Please click on "original" below to see this image in the largest version. Thank you to Gary F. Brown (HHS 65) for contributing this old Miami Herald clipping that he recently found. Gary circled his home at 5430 W. 6th Court on the image.
Gary and I were students in 8th or 9th grade at Palm Springs Junior High when this photo was taken. Interesting points to note are:
1. Wometco's Palm Springs Theatre was not built yet next to Jackson/Byron's but it looks like they are preparing the land underneath for its construction. The theatre opened in December 1962. The shopping center opened on March 30, 1960 so it is only about a year old in this photo.
2. It looks like a temporary go-kart track is in operation in the shopping center's parking lot close to W. 49th Street.
3. The Lovell Brothers' "Palm Springs Estates" development is completed between W. 12th Avenue and W. 16th Avenue north of W. 56th Place. They finished the development from W. 56th Place to W. 53rd Street after this photo was taken and before August 1962.
4. There are no development homes north of W. 68th Street or west of W. 16th Avenue yet in the photo but lakes are being dug.
5. The new bridge across the canal at W. 8th Avenue has been completed. We went for a couple of years without a bridge and had to go to W. 12th Avenue (Ludlam Road) or W. 4th Avenue (Red Road) to get around the canal to Palm Springs Mile and points south. Unless you were a group of kids on foot in which case we would crawl across a big water pipe that spanned the canal just to the east of where the bridge was constructed.
Please see the next image for the same image with labeling of streets and avenue, schools, etc.