Top 5 Things You May Not Know About Richmond Heights

The Blimp Base That Went Up in Flames 

Before Richmond Heights became a neighborhood, this patch of Miami-Dade served as home to Naval Air Station Richmond, a massive WWII blimp base built to patrol for German submarines. 

Back then, each of its three wooden hangars stood 17 stories tall—giants on the horizon until a 1945 hurricane sparked a fire that destroyed them all in a single night; a blaze that wiped out hundreds of aircraft and filled the sky with flames visible across the county. 

After the war, the government repurposed the land, and what rose from the ashes would later become Zoo Miami and the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. 

A single concrete tower still stands as a remnant, linking today's suburb to one of South Florida's strangest wartime stories. 

Such a wild past for a calm neighborhood, agree?

Literally Designed for Kids     

When developer Captain Frank C. Martin mapped out Richmond Heights in the late 1940s, he didn't just draw lots—he was designing opportunity. 

His plan ensured families could walk to schools, churches, and parks without crossing a major street, even donating the land for what would become Frank C. Martin K–8 Center and Richmond Heights' earliest churches and playgrounds. 

The goal was simple: make life safer and more cohesive for young families, especially those of returning Black veterans who'd fought overseas. 

That original layout still shapes traffic patterns today, even if most locals are unaware that they're living in a neighborhood literally built around its children. 

Why, that's legacy planning in its most authentic form!

A Nickname That Stuck for 70 Years  

Ask around and you'll hear Richmond Heights called "The Black Shangri-La," a name rooted in both pride and promise, which came from the dreamlike appeal of a post-war suburb built for African American veterans—an almost utopian idea in the late 1940s. 

In 2023, that nickname resurfaced in a documentary titled "Miami's Richmond Heights: The Black Shangri-La," a chronicle of the struggles, victories, and everyday life that made the community what it is. 

What outsiders saw as "just another subdivision you pass by" turned out to be a national model for Black homeownership and self-sustaining neighborhoods. 

Indeed, paradise doesn't always need palm-fringed beaches.

The Proud Home to Florida's First IB K–8 

Richmond Heights isn't just about history, but also about education that keeps raising the bar. 

In fact, Frank C. Martin International K–8 Center proudly holds the title of Florida's first International Baccalaureate K–8 school, according to Miami-Dade County Public Schools. 

It's a distinction that reflects how the Richmond Heights' original values—access, inclusion, and learning—still run through its blood. 

The school, covering roughly 15 acres, connects directly to Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park, allowing students a rare campus-to-park connection right in the neighborhood. 

That's a significant advantage, especially for kids who deserve a fair start.

Meet the Pioneers Who Started It All 

Richmond Heights, born through determination, ensured its legacy wouldn't be easy to forget.

How, you ask? 

In 2014, Miami-Dade dedicated the Richmond Heights Pioneers Monument to honor the 26 original families who bought the first homes in Richmond Heights, their names etched into local history, and the Sergeant Joseph Delancy Park, which they renamed to commemorate their contributions. 

For longtime residents, the monument is proof that Richmond Heights' foundation is not just luck but intended. 

And seventy-five years later, those roots are still holding steady.