Miami
Herald, The (FL) 2008-06-12
Section:
Neighbors
Edition: Final
Page: 5NE
BY LAURA MORALES llmorales@MiamiHerald.com Miami's
Historic and Environmental Preservation Board says the design for a
planned car wash in the Upper Eastside harmonizes with its
surroundings.
And in a bid to win over neighbors who don't want a
fifth car wash in the area, its proponents said they'd like to throw
in some concessions, including restoration of downtown's famous
Coppertone sign, to help calm residents' concerns.
With a recent 5-2 vote, the board granted the owners
of Green Carwash LLC the certificate of appropriateness they'll need
to build in the historic Miami Modern, or MiMo, district.
Most board members decided the proposed building's
ship-like design and porthole windows conform with the surrounding
MiMo district, which runs along Biscayne Boulevard from Northeast
50th to 77th streets. It's identifiable by kitschy motels, clashing
colors and angular post-World War II architecture.
And not everyone in the neighborhood opposes the wash
plan. Dipak Patel, owner of the Royal Motel, said Monday he wants to
see fewer empty lots in the area. "More businesses and more people
could help reduce crime," he said.
The board added some conditions to the approved
certificate, including:
* The structure must be built parallel to the
boulevard.
* Some asphalt must be replaced with decorative
pavers.
* A wall on the property's east side must be eight
feet high to help block noise.
* On weekends, nine employees must wipe down cars to
move them along faster.
"If it's subject to these conditions, it meets the
intent of Chapter 23," said board member Gerald Marston, referring
to the city's historic preservation ordinance.
Mickey Marrero, attorney for the car wash owners,
said the certificate was the last permit the group needs from a city
board. "Every other permit we need can be obtained
administratively."
But many in the surrounding area don't want another
car wash in a district where they're trying to promote walking. "If
they agreed to put retail along the front it could help bring in
pedestrian traffic," MiMo group leader Fran Rollason said.
The company's offering concessions. It plans to
include a small coffee shop in the wash's waiting room and repair of
the Coppertone sign, recently removed from a downtown
building. The MiMo Biscayne Association owns the 49-year-old Miami
relic.
Marrero also said the project's wiring and plumbing
will, with a few tweaks, allow the building to be used as a
restaurant should the car wash fail.
Denise Galicic, one of the venture's co-owners, said
in an e-mail that she and her partners are discussing how to
incorporate the concessions.
Both Marrero and Rollason said the two groups would
meet this week to discuss the fate of the Coppertone Girl.
Miami
Herald, The (FL) 2008-05-17
Edition: A1
Page: A6
DOWNTOWN MIAMI: Iconic
Coppertone Girl sign may move to MiMo
The Coppertone Girl faces a
splendid rebirth, if it's determined the sign can be
spruced up for the MiMo Biscayne Association that has adopted
the historic sign.
ANDRES VIGLUCCI,
aviglucci@MiamiHerald.com
CANDACE BARBOT
MIAMI HERALD FILE
One pig-tailed girl, 35 feet tall, seeks new home.
Requires loving care. Will throw in frisky pup, stretched-out
swimsuit bottom.
The famous Coppertone Girl sign that
has hung in downtown Miami for nearly 50 years needs saving. Again.
Proclaimed a historic treasure and moved 13 years ago
to a less-prominent spot on Flagler Street after her original
Biscayne Boulevard perch was demolished, she has since endured
damage by hurricane and, yes, sun.
Her torso and face are gone and, like so many South
Floridians, she can't get insurance. (The carrier canceled her
liability policy). Her owner, Dade Heritage Trust, a less-than-flush
historic preservation group, can't afford her upkeep. Besides, she
might be displaced soon by construction on the parking lot she
overlooks.
So she's coming down, at 10 a.m. on Saturday -- just
a prelude, her many fans hope, to a splendid rebirth.
MAKEOVER IN WORKS
The Miami icon will be gently transported to Hialeah,
to the Tropical Signs of Florida shop, whose part-owner,
Jerry Bengis, is the son of the man who made her in 1959. There she
will be evaluated and -- if Coppertone owner Schering-Plough
finds the bill palatable -- restored to full neon glory.
"It looks very promising," Bengis said. "I hope we
can make this work. That sign is a part of Miami. It should
be up there in this town forever."
But where?
The answer will fall to the nonprofit MiMo Biscayne
Association, which is adopting the Coppertone Girl from the
trust. The MiMo group promotes revitalization of a historic district
on upper Biscayne Boulevard that highlights the modern architecture
of post-World War II Miami.
