By Dawn Terrick

Walk on through an “underwater tunnel” and step inside Interama: Miami and the Pan-American Dream. Like no other, this premiere exhibition, on display at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida (HMSF) until January 25, 2009, tells the story of great daring and design genius.

Thought of as “the fair that never was,” INTERAMA (1951-1975) was conceptualized as a permanent Inter-American trade and cultural center and created to position Miami as the meeting place of the Americas—a place for people to come together for both work and play.

A dream development for its planners and world-renowned architects, INTERAMA’s team drew upon the magnificence of previous and contemporary World’s Fairs for inspiration, presenting an EPCOT®-like magic far before the iconic theme park came to be. From various creative elements, such as a modern-day interpretation of a Mayan or Aztec center, to a bustling urban environment with multiple transportation systems, INTERAMA is further evidence that Miami, since its earliest days, has possessed a futuristic vision like no other city.

Curated by HMSF chief curator Dr. Joanne Hyppolite, along with guest curators and University of Miami architectural professors Allan Shulman and Jean-Francois Lejeune, INTERAMA is an absolute must-see for Miami natives, locals, newcomers and tourists alike.

Visitors to the exhibition will enjoy more than sixty original color and black and white architectural and thematic renderings, as well as brochures, pamphlets and photographs from INTERAMA’s twenty-four-year period. In addition, authentic film footage calls attention while digital animations, visitor interactives and computer stations add interest. INTERAMA’S substance and overall presentation are truly awe-inspiring and a highly valuable contribution to the cultural essence of Miami.

Although INTERAMA was never built and its intended North Miami site today hosts Florida International University’s Biscayne Campus and Oleta River State Park, its memory lives on in the city’s real-life, dynamic, Inter-American environment. Come see what it would have been like to experience the fair that never happened.

In conjunction with Interama: Miami and the Pan-American Dream, HMSF will offer year-round free Family Fun Days on Second Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. In September, HMSF will begin to offer free Third Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m. that will include panel discussions and presentations related to the exhibition.

Historical Museum of Southern Florida
101 West Flagler Street
Miami, FL 33130
305-375-1492
www.hmsf.org