.gif)
Government Center (changeover station)
Encyclopedia
Government Center is a Metrorail
and Metromover
rapid transit
transfer station
in Downtown
, Miami, Florida
, United States
.
It is the hub of most travel via Miami-Dade Transit
(MDT), servicing the two metros, Metrobus, and Paratransit. Traffic at the Miami Central Station
, opening in 2012, is expected to surpass that of Government Center and become the preeminent hub of MDT.
The station is located near the intersection of Northwest First Street and First Avenue, a part of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Building
, opening to service May 20, 1984.
(FEC) from 1896
through 1905 (see Overseas Highway
). FEC, and later, Seaboard Air Line Railroad
intercity
passenger rail (beginning in 1927 following the completion of the Dade County Courthouse two years prior), serviced the location continued through 1962.
Development of the civic center
was reinvigorated during the 1970s
and early 1980s
during a Downtown building boom. The boom spurred the development and construction the Stephen P. Clark Government Center
, Metrorail
, Metromover
, and the Miami-Dade Cultural Plaza, which currently includes the Miami Art Museum
, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida
and the Miami Main Library.
Construction on the present-day Government Center station began in June 1982
. The station was primarily designed by the Cambridge Seven Associates
in collaboration with Edward D. Stone
. The station was built by the Frank J. Rooney Construction Company. Metrorail service, between Overtown
and Kendall
, following the precise route of the FEC, commenced service May 1984.
An unused, partially completed ghost platform for a future East-West Metrorail line is adjacent to the west side of the mezzanine
level below the current Metrorail station and is easily visible to passengers transferring from Metromover to Metrorail. This platform was part of the original design concept which interfaced with the atrium
of the Miami-Dade County Administration Building, and the people mover station.
BCT
Metrorail (Miami)
The Miami Metrorail, officially Metrorail and commonly called the Metro, is the heavy rail rapid transit system of Miami, Florida, United States, serving the Miami metropolitan area. The Metro is operated by Miami-Dade Transit, a departmental agency of Miami-Dade County...
and Metromover
Metromover
The Miami Metromover, officially Metromover, is a free rapid transit automated people mover train system operated by Miami-Dade Transit in Miami, Florida, United States. Metromover serves Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West and Omni neighborhoods. Metromover connects directly with Metrorail at...
rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
transfer station
Interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system, and allows passengers to change from one route to another. Transfer may occur within the same mode, or between rail modes, or to buses...
in Downtown
Downtown Miami
Downtown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States...
, Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is the hub of most travel via Miami-Dade Transit
Miami-Dade Transit
Miami-Dade Transit is the primary public transit authority of Miami, Florida, United States and the greater Miami-Dade County area. It is the largest transit system in Florida and the 12th-largest transit system in the United States....
(MDT), servicing the two metros, Metrobus, and Paratransit. Traffic at the Miami Central Station
Miami Central Station
Miami Central Station, also called Miami Airport Station, is a rapid transit, commuter rail, intercity rail, and intercity bus union station currently under construction in Miami, Florida, United States, in the Grapeland Heights neighborhood....
, opening in 2012, is expected to surpass that of Government Center and become the preeminent hub of MDT.
The station is located near the intersection of Northwest First Street and First Avenue, a part of the Stephen P. Clark Government Center Building
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
The Stephen P. Clark Government Center, known also as Government Center, Miami-Dade Center, or County Hall, is a skyscraper in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It is the headquarters building of the Miami-Dade County government. Many county offices are...
, opening to service May 20, 1984.
History
Government Center was developed in the late 1890s as the southern terminus of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast RailwayFlorida East Coast Railway
The Florida East Coast Railway is a Class II railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has been a Class I railroad.Built primarily in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, the FEC was a project of Standard Oil principal Henry Morrison...
(FEC) from 1896
1896 in rail transport
- January events :* January 23 - Construction begins on the Northwestern Elevated line of the Chicago 'L' with the first structure erected at the intersection of Fullerton and Sheffield Avenues.- February events :...
through 1905 (see Overseas Highway
Overseas Highway
The Overseas Highway is a highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys. Large parts of it were built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. Completed in 1912, the Overseas Railroad was heavily damaged and partially...
). FEC, and later, Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line...
intercity
Inter-city rail
Inter-city rail services are express passenger train services that cover longer distances than commuter or regional trains.There is no precise definition of inter-city rail. Its meaning may vary from country to country...
passenger rail (beginning in 1927 following the completion of the Dade County Courthouse two years prior), serviced the location continued through 1962.
