had expected for the entire two-month effort. And with that unexpected surge has come a complex reckoning. For many in Cuba and Vietnam, the charitable transfers bring up memories of past solidarity, when both nations shared dreams of communist independence won through revolution. But there's also the awkward realization that their roles have reversed because of choices made as the Cold War ended. Advertisement Vietnam, when faced with shortages and starvation, pivoted quickly toward free enterprise in the mid-'80s, leading to restored relations with the United States in 1995, and a manufacturing and agricultural boom that has nearly erased extreme poverty. Advertisement Cuba stuck with ideology and one-man rule. The island nation, which had an unequal but developed economy roughly on par with Argentina's in the 1950s, remained in the intransigent grip of Fidel Castro until his death in 2016. Even after President Barack Obama visited Cuba, seeking to end decades of hostility, Castro, his brother Raúl, and their handpicked successors maintained strict state control of the economy. A US trade embargo had been limiting Cuba's options since 1962. Compounding that challenge, Cuba's leaders failed to empower the country's well-educated population. From 1999 to 2016, the best that most Cubans could do was start small restaurants or other home-based businesses that the government harassed with high taxes and hefty regulations. Vietnamese economists — the architects of the country's success story — frequently traveled to Havana throughout this period, offering guidance and lectures. They said that many of their presentations drawing on what worked well in Vietnam, like letting people start small businesses without permits, were kept secret by Cuban officials. 'They didn't want to implement the freedom to do business,' said Le Dang Doanh, the former head of Vietnam's Central Institute for Economic Management. Today, Cuba is on its knees. Tourism never recovered from the pandemic. Facing tougher enforcement of the embargo from Washington, everything seems to be breaking down at once. Blackouts have spread because of a decaying power grid and a lack of fuel. Consumer prices have risen fourfold over the past five years, according to experts, spurring migration and putting already-scarce food and medicine beyond the reach of many workers. Even the infant mortality rate, which Cuba's leaders had proudly brought to levels lower than the United States, has been rising. Advertisement 'Cuba is in very bad shape,' said Carlos Alzugaray, an analyst and former Cuban diplomat in Havana. 'And those who are in power don't seem to know what to do either because they are ignorant, or inept, or corrupt, or don't care or because they are terrified about losing control if they go too far in opening up.' Vietnam, while supporting Cuba's call for the United States to drop its embargo, has become even more determined to help. Most of the rice that Cubans receive through government rations are donations from Vietnam. Last year, To Lam, Vietnam's top leader, visited the island and promised closer ties. The crowdfunding campaign, which aims to celebrate the 65th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries, represents a more emotional step of people-to-people connection. It has attracted more than 1.7 million donations, mostly from 38 cents (10,000 dong) to $38. Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, the president of Cuba, posted a public thank you note on the social platform X over the weekend, expressing gratitude for 'an act of love' that comes from 'a hardworking and heroic people who were able to rise up after several wars and today dazzle the world with their sustained progress.' He did not say how Vietnam's money would be used. Some Vietnamese critics online said it made no sense to support leaders who have made the Cuban people poor. Donors said they just hoped the cash transfers would get to the people in need. 'I know the support from Vietnam won't be enough to solve everything, but I hope it helps in some way,' said Mo, 33. 'And I hope their economy will get better so people there can have better lives.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Jeff Bezos posts tribute to late mother: ‘I hold her safe in my heart forever'
Jeff Bezos' mother Jackie 'died peacefully' on Thursday in her Miami-area home at the age of 78, her Bezos Scholars Program foundation announced on its website. 'A quiet final chapter to a life that taught all of us, friends and family alike, the true meaning of grit and determination, kindness, and service to others,' the organization wrote. The mother of three reportedly had been battling Lewy body dementia since 2020. The obituary went on to say that Jackie (née Gise) was born in Washington, D.C., then moved with her family to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In high school, she became pregnant with Jeff. Not mentioned is the biological father, Ted Jorgensen, who went on to become a unicyclist with the circus. Gise raised Jeff as a single mom, meeting Cuban immigrant Miguel Bezos, now 79, while she was going to night school and working during the day at a bank, said the tribute. They were married in 1968, with Bezos adopting her young son. They went on to have two more children, Christina and Mark. The Amazon founder posted his own tribute to his mom hours later. 'She pounced on the job of loving me with ferocity, brought my amazing dad onto the team a few years later, and then added my sister and brother to her list of people to love, guard, and nourish,' wrote the billionaire, 61. 'For the rest of her life, that list of people to love never stopped growing. She always gave so much more than she ever asked for.' The Bezoses were instrumental in helping to launch his e-empire. In 1995, they gave the Internet pioneer $245,573 to get Amazon off the ground, eventually amassing great wealth themselves. In the summer of 2022, the couple snapped up a 12,829-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven bath home in Coral Gables for a approximately $34 million. Soon afterward, Jeff announced he was relocating from Seattle back home to Miami, where he was partially raised, attending Palmetto Senior High School. He and his now wife Lauren Sanchez began buying property in Indian Creek Village, aka Billionaire Bunker. They remained close geographically and otherwise. Miguel and Jeff even were seen partying together in April at the Global Champions Arabians Tour fancy horse event in Miami Beach. 'We were all so lucky to be in her life,' Jeff's post concluded. 'I hold her safe in my heart forever.' Jackie is also survived by 11 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild; funeral services are unclear.
USA Today
5 days ago
- USA Today
Jackie Bezos, Jeff Bezos' mother, dies at 78
The mother of tech pioneer Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon and Blue Origin, has died. Jacklyn "Jackie" Bezos was 78. The news was shared by her philanthropic organization, the Bezos Family Foundation, on Aug. 14. "Jackie died peacefully in her Miami home on August 14th, at the age of 78," a tribute on the foundation's home page reads. "A quiet final chapter to a life that taught all of us, friends and family alike, the true meaning of grit and determination, kindness, and service to others." According to the announcement, Bezos had been living with Lewy body dementia, a brain disorder, for five years following her diagnosis in 2020. According to the National Institute on Aging, the disease is "associated with abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain." As the deposits gradually affect the brain's chemicals, a person's "thinking, movement, behavior, mood, and other body functions" are impacted. The mother of three, who also has 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, "battled with the same dignity and courage that shaped every aspect of her life," according to the foundation. The announcement added: "Mike, her husband and partner for more than a half century remained by her side at every step of this journey." USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Jeff Bezos for comment. Jackie Bezos, a "relentless" single mom to son Jeff, met "a young Cuban immigrant" named Miguel "Mike" Bezos, who was doing night shifts at the bank where she worked. They were married April 5, 1968, and welcomed two more children, Christina and Mark. According to the foundation, Jackie Bezos returned to school and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1991 when she was 45. "In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to support a nonprofit organization that is meaningful to you or to perform a simple act of kindness in her memory," the foundation said.
