Flagler Memorial Island Monument, Miami Beach, FL (assessment)
Biscayne Bay, Miami, Florida
The Flagler Memorial Monument is sited on a man-made island in Biscayne Bay, between Miami Beach and Miami. Built in 1920-21 by Carl Fisher, the developer of Miami Beach, it memorializes Henry Flagler who turned his profits as founding partner of Standard Oil into developing railroads and property on the east coast of Florida, starting in Saint Augustine and ending with the construction of the Overseas Railroad to Key West. The monument consists of a 96’ tall cast concrete obelisk with four cast stone allegorical figures around the base depicting Education, Industry, Prosperity, and Pioneer.
The isolated island site has left the monument vulnerable to assaults from vandalism in addition to the effects of exposure to wind, floods, hurricanes and the occasional lightening strike. Salts and carbonation of the concrete led to deterioration of the embedded rebar and inappropriate repairs from a 1940 campaign had led to losses of arms and hands on the sculptures. There was also graffiti, scraffiti, losses, biological growths, and failed coatings on most surfaces.
In 2006, Conservation Solutions, Inc. (CSI) was contracted to assess the monument, evaluate test results and engineering reports, and prepare treatment recommendations for its restoration. CSI conservators inspected the monument, reviewed the material developed by the other team members and available historical documentation, and developed a series of treatment options, ranging from minimal to optimal and long term, for the city which intends to conserve the monument.