Development of the civic center
Civic center
A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building...
was reinvigorated during the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
during a Downtown building boom. The boom spurred the development and construction the Stephen P. Clark Government Center
Stephen P. Clark Government Center
The Stephen P. Clark Government Center, known also as Government Center, Miami-Dade Center, or County Hall, is a skyscraper in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It is the headquarters building of the Miami-Dade County government. Many county offices are...
, Metrorail
Metrorail (Miami)
The Miami Metrorail, officially Metrorail and commonly called the Metro, is the heavy rail rapid transit system of Miami, Florida, United States, serving the Miami metropolitan area. The Metro is operated by Miami-Dade Transit, a departmental agency of Miami-Dade County...
, Metromover
Metromover
The Miami Metromover, officially Metromover, is a free rapid transit automated people mover train system operated by Miami-Dade Transit in Miami, Florida, United States. Metromover serves Downtown Miami, Brickell, Park West and Omni neighborhoods. Metromover connects directly with Metrorail at...
, and the Miami-Dade Cultural Plaza, which currently includes the Miami Art Museum
Miami Art Museum
The Miami Art Museum is an art museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, in the United States. It was founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts, and in 1996 became the Miami Art Museum...
, the Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Historical Museum of Southern Florida
HistoryMiami formerly known as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, is a museum located in Miami, Florida, USA, specializing in the history of southeastern Florida, including Greater Miami, the Floria Keys, and the Everglades...
and the Miami Main Library.
Construction on the present-day Government Center station began in June 1982
1982 in rail transport
- January events :* January 13 The 1982 Washington Metro train derailment involved an Orange Line train in Downtown Washington, D.C. in the United States and killed three people.* January 27 The Bouhalouane train crash in Algeria killed 131 people.- March events :...
. The station was primarily designed by the Cambridge Seven Associates
Cambridge Seven Associates
Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. is an American architecture firm founded in 1962 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm was founded upon the idea that the collaborative efforts of a varied group of designers and architects would be far more effective than those of any one individual...
in collaboration with Edward D. Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
. The station was built by the Frank J. Rooney Construction Company. Metrorail service, between Overtown
Overtown
Overtown is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States, just northwest of Downtown Miami. Originally called Colored Town during the Jim Crow era of the late 19th through the mid-20th century, the area was once the preeminent and is the historic center for commerce in the black American...
and Kendall
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....
, following the precise route of the FEC, commenced service May 1984.
An unused, partially completed ghost platform for a future East-West Metrorail line is adjacent to the west side of the mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
level below the current Metrorail station and is easily visible to passengers transferring from Metromover to Metrorail. This platform was part of the original design concept which interfaced with the atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
of the Miami-Dade County Administration Building, and the people mover station.
Places of interest
- Downtown MiamiDowntown MiamiDowntown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States...
- Neighborhoods: Omni, Park WestPark West (Miami)Park West is a neighborhood of greater Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States. It is roughly bound by Biscayne Boulevard to the east, West First Avenue to the west, North 10th Street to the south and Interstate 395 to the north. As of 2010, about 4,655 residents live in Park West...
, and Miami Jewelry District
- Neighborhoods: Omni, Park West
- Miami Art MuseumMiami Art MuseumThe Miami Art Museum is an art museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, in the United States. It was founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts, and in 1996 became the Miami Art Museum...
- Historical Museum of Southern FloridaHistorical Museum of Southern FloridaHistoryMiami formerly known as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, is a museum located in Miami, Florida, USA, specializing in the history of southeastern Florida, including Greater Miami, the Floria Keys, and the Everglades...
- Miami Main LibraryMiami-Dade Public LibraryThe Miami-Dade Public Library System is a system of libraries in Miami, Florida and Miami-Dade County in the United States.-Early years:...
- Stephen P. Clark Government CenterStephen P. Clark Government CenterThe Stephen P. Clark Government Center, known also as Government Center, Miami-Dade Center, or County Hall, is a skyscraper in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It is the headquarters building of the Miami-Dade County government. Many county offices are...
- Miami-Dade County Courthouse
- Museum TowerMuseum Tower (Miami)The Museum Tower is a thirty story skyscraper in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. As its name implies, the building is situated across the street from the Miami Art Museum and HistoryMiami , which are both part of the Miami Cultural Plaza...
- Courthouse CenterCourthouse Center (Miami, Florida)Courthouse Center is a government office tower in Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. The Courthouse Center was built in 1986 and contains 100% office space. It has 30 floors, and is 405 ft tall. The building's architecture is distinctly similar to Southeast Financial Center. The building is...
- U.S. Courthouse Building
- Freedom TowerFreedom Tower (Miami)The Freedom Tower is a building in Miami, Florida, designed by Schultze and Weaver. It is used currently as a memorial to Cuban immigration to the United States. It is located at 600 Biscayne Boulevard on the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College. On September 10, 1979, it was added to the U.S....
