Richmond Heights, Miami-Dade County, Florida

The Story of Richmond Heights: From Papaya to Paradise

Courtesy of Patrick A. Merit, Executive Director of the Richmond Heights Community Development Corporation.

In 1951, newspaper reporters referred to Richmond Heights as one of the most unusual African American subdivisions in Florida, if not the whole country.  From the first scraper of a bulldozer, there was a waiting list of black WWII veterans wanting to buy in the planned community of wide curving streets, concrete sidewalks, and modern homes.

The man behind the development was Captain Frank Crawford Martin, a former Pan American Airways pilot who spotted the tract of pineland after having flown over Dade County for several years. First, he planted his 2,200 acres with papaya crops. When the 1945 hurricane destroyed his grove, he plowed it under and looked for other uses for the land, purported to be the highest elevation in the county.

As Airport Manager for Pan Am at Miami Airport, Captain Martin spoke with African American skycaps and airport workers, many of whom had recently returned from the War and who were in need of housing for their growing families. He sought the advice of a realtor and several acquaintances. The idea of a planned community for black GIs was proposed and eventually accepted. Martin undertook the development after consultation with a committee of African American leaders.

There were no neighbors to fight the proposed development in the remote vicinity of Richmond. Capt. Martin added ‘Heights’ to the name because of the area’s high elevation. At first, lending institutions were wary of venturing out in “the woods” to finance construction. According to Capt. Martin in this 1951 interview, “Investors thought we were off our trolley to go that far out in the country to develop a subdivision for Negroes. We managed to get up three model homes and when the Negroes came and saw them, we got orders so fast that investors changed their minds.”

Only veterans with honorable service in some branch of the Armed Forces could buy a home in Richmond Heights. Under the VA home finance plan, a veteran could buy a house for a down payment as little as $25. The base price was $8,030. Most of the houses were three bedrooms with carports. The interiors were the same, but no two houses in any one block had the same exterior. Lawns were spot planted with St. Augustine grass before occupancy. Minimum lot size was 75’ x 100’.

Martin planned the community with provisions for schools, parks, churches, and a shopping center. He did not want children to walk across any busy streets to get to school and parks. He even donated land for Frank C. Martin Elementary (now K-8 Center), Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park and two churches, Martin Memorial AME and Bethel Full Gospel Baptist.

Richmond Heights had its own water system, post office and fire hydrants within 500 feet of every building.  A university planning department designed wide streets with gentle curves, eliminating the stodgy and uninteresting square patterns of mass housing projects of the era. Curving streets were intended to cut down on speeding cars. The development was served by the Richmond Coach Company, which operated buses to downtown Miami. Martin insisted that the segment from Richmond Heights to South Miami have no seating restrictions for passengers.

Martin saw Richmond Heights as more than an African American housing development. He saw it as an opportunity for homebuyers to showcase their homeownership status, and as a challenge to developers in Miami and elsewhere throughout the South to provide well-built houses without skimping on land, materials or labor. He had witnessed the “get in and get out” tactics of other developers and he intended that Richmond Heights would be a “get in and stay in” development.

The signs of permanency were abundant in the community. Every weekend the neighborhood was alive with families working on their lawns and beautifying their homes. Carports opening on the streets were spic and span. Leading women in the community started the Richmond Heights Garden Club, which held an annual flower show where residents would compete for the best lawn, plants, and flowers.

Martin described residents of Richmond Heights as African American families of above average income—schoolteachers, professional people, those with steady jobs. Practically all of them came from the Central Miami or Coconut Grove districts. “These people are proving that given a chance to buy a medium-priced home, they can do it and will take great pride in making it a real home,” he said.

However, there were some occasional unforeseen problems after the buyers were in their houses. Unscrupulous door-to-door salesmen, selling everything from expensive Bibles to furniture, tried to lure residents into inflated payment contracts. There were a few defaults and threats of home seizures. The homeowners approached Martin for help. He spoke sternly to the salesmen and was considering asking the county for assistance in keeping the canvassers out of Richmond Heights. Martin wanted no obstacles to impede his unique model of African American homeownership.

Martin was a publicity-shy, no-nonsense man. “Now that we’ve done what we set out to do in the first phase of the development, the construction and sale of 475 homes, we thought it was time to have the true story of Richmond Heights told. There’s been considerable speculation, gossip, and rumor about this place, hardly any of it on the beam. The fact is, I owned a lot of lands, wanted to do something to develop it and make some money on my investment.” Martin earned little money from the sale of the homes.

His real goal was to profit from the next step in the development of Richmond Heights—the construction of duplexes and commercial shopping centers. However, that plan was never realized. Martin will always be known for leading the way in creating modern homes in an attractive setting for generations of African American families in the south.

Tragically, Martin did not live long enough to see his dream completed for Richmond Heights. In 1951, just months after this interview, he was killed at age 44 in a car accident in central Florida. His wife eventually sold the business and construction resumed several years later.

Over the years, the Richmond Heights Community Development Corporation has, through the Founder’s Day Breakfast, honored pioneers, community activists, politicians, educators, dignitaries, physicians, pharmacists, and business owners—all from the “Heights.”

The Richmond Heights community has maintained its cultural independence and a partnership with the world around it through its strength of vision. It has withstood several political and social changes, but the standard of excellence has always been kept high. The RHCDC is one example of such excellence. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Dennis Moss, who grew up in Richmond Heights, applauded the RHCDC for the benefits it provides residents, especially through the ownership of the Promenade Plaza. The shopping center provides a constant stream of income that funds community improvements.

This story of Richmond Heights’ origins was gleaned from interviews with Frank Carroll Martin, son of the founder of Richmond Heights, and from newspaper articles dated May 20, 1951, from The Miami Herald and The Miami Times.  It has been adapted from the website of Richmond Heights Community Development Corporation. https://richmondheightscdc.com.