Bayfront Park
View of western side of Bayfront Park, northward on Biscayne Boulevard, circa 2004
Type	Municipal
Location	Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States
Coordinates	25°46′30″N 80°11′10″W / 25.775°N 80.186°W / 25.775; -80.186Coordinates: 25°46′30″N 80°11′10″W / 25.775°N 80.186°W / 25.775; -80.186
Area	32 acres (13 ha)
Created	1925
Operated by	Bayfront Park Management Trust

Bayfront Park is a 32-acre (13 ha) public, urban park in Downtown Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay.

History [edit]

The park began construction in 1924 under the design plans of Warren Henry Manning and officially opened in March 1925.^[1] Beginning in 1980, it underwent a major redesign by Japanese-American modernist artist and landscape architect, Isamu Noguchi. Today, Bayfront Park is maintained by the Bayfront Park Management Trust, a limited agency of the city of Miami.

Bayfront Park is bordered on the north by Bayside Marketplace and the American Airlines Arena, on the south by Chopin Plaza, on the west by Biscayne Boulevard and on the east by Biscayne Bay. Bayfront Park is host to many large events such as the New Year's ball drop, Christmas celebrations, concerts, the Bayfront Park Amphitheater, the Tina Hills Pavilion, as well as boat tours around Biscayne Bay.

Seven blocks north is Bayfront Park's partner park, the 30-acre (0.12 km²) Bicentennial Park.

Site of assassination of Anton Cermak [edit]

On February 15, 1933, Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was shot three times in the chest and mortally wounded while shaking hands with President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in front of Bayfront Park by assassin Giuseppe Zangara. Along with Cermak, who died of his wounds 19 days later, four other people were hit by the gunman, one of whom also died.^[2] A serious debate has ensued as to whether Zangara had been actually trying to assassinate Roosevelt instead of Cermak, however no firm evidence has been found out to prove this theory.

Events [edit]

Bayfront Park holds the city's annual "America's Birthday Bash" on Independence Day, which attracted over 60,000 visitors in 2011. The park also hosts the city's official New Year's Eve party that annually hosts over 70,000 visitors. Visitors are encouraged to take the Miami Metrorail or Metrobus for events at Bayfront Park as parking can be scarce and expensive. The nearest Metrorail station is Government Center. For more information, visit: Miami-Dade Transit. It also holds the Ultra Music Festival which goes on for 6 days with 60,000 people each day and 300,000 people total.

Notable people [edit]

The large fountain on Biscayne Bay is a landmark in the park.

• Caesar LaMonaca, was a composer and band leader for the City of Miami. His band gave musical performances in its Bayfront Park from 1928-1978. LaMonaca ended his lengthy tenure as the city’s musical maestro in 1978, after falling from the podium during and breaking his hip.^[3]

Facilities [edit]

The Bayfront Park Amphitheater has a seating capacity of 10,000 people: 2,672 fixed benches and 7,328 in the lawn. The Tina Hills Pavilion is an open air pavilion with a seating capacity of 1,000 people: 200 fixed seats and 800 in the lawn.

Out of date since renovations.

Racing circuit [edit]

Promoter Ralph Sanchez brought auto racing to Bayfront Park began in 1983, when the IMSA GT Championship began the Grand Prix of Miami. A 1.85-mile (2.98 km) circuit was laid out on the park roads and Biscayne Boulevard. IMSA races were held from 1983 until 1985. For 1986, the event moved to nearby Bicentennial Park.

In 2002, the Grand Prix Americas, a joint CART Champ Car and American Le Mans Series event, revived the Bayfront park circuit. A 1.387-mile (2.232 km) circuit utilized park roads and extended onto Biscayne Boulevard and 3rd and 4th Streets. In 2003, the layout was changed to drop the 3rd/4th Street loop and add a section on Biscayne Boulevard along the north end of the park.

Race results [edit]

Season	Winning Driver	Car	Team	Series
1983	Al Holbert	March 83G-Chevrolet	Holbert Racing	IMSA GT Championship
1984	Doc Bundy Brian Redman	Jaguar XJR-5	Group 44	IMSA GT Championship
1985	Al Holbert Derek Bell	Porsche 962	Holbert Racing	IMSA GT Championship
Bicentennial Park (1986–1995), not held (1996–2001)
2002	Cristiano da Matta	Lola-Toyota	Newman/Haas Racing	CART (report)
	Frank Biela Emanuele Pirro	Audi R8	Audi Sport North America	ALMS (report)
2003	Mario Domínguez	Lola-Ford Cosworth	Herdez Competition	CART (report)
	JJ Lehto Johnny Herbert	Audi R8	ADT Champion Racing	ALMS (report)

References [edit]

This article relies on references to primary sources. Please add references to secondary or tertiary sources. (April 2008)

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bayfront Park (Miami, Florida)

• Bayfront Park- Official website