- The Congress Building
- Downtown Omni Bus Terminal
- American Airlines Arena
- Bayside MarketplaceBayside MarketplaceBayside Marketplace is a festival marketplace in Downtown Miami, Florida. It's in between Bayfront Park to the south end, and the American Airlines Arena to the north. As Bayside's name suggests, it wraps along the banks of the Biscayne Bay....
- Flagler Street
- Bayfront ParkBayfront ParkBayfront Park is a public, urban park in Downtown Miami, Florida on Biscayne Bay.-History:The park began construction in 1924 under the design plans of Warren Henry Manning and officially opened in March 1925. Beginning in 1980, it underwent a major redesign by Japanese-American modernist artist...
- Bicentennial ParkBicentennial Park (Miami)Bicentennial Park is a public, urban park in downtown Miami, Florida. The park opened in 1976 on the site of several slips served by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. It was named "Bicentennial Park" to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States in that same year...
- Miami Art MuseumMiami Art MuseumThe Miami Art Museum is an art museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, in the United States. It was founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts, and in 1996 became the Miami Art Museum...
- Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtsAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtsAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, commonly called The Arsht Center, is Florida's largest performing arts center and is located on Biscayne Boulevard in the Omni neighborhood of Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States...
- New World School of the ArtsNew World School of the ArtsNew World School of the Arts is a public magnet high school and college in Downtown Miami, Florida with dual-enrollment programs in visual arts, dance, theatre, musical theatre, instrumental music, and vocal music. Both the college and the high school are accredited by the Southern Association of...
- Miami Dade CollegeMiami Dade CollegeMiami Dade College, or simply Miami Dade or MDC, is a state college with eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers located throughout Miami-Dade County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Florida College System. Miami Dade College is the largest school in the Florida College...
- Wolfson Campus - Olympia TheaterOlympia Theater and Office BuildingThe Olympia Theater and Office Building is a historic theater in Miami, Florida. It is located at 174 East Flagler Street. The original architect was theatre designer John Eberson, in his 'atmospheric' style, and extensive renovations in the 1970s were overseen by architect Morris Lapidus.On...
Metrobus
| Route # | Route Name | Route Map | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | The Mall at 163rd Street The Mall at 163rd Street The Mall at 163rd Street is an enclosed shopping mall and power center in North Miami Beach, Florida. From its opening as an open-air shopping center in 1956, it has been converted into an enclosed mall, but was later redeveloped as a combination of both formats... via NW 2 Ave and North Miami Avenue |
Map | Weekend service terminates at NE 84 St and 2 Ave |
| 3 | Aventura Aventura, Florida Aventura is a planned, suburban city located in northeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name is from the Spanish word for "adventure", and was named "Aventura" after one of the developers of the original group of condominiums in the area remarked to the others, "What an adventure this is... via Biscayne Boulevard |
Map | 24-hour service |
| 7 | Dolphin Mall Dolphin Mall Dolphin Mall is a popular shopping mall just west of Doral proper in metropolitan Miami, Florida. There are over 240 retail outlets and name brand discounters as anchors.The Mall opened on March 1, 2001, the first of four Taubman Malls to open that year... via NW 7 St |
Map | |
| 9 | Aventura via NE 2 Ave | Map | |
| 11 | Downtown Miami Downtown Miami Downtown Miami is an urban residential neighborhood, and the central business district of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and South Florida in the United States... ↔ Florida International University Florida International University Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park... (FIU) Modesto Maidique Campus University Park, Florida According to the census of 2000, there were 26,538 people, 8,646 households, and 6,501 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 6,535.1 people per square mile . There were 9,047 housing units at an average density of 2,227.9/sq mi... via Flagler Street and West 107 Ave (SR 985) |
Map | 24-hour service; alternate terminus at Mall of the Americas Mall of the Americas Mall of the Americas is an enclosed shopping mall located at 7795 West Flagler Street next to the Palmetto Expressway in Miami, Florida. At its grand opening in 1970, it was known as Midway Mall. The name change to Mall of the Americas took place in December 1987.Former anchor department stores... |
| 21 | Northside station Northside (Metrorail station) Northside is a Metrorail station in the West Little River neighborhood of Miami, Florida.This station is located near the intersection of Northwest 79th Street and 31st Avenue, opening to service May 19, 1985.-Places of interest:... via West 12 Ave |