And what better place to hang an oversized, iconic
1950s Miami neon sign than a historic district celebrating
fab MiMo design?
"It seems like a perfect match," said association
director Fran Rollason. She hopes to place the Girl front and center
on Biscayne Boulevard once more -- though a few dozen blocks north
of where she started. "We do want it, neon and everything."
Rollason has a few spots in mind, but nothing firm,
and won't say until it's certain the girl can be restored.
Today she may be pop art or nostalgic kitsch -- take
your pick -- but the Girl was erected on the side of the Parkleigh
Building in 1959 as pure commercial advertisement for Coppertone's
tanning lotion, invented in the 1940s by a Miami Beach pharmacist,
Benjamin Green.
There she would remain for 36 years, glancing back in
perpetual surprise as her dog nips down on her suit bottom to expose
a well-defined tan line. Big neon-lit letters spelled out the
Coppertone name and its flashing slogan: First, Don't be a Pale
Face, and later, Tan Don't Burn. (The company, which now makes
sunblock, dropped the slogans after the dangers of sun exposure
became clear.)
Several others were erected around South Florida. One
version at the Golden Glades interchange had a mechanical dog
continually yanking down her suit.
BETTER TIMES
But it was the Biscayne Boulevard sign that
became a beloved emblem of Miami and its carefree heyday as a sunny
beach resort for millions of residents and visitors.
"It became the most famous sign in the area.
Everyone loved it. That's when they had the Orange Bowl parade
downtown and all that," Bengis recalled.Coppertone donated the
sign to Dade Heritage Trust when the Parkleigh was demolished
in 1992. Three years later, the city granted a special exception
allowing it to hang on the side of the Concord Building, 66 West
Flagler.
"So many people have a real affection for it. It's
not the Freedom Tower, but it's important," said DHT executive
director Becky Matkov. "The value of landmarks is they're part of
people's memories. It gives people a sense of familiarity and
belonging in a place."
The sign, apparently stripped of its
electrical guts, has never been lit since. Only the girl, the pup
and the letters spelling out Coppertone were hung on the new
site.
Schering-Plough is willing to pay for renovation,
reinstallation and maintenance so long as the price is reasonable, a
company spokeswoman said. No amount has been specified.
But supporters note it's a good deal for the company:
It gets not only community goodwill, but a big, attention-grabbing
sign that otherwise would likely not be approved today.
"Coppertone hasn't done this kind of sign
in years," Bengis said. "There are others left, but they're nothing
like this one. There's not too many cities in the country left where
you can put these up. This should be some fun."
Miami Herald, The (FL)
1995-02-06
Section: LOCAL
Edition: FINAL
Page: 1B
COPPERTONE GIRL ON NEW
TURF
GEOFFREY TOMB Herald Staff Writer
There is a brand new/old tourist attraction in
downtown Miami, one that no other city in the world can claim. It's
a 35- foot tall human, and she's only a 5-year-old. The original
Coppertone Girl is back, and her black cocker spaniel is still
pulling down her swimsuit, frozen in pose since first captured in
Miami in 1953 and made famous as hometown pop art and historic
American advertising.
For 38 years, the original handmade metal sign stood
on the north wall of the Parkleigh Building at 530 Biscayne Blvd.
The Las Vegas-like creation at the gateway to downtown became a
landmark.Dade Heritage Trust and Miami's
Crown Neon rescued the tyke, her 12-foot-long dog and five-foot-high
letters when the 13-story building was torn down in 1992 -- and
finally she is back on the job, relocated at the Concord Building,
66 W. Flagler St.
"We lived with her, restored her, gave her a bath
every day and put her back up," said Bob Mahon, co-owner of Crown, a
hometown native and fan of Miamiabilia. "She gets a million
dollars worth of attention now as a tourist attraction."
The placement is ideal for downtown pedestrian, car,
truck, bus and Metromover traffic, he said.
The sign will be relighted in a formal dedication on
March 18 and included as an element marking this year's 150th
anniversary of Florida statehood, said Glena Cook-McKetterick of
Dade Heritage. Dade Heritage now owns the piece. Signage is
prohibited in downtown, but the Miami City Commission passed a law
permitting historically significant ones.
The formula for Coppertone was invented in the 1940s by a Miami
Beach druggist. Health concerns about sunburn and political
correctness caused product manufacturer Schering- Plough to junk the
tan-don't-burn and don't-be-a-paleface themes and dump the kid. But
she hangs on in Miami.
CUTLINE:CANDACE BARBOT /
Herald Staff
OUT OF THE SHADE: The original handmade metal sign
has resurfaced at 66 W. Flagler St. |
