Trend Magazine Online™!








Hampton House Miami Florida
Trend Magazine Online™
Travel Article February 2016

By Staff

Trend Magazine Online™

Segregation History!
Hampton House Pic

I was so energized after my recent exclusive interview with Dr. Enid C. Pinkney that I decided to pay a personal visit to the Historic Hampton House and see it up close and personal. It just so happened that as I was pulling into the parking area, so was one of the staff members who happened to also be my cousin. What luck, or some call it destiny. She was there to meet with a lady who organizes events as the facility was not currently open to the public. I got a chance to look around a bit while they toured the newly renovated facility. One of the first things that I noticed was a dedication plaque on the left lobby wall bearing a picture of my Aunt who is in charge of this place and also was the cog that kept the wheels of hope spinning during the 14-year salvation process. I also noticed a photo of what this place looked like before renovations which may explain why I cannot for the life of me remember it although it sits about two miles south of where I lived as a teenager back in the 1970's.

Hampton House PicThe lobby area bears the fresh new logo of this soon-to-be mecca for events, tours, and office spaces; and you cannot help but flash back to the era of segregation in Miami and picture some of the now iconic persons of color who had no other choice of accommodations while visiting the Magic City. Hampton House PicUnlike some segregated motels and hotels, they were at least allowed the dignity of entering from the front and not the rear doors or kitchen areas. My how silly some people were back during that era of stupidity known today as Jim Crow (1877 - 1954) -- which was derived from a minstrel show. Right about this time my cousin invited me to tag along on their tour of this fresh new facility which includes now historic blown-up photos that read like a who's who of Black history.

Hampton House Pic
My favorite icon is of course the man referred to as The Greatest heavyweight boxing champ and Civil Rights hero. Mr. Muhammed Ali (formerly Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) opened the door for future fighters of color like George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, The Spinks Brothers, Evander Holyfield, and Floyd Mayweather -- to name a few -- to earn lucrative multi-million-dollar purses and receive endorsement deals. Hampton House PicI love telling people about how he actually visited my elementary school (Lillie C. Evans) back in the 1960's right about the time that he was stripped of his title belt for refusing to enlist in the U.S. Army in 1967. He wore long blue jeans, a white t-shirt and believe it or not; combat service boots. Mr. Ali was very entertaining and great with us kids. I can remember him picking up some of my girl class mates and joking around with them in that special way that only he could.

Hampton House PicFast forward to my high school days and while riding the bus to Miami Beach Senior High School, we would see him jogging with his now iconic trainer Angelo Dundee (passed away in 2012) following behind in a vehicle. His gym was located on 5th Street and Washington Avenue which is now part of the world-renowned playground known today as South Beach. It was founded and owned by Chris Dundee, big brother of Angelo, who was a boxing promoter who moved his operations down here from New York in 1950 after the completion of the Miami Beach Convention Center where he promoted boxing and wrestling matches for 27 years. Hampton House PicOn Tuesday February 25, 1964, Cassius Clay was introduced to the world at that center after defeating then Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston in the 6th round. I actually worked some of Dundee's wrestling matches there in the late 1970's as a ticket-taker and usher. The original structure was demolished in 1993 and in September of 2010 another one built in the same locale. Angelo was part of the team that re-opened it but his son (Jim) terminated their interest in 2013 shortly after another gym opened at nearby 1434 Alton Road known today as the World Famous 5th Street Gym.

Hampton House PicAli lived in Miami and rumors placed his home not too far from my late Aunt Dot's house somewhere near NW 46th St. and 10th Avenue. There is a scene in his movie "The Greatest" (1977) that takes place in that house; but not the actual one. You younger folks might not believe this but there used to be a Black-owned burger joint here called Champburger which reportedly paid Ali $900,000, and a 1% royalty on annual profits for the use of his name and image. I visited the one at 6155 NW 17th Avenue in Liberty City, and there was also another one in Coconut Grove at 3268 Grand Avenue. In 1968, their stock sold for $5 per share. Ali's contract stipulated that all franchise menus sell Muslim friendly food without pork or shellfish.
Hampton House PicThe franchise never made it out of Miami due to a lack of enough investors and lengthy and expensive court cases with stock holders. Good grief people! On Friday December 30, 1977, I remember the news reporting that Ali (and Mrs. Veronica Porsche Ali; 3rd wife) was the proud papa of a newborn baby girl by the name of Leila Ali who has also gone on to become a boxing champion and television personality of Dancing with the Stars, American Gladiators, and news correspondence shows. She was born at Mount Sinai Hospital off Alton Road and the MacArthur Causeway (I-195) on Miami Beach not too far from my junior high school -- Nautilus. I was a senior at Beach High at the time and just had a few days before her birth signed up for the U.S. Army's delayed entry program.

Hampton House Pic One of my favorite spots in the Historic Hampton House was the old lounge area where the now iconic pic of Malcolm X versus Muhammed Ali in what seems to be another one of his trademark bluffs that also made the late lawyer turned sports announcer Mr. Howard Cosell rich and famous. He was actually born in Winston-Salem, NC, where I used to live.