Map | |
| 24 | Westchester Westchester, Florida Westchester is a census-designated place in suburban Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 29,862 at the 2010 census.... via Coral Way Coral Way Coral Way is a primarily east-west street that begins in the Brickell neighborhood of Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States, ending in Westchester.-Route description:... |
Map | Interval service to FIU |
| 51 | Flagler MAX (Downtown Miami ↔ West Miami West Miami, Florida West Miami is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,863 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Miami is located at .... to West 137 Ave via Flagler St) |
Map | Weekdays only; limited-stop Limited-stop In public transport, a limited-stop bus, tram or train service is a service that operates along the same route as a local bus service, but omits certain stops in order to offer a faster trip between the places served. The term is normally used on routes with a mixture of fast and slow services... |
| 77 | Downtown Miami ↔ Miami Gardens Miami Gardens, Florida Miami Gardens is a Miami suburban city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city name comes from one of the major roadways through the area, Miami Gardens Drive. According to the 2010 U.S... at Miami Gardens Drive/North 183 St or 199 St via NW 7 and 2 Aves. (US 441 U.S. Route 441 in Florida U.S. Route 441 in Florida is a north–south United States Highway. It runs from Miami in South Florida northwest to the Georgia border north of the Lake City area.... ) |
Map | |
| 93 | Biscayne MAX (Aventura via Biscayne Boulevard) | Map | Weekdays only; limited-stop Limited-stop In public transport, a limited-stop bus, tram or train service is a service that operates along the same route as a local bus service, but omits certain stops in order to offer a faster trip between the places served. The term is normally used on routes with a mixture of fast and slow services... |
| 95 | 95 Express (Golden Glades Tri-Rail station Golden Glades (Tri-Rail station) Golden Glades Station is a Tri-Rail commuter rail station in metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States, just west of the Golden Glades Interchange.... and Park and Ride Lot via I-95) |
Map | Afternoon rush hours only |
| C (103) | Miami Beach Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper... via MacArthur Causeway MacArthur Causeway The General Douglas MacArthur Causeway is a six-lane causeway which connects Downtown, Miami, Florida and South Beach, Miami Beach via Biscayne Bay.... |
Map | |
| S (119) | Aventura via Miami Beach and Collins Avenue Collins Avenue Collins Avenue runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in Miami Beach, Florida, one block west. It is also State Road A1A. Collins Avenue was named for John S... |
Map | 24 hour service |
| 120 | Beach MAX (Aventura Mall Aventura Mall The Aventura Mall is an upscale super-regional shopping mall in Aventura, Florida, a northern suburb of Miami. It is the largest conventional shopping mall in Florida, having a gross leasable area of , and is the fifth largest shopping center in the United States. The mall has three floors of... via Miami Beach and Collins Ave) |
Map | Limited-stop; weekend service terminates at Haulover Park Haulover Park Haulover Park is a urban park in metropolitan Miami, just north of Bal Harbour, Florida. The park is located on a shoal between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, just north of the Broad Causeway and Collins Avenue.-History:... |
| 195 | Dade-Broward Express (Ft. Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010... at Sheridan St or Broward Blvd via I-95) |
Map Map |
Weekday peak-hours only |
| 207 | Little Havana Connection (Downtown Miami ↔ Little Havana Little Havana Little Havana is a neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban immigrant residents, Little Havana is named after Havana, the capital and largest city in Cuba. The approximate boundaries are the Miami River , SW 16th Street , SR 9/West 27th Avenue and I-95... via SW 7 St & 1 St) |
Map | |
| 208 | Little Havana Connection (Downtown Miami ↔ Little Havana via Flagler Street & SW 8 St) | Map | |
| 246 | Night Owl (Downtown Miami ↔ The Mall at 163rd St via Civic Center Civic Center (Miami) Civic Center is a neighborhood in the city of Miami, Florida USA. The Civic Center is bound roughly by Northwest 20th Street and 14th Avenue to the northwest, the Dolphin Expressway and the Miami River to the south and west, and the Midtown Interchange and I-95 to the east.The Civic Center has the... ) |
Map | Overnight service only |
| 277 | NW 7th Ave MAX (Downtown Miami ↔ Golden Glades station via NW 7 Ave) | Map | Weekday rush hour only; limited-stop |
| 500 | Midnight OWL (to Dadeland South station) | Map | Southbound overnight service only |
BCTBroward County TransitBroward County Transit is the public transit authority in Broward County, Florida. It is the second largest transit system in Florida. It currently operates the only public bus system in Broward County...
| Route # | Route Name | Route Map | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 95 Express (Downtown Miami ↔ Pines Boulevard (SR 820) at Flamingo Road (SR 823) via I-95 and Pines Blvd) | Map | Weekday rush hour only; limited-stop |