BUENA VISTA POST OFFICE/ MOORE FURNITURE BUILDING

The neighborhood of Buena Vista began in the 1890s, as a portion of the William Gleason and E.L. White homesteads. During the 1920s, Tampa developer and architect David P. Davis teamed with pineapple plantation owner Theodore V. Moore to develop two investment properties in Buena Vista. While each man handled the financing of a single building, Davis designed both. Intended to be one commercial development, both buildings were designed in the masonry vernacular style. Completed in 1921, Davis’ building became the Buena Vista Post Office and, similar to other Miami civic buildings, featured Neoclassical design elements. The post office operated until 1924, when Buena Vista was annexed by the City of Miami, and since then the building has served a variety of purposes. Moore’s building was built in two phases, forming an L-shape around the post office. The southern portion was completed in 1922, and the northern extension was completed in 1926. Moore transitioned from being a pineapple grower to focusing on Buena Vista’s commercial development. In the late 1930s, he opened the T.V. Moore Furniture Store in his building. Both buildings served as anchors that helped transform this area into a thriving neighborhood.