Miami Lakes used to look like that? See the Shula home, cows and early shopping centers

Miami Herald Archives
·2 min read

In 2012, the late U.S. senator and Florida governor Bob Graham shared the evolution of Miami Lakes from farmland to suburban enclave. Graham was the son of Ernest Graham, the founder of Miami Lakes.

“The planners had the vision of what Miami Lakes would be — a highly desirable community that began with six people,” Graham said at the time.

His father started a dairy business called Graham Dairy with a 7,000-acre lot in 1932. By the 1950s, Ernest Graham’s children, most notably sons Philip, William and Bob, launched their first development company using the family land as the foundation for what would become the family business.

In 1962, the idea was to develop the community around the area’s lakes — each of which was named after a Graham woman. Lake Patricia, the first built, was named after William Graham’s wife.

“The town grew in the way we wanted,” Patricia Graham said in 2012. “It’s a recognition to our family and the fact that we are still here.”

The developers wanted the city to have a unique flavor. They purposely surrounded the lakes with curved sidewalks and cul-de-sacs, a contrast to the straight-lined streets and sidewalks that were then the norm in urban planning.

The town’s relatively high elevation made it safe from flooding, adding to its attractive qualities.

“We hoped Miami Lakes set the standard model for other communities,” said the former senator.

But in the beginning, Lake Patricia was not the beauty it is today. Its construction coincided with the Cuban missile crisis, and the ditch was filled with troops and weaponry.

“It was a parade of tanks, aircraft and military tents,” Graham said.

But soon it drew a famous resident: Miami Dolphins Don Shula, who not only lived in the community but whose name graced a hotel and restaurant there.

Miami Lakes, formerly part of unincorporated Miami-Dade County, became a municipality in 2000, gaining economic and political autonomy.

Let’s take a look at Miami lakes through the years from the Miami Herald photo archives:

SHOPPING

First shopping center in Miami Lakes in 1964. The land was purchased in the 1930s by former State Sen. Ernest R. Graham as a dairy farm. Graham has just moved into a new home in the Miami Lakes Loch Lomond section, which is just a short chip shot from the golf course.
First shopping center in Miami Lakes in 1964. The land was purchased in the 1930s by former State Sen. Ernest R. Graham as a dairy farm. Graham has just moved into a new home in the Miami Lakes Loch Lomond section, which is just a short chip shot from the golf course.
Miami Lakes shopping area in 1973.
Miami Lakes shopping area in 1973.
Carolyn, Chuck and Ponz outside their shop on Main Street in 1987.
Carolyn, Chuck and Ponz outside their shop on Main Street in 1987.

HOMES

In 1990, Don Shula’s house in the Loch Lomond area of Miami Lakes.
In 1990, Don Shula’s house in the Loch Lomond area of Miami Lakes.
In 1987, Lake Candlewood Court, in the Lake Patricia neighborhood that started in 1962.
In 1987, Lake Candlewood Court, in the Lake Patricia neighborhood that started in 1962.

COMMUNITY

An aerial view of Miami Lakes in 1972.
An aerial view of Miami Lakes in 1972.
A Miami Lakes waterway in 1972.
A Miami Lakes waterway in 1972.
By 1965, the herd of Graham Dairy cows that formerly grazed in the Miami Lakes area. As of that year, continued growth of the community being developed in the north bend of the Palmetto. Expressway led to moving the cows to Moore Haven. By 1965, there were 450 homes in Miami Lakes, a shopping center and a professional building. A country club was nearing completion. At the time, the community had several lakes, recreation facilities and land set aside for schools and churches, on the 2,400 acre tract.
Villas in Miami Lakes in 1972.
Villas in Miami Lakes in 1972.
Main Street in Miami Lakes.
Main Street in Miami Lakes.
Miami Lakes’ Town Center in 1985.
Miami Lakes’ Town Center in 1985.
Lester Collins, left and William E. Graham on Main Street in 1987.
Lester Collins, left and William E. Graham on Main Street in 1987.
In 1984, a new county police station serving the Miami Lakes area.
In 1984, a new county police station serving the Miami Lakes area.
Cattle grazing in Miami Lakes in 1974.
Cattle grazing in Miami Lakes in 1974.
In 1989, cows share space with a rental community in Miami Lakes.
In 1989, cows share space with a rental community in Miami Lakes.
Don Shula at the opening of his new namesake restaurant in Miami Lakes in 1989.
Don Shula at the opening of his new namesake restaurant in Miami Lakes in 1989.
Saxon Business Products in an industrial area of Miami Lakes in 1982.
Saxon Business Products in an industrial area of Miami Lakes in 1982.
Main Street shops, offices and apartments in the first phase in 1986.
Main Street shops, offices and apartments in the first phase in 1986.
Graham Companies President, Bill Graham and V. Carol Graham Wiley in 1992.
Graham Companies President, Bill Graham and V. Carol Graham Wiley in 1992.
Wilner Mareus at his internship at the Don Shula Hotel in Miami Lakes in 1992.
Wilner Mareus at his internship at the Don Shula Hotel in Miami Lakes in 1992.
Industrial Park West in Miami Lakes area in 1983.
Industrial Park West in Miami Lakes area in 1983.
Lake at Miami lakes, for neighbors Hialeah
Lake at Miami lakes, for neighbors Hialeah

SCHOOLS

Miami Lakes Jr. High School in 1985.
Miami Lakes Jr. High School in 1985.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High football team in 1985.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High football team in 1985.
Gabe Corchiani Jr. puts one in the basket for Hialeah Miami Lakes High in 1982.
Gabe Corchiani Jr. puts one in the basket for Hialeah Miami Lakes High in 1982.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High marching band in 1972.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes High marching band in 1972.

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