Route 100 continued-- 13th Steet and Washington Avenue

The 100 bus continues another 8 blocks north on Washington Avenue and 13th Street. 

There are 3 points of interest within proximity to each other:

The Miami Beach Post Office

Built in  1937 as a WPA project. Designed by architect Howard L. Cheney, who went on to design Washington National Airport in 1940. Built in the streamline moderne architectural style, the building houses a mural which features the arrival of Spanish conquistador Ponce De Leon on the Florida coast in 1513. 

Fisher Feinberg School Complex-- The school facing Washington Avenue was originally built as Central Beach Elementary in 1920. It was renamed Leroy D Feinberg Elementary after a beloved former principal. One block west, behind the elementary school, is the original Miami Beach Senior High, initially built as Ida M. Fisher Middle-High School, and then the original campus of Miami Beach Senior High School, which moved to its present site near the Miami Beach Convention Center around 1960.

Part of the campus was demolished in the 1970s. The arched, remaining three-story building dates to 1936. The early 1920s structure adjacent was demolished in the mid-1970s due to safety concerns regarding corrosion of the metal girders, caused by beach sand mixed into the concrete during construction.

If you are an early '80s movie buff, the building was used as the site of the movie Porky's, standing in for the fictional Angel Beach High School. On an unrelated note, it was also the alma mater of this blogger’s father when the building served it's original purpose as Miami Beach Senior High School.

This blogger attended a pull-out program at Ida M. Fisher Junior High in the mid-1970s. I remember a very old structure with a lush courtyard filled with tropical plants and a three-story building. One odd memory I have is that food in the cafeteria was still served on metal trays with porcelain plates that needed to be washed, as opposed to my elementary school’s paper trays! Crazy what one remembers…

Espanola Way 

Espanola is a nearby street that doesn’t resemble the South Beach grid of boxy, low-slung Art Deco buildings painted in pastel colors. Instead,  it resembles a Mediterranean village. Developed in the 1920’s, notice the barrel tile roofs, wrought iron balconies, and arched windows suggestive of a street scene in Spain or the south of France. 

Bites

Le foille cafe-- a down-to-earth and bona fide French cafe can be found on this exotic street.  Famous for its French dishes ranging from crepes to desserts.It is known as off the beaten path quiant breakfast spot.

Add photos menu  It is located at 536 Espanola Way. The hours and 9 am 11 pm, 7 days a week,  and the menu can be found at https://alafoliecafe.com/menu. Bon Appetit. 

A cafecito

Everyone needs a coffee break! Check out Cortadito Coffee House, a local chain with Cuban coffee and snack items, reflective of Miami's Cuban presence. It is located at 1429 Washington Ave. Buen Provecho!

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