Unpacked by Afar

Paradise by Design: The Florida Story

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Welcome to Unpacked, America 250, a mini series celebrating the music, art, food, and more that makes America, America—in honor of our nation's upcoming 250th anniversary.

The mini series is part of Afar's "52 Places to Travel in the U.S. This Year" package, and in this third episode, host Aislyn Greene takes us to Florida to explore the architectural fantasy that transformed swampland into America's playground.

From Henry Flagler's gilded age railroad hotels to Carl Fisher's dredged Miami Beach paradise, this episode reveals how visionary tycoons and bold architects created the Florida Dream—one stunning hotel at a time.

On this episode you'll learn

  • How Henry Flagler, Standard Oil vice president, sparked Florida's transformation with luxury hotels along his railroad route from St. Augustine to Key West
  • Why the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and 1914 San Diego World's Fair launched America's obsession with Mediterranean Revival architecture
  • The story behind Carl Fisher's audacious creation of Miami Beach through dredging Biscayne Bay and building Art Deco masterpieces
  • How the 1926 Florida land boom crashed spectacularly due to railroad overload and a devastating hurricane
  • What Streamlined Modern and Googie architecture reveal about America's post-war optimism and space age dreams
  • Why Florida's architectural preservation depends on tourism dollars and high-end development

    • Featured Expert:

    Jonathan Lammers, an architectural historian based in Tallahassee

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