Have you seen this giant arch off a Miami highway? Take a look at the quirky landmark
St. Louis is known for its arch. But South Florida?
Yes, we have our own version. And it even went up before the famous gateway Arch in the Midwest.
The arch at the entrance to a Miami Gardens industrial park is a landmark for travelers on the Palmetto Expressway and Northwest 167th Street.
It’s not exactly a tourist hot spot. There are no elevators to take you to the top. No souvenir shop at the foot. Guidebooks don’t include it as a must-see.
But it is a Miami-area landmark that can make you turn your head for a second look.
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So, what’s the story behind the arch?
Let’s take a look at the Sunshine State Arch through the years, including its construction in the 1960s, from the Miami Herald archives:
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ARCH
▪ The Sunshine State Arch at Northwest 167th Street and 13th Avenue at the entrance to the Sunshine State Industrial Park in Miami Gardens.
▪ In 2011, the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board designated it as a Local Historic
▪ The 110-foot arch was designed in 1963 and 1964 in response to the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and rises above the south side of the Palmetto Expressway, just west of the Golden Glades Interchange.
▪ Miami Gardens included the arch on its city seal when it incorporated in 2003/
EARLY DAYS OF SUNSHINE STATE ARCH
Here is how the arch was assembled:
VIEWS OF THE ARCH THROUGH THE YEARS
Various perspectives of the arch in Miami Gardens: