Maurice A. Ferré Park (formerly Museum Park) is a public, urban park in downtown Miami, Florida. The park opened in 1976 on the site of several slips served by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. It was originally named "Bicentennial Park" to celebrate the bicentennial of the United States in that same year. Today, the park is maintained by the Bayfront Park Management Trust. The park is bordered on the north by I-395, Metromover, and the former Miami Herald headquarters, on the south by the American Airlines Arena and Bayside Marketplace, on the west by Biscayne Boulevard and on the east by Biscayne Bay.

The park

The park is served by the Metrorail at Government Center Station and directly by the Metromover's Museum Park Station, Eleventh Street Station and Park West Station.

Museum Park is host to many large-scale events as the park can hold around 45,000 people. Some of these events include Ultra Music Festival, a large, three-day music event, numerous rock concerts such as Warped Tour, various conventions, concerts, as well as boat tours around Biscayne Bay. In March 2009, Museum Park was set to host the Langerado Music Festival, a large three-day festival that was held at the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation every Spring since 2003, but was canceled due to poor ticket sales.

Seven blocks south is Museum Park's partner park, the Bayfront Park.

Museum Park underwent a renovation for the Pérez Art Museum Miami and construction of the new Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science. The $10 million revamp included a new bay walk and a promenade from Biscayne Boulevard to Biscayne Bay that provides pedestrian access to the museums.Museum Park’s vaunted plan shrinks as Miami deals with fiscal crunch, Miami Herald as it is currently underutilized for large parts of the year. Pérez Art Museum Miami opened in December 2013 and the Frost Museum of Science opened its doors in May 2017. The Dogs and Cats Walkway and Sculpture Gardens opened officially in January 2023.

The Miami Science Barge is a floating marine laboratory and education platform docked in the park. It was opened in 2016 and focuses on three areas, sustainability, alternative agriculture and marine ecology and conservation.

History

From the early 1900s to the mid-1960s, the park had been the location of the Port of Miami, until the port was eventually moved to neighboring Dodge Island in the mid-1960s. Once the port moved out to Dodge Island, the land was cleaned up of industrial residue from decades of port trade, and the park was designed, finally opening up in 1976, as Downtown's second large park after Bayfront Park.

In May 1994, the Omni Loop of the Metromover opened, which brought a Metromover station to the park. In 1996, the station was closed due to lack of use. In 2013, the station was renovated by CNC Management Group and reopened as Museum Park Station to provide direct access to the art and science museums.

In early 2019, the park was renamed Maurice A. Ferré Park in honor of former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferré.

Auto racing

Racing events were held on a temporary circuit at Bicentennial Park from 1983 to 1995 involving IMSA, Trans-Am Series, and CART, and again for FIA Formula E in 2015.

Lap records

The fastest official race lap records at Bicentennial Park (Miami) are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEvent Formula E Circuit (2015): Formula E 1:07.969 Nelson Piquet Jr. Spark-Renault SRT_01E 2015 Miami ePrix Grand Prix Circuit with Chicane (1995): CART 1:05.982 Scott Pruett Lