National Register of Historic Places

Security Building

Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
Listed
January 4, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88002990

About this property

The Security Building is a historic site in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located at 117 Northeast 1st Avenue. On January 4, 1989, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The building has 16 floors with a height of 225 feet (69 m) and was built from 1926 to 1927. === Construction for Dade County Security Company === The Dade County Security Company was organized in 1901 and moved to a nearby headquarters in 1923. By the mid-1920s the company needed a larger headquarters. In 1921, the Dade County Security Company had acquired the McKinnon Hotel which occupied a mid-block parcel on Northeast 1st Avenue and renamed it the Security Hotel. Dade Security had considered adding stories atop the hotel, but opted in 1925 to raze the hotel and construct a new headquarters on the same site under the direction of architect Robert Greenfield. Construction on the Security Building began in 1926. The building was known as the Security Building from its opening in 1927 until 1945. Upon opening, the first level and mezzanine were devoted to banking offices. The floors above provided 275 office suites and were reached by four "high speed" elevators. In 1945, the newly-formed Pan American Bank of Miami became the primary tenant in the building. and the structure's name was changed to the Pan American Bank Building. In September 1952, the name reverted to the Security Building when the Pan American Bank moved to a new headquarters on SE Third Avenue. The Metropolitan Bank moved in to the banking hall in 1953 and in April 1957 the name was changed to Metropolitan Bank Building. In 1962, Capital National Bank acquired Metropolitan Bank and from 1964 until 2015, the building was referred to as the Capital Bank Building or just the Capital Building. In March 2003, the building was identified as historic by the Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. Between 2004 and 2008, the Capital Lofts project undertook the conversion of the building into office condominiums. The project was halted by the 2008 financial crisis. In 2014, the Downtown Arts and Science Salon (DASS) was founded and used the first floor as an exhibition and lecture space. In June 2015, the Capital Building was sold for $23.5 million and the following October WeWork agreed to lease the entire building for a term of 15 years. The building began operations as WeWork's downtown Miami flagship location in December 2017 following a $20 million dollar renovation, offering space for more than 1,200 members in a mix of private offices, 17 "nooks", 28 meeting rooms, 20 lounges, phone booths, and event space. The original first floor bank vault was converted to a "quiet room."

Location

117 N.E. 1st Ave.
Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida
25.77561, -80.19176

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Security Building listed on the National Register?

Security Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Security Building?

Security Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Security Building?

The period of significance for Security Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Security Building?

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