Hampton House PicMost folks that I ask do not know that Mr. Malcolm Little was actually a country boy from Omaha, Nebraska. There is also another iconic pic of Mr. X snapping a photo of Ali in this same lounge. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during those days to hear the lounge talk that more than likely was similar to barber shop talk on steroids. Another now iconic figure that frequented this now historic place was the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose father (Martin Luther King, Sr.) changed both their names from Michael in 1934 after learning the history of the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther on a tour of the Holy Land which included stops in Europe. In fact, the Lutheran religion is based on his theology.

Hampton House PicI was a child of just seven years old when Dr. King was assassinated (shot in the head) at 6:05 PM on Thursday April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his 2nd floor room (306) at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN. He was on his way to a dinner at a local minister's (Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles) house with Rev. Jesse Jackson, future Ambassador Andrew Young, and Rev. Ralph Abernathy (founder SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference), who were in town to assist in that city's sanitation worker's strike. The three ministers had been meeting in Dr. King's room before the fatal shot by the accused assassin and reported racist James Earl Ray from Alton, IL, who died in a Nashville, TN, prison ironically also on a Thursday April 23, 1998, just over three decades after the assassination.

King's assassination was followed by riots in over 100 cities throughout the United States including my hometown Miami. I remember seeing a car being over-turned and then burst into flames, and the National Guard shooting tear gas just up the street from my home on N.W. 74th Street near 18th Avenue. I had to come inside because my eyes were beginning to tear and my throat was getting itchy from inhaling the smoke. I had no idea of what that entire ruckus was about at that time. According to our guide, Dr. King's favorite rooms were the ones north of the pool on the first floor. The old swimming pool has been converted into a reflection pool.

Hampton House Pic Another now iconic Black celebrity that called the Historic Hampton House home while performing in Miami was Mr. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington who was born in Washington, DC (District of Columbia) in 1899 and died in New York City in 1974 at the age of 75 years old. This 6'1" music composer, pianist, conductor, songwriter, and band leader would thrill audiences just minutes away at the now Historic Lyric Theatre in Overtown (formerly Colored Town), and at whites-only clubs on Miami Beach. In the 1920's his sextet (6 players) grew to a 10-piece ensemble (later more) that included Mr. Bubber Miley who used a plunger to make that "wa wa" sound, Mr. Joe Nanton who introduced the world to his trombone growl, trumpeter Mr. Cootie Williams, Mr. Rex Stewart on the cornet, and Mr. Johnny Hodges on the saxophone.

Hampton House PicTwo of the band's most memorable hits are "It don't mean a thing if [it ain't got that swing]" (1931), and "The A Train" (1939). Next, you could not catch him on the street or football field but you could at the Hampton House; Bob Hayes was born Robert Lee Hayes in Jacksonville, FL. In 1942 and also died there in 2002. We folks from South Florida would refer to him as a country boy. Bullet Bob graduated from F.A.M.U. (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University) and was a 5'11" 185 lb. record-setting sprinter who was known to be slow out of the blocks but was remarkably powerful with raw talent. He transferred from track to pro football in 1965 and I actually remember when this now Hall-Of-Famer would run punt returns for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970's -- way back when they actually had a pretty good team. Smile! In fact, I remember their Super Bowl victory in 1971 with Roger Staubach as Quarter Back and Duane Thomas as their star Running Back. Mr. Hayes played Wide Receiver and retired in 1975 with the San Francisco 49ers.

Hampton House PicThe two-story, 30,000 square foot, MiMo (Miami Modern designed) Historic Hampton House building was also once a very popular locale for weddings and I am predicting that it will once again claim that fame when their full staff and board are in place. The cool thing is that you can also host your reception there in the ball/meeting room, and perhaps they will renovate and re-open a few of the rooms to be used as the honeymoon suites to make it a trifecta. In addition, the reflecting pool with Dr. King's old room as a backdrop would make the perfect scenario for the bride's official photo. Just thinking out loud about the plethora of opportunities this place has for the once historic neighborhood of Brownsville. Our guide also gave us heads up that they are looking into renting some of the old rooms on the second floor as office space. Going to be interesting to see how much that cost will be when they get it together. You can also count on this place as a stop on the upcoming QCT Miami Black Heritage Toursm presented by Queen City Tourssm and Travel.

Hampton House PicThe Historic Hampton House is located at 4240 N.W. 27th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33142. Their website address is https://www.historichamptonhouse.org/ and phone is (305) 638-5800. Tell 'em that you read about them in Trend Magazine Onlinetm.


Click to Enlarge Queen Charlotte Photo


Home


About


Contact



<<<Back To February 2016 Travel Articles


<<<Back to February 2016 Travel Edition

To Travel Archives Index>>>

Join our email list or Like Us on Facebook! to be notified of updates!

Queen City Tours Home Page! Advertising InfoWorldwide Travel!
Calendar of Events

Feed BurnerFeedBurner
WC3

Copyright 1993-present, Queen City Tours®, CBP Publishing Co., Juan D. Whipple, All Rights Reserved