some colorful history off the coast of Miami…
There stands a group of seven unique houses… on stilts in the Biscayne Bay
they happen to have a bawdy, raucous
and all out mischievous history. isn't that the best kind?
Now built on concrete pilings…these stilt homes,
some around since the thirties
have seen their share of hurricanes…
But doesn’t seem to dampen their party spirit at all!
The first one was built by“Crawfish” Walker, who had a bait-and-beer shack for passing fisherman during the prohibition era.
…and apparently made a famous crawfish chowder from crawfish caught beneath the shack!
Soon several more shacks sprung up,
some built by prominent Miami businessmen.
These little wooden structures had a colorful history of" “ boozers, gamblers and flashy women.” ha…love it
In the 1940′s the Quarterdeck opened, featuring electricity, a bar, dining room and gaming tables it was featured in Life Magazine in 1941.
Soon, other clubs on stilts with an “anything goes” atmosphere opened up –
police raids began in the 50′s to stop prostitution and illegal gambling.
In the 60′s someone grounded a 150′ yacht on the flats and named it the Bikini Club.
women in bikinis were served drinks free…live music day and night
gotta love the 60’s…no?
This bawdy little bit of history on stilts was recently saved from demolition
with the help of a group of conservationists… An agreement was reached to preserve the structures under the Stiltsville Trust
Let the party go on!
Stiltsville....learn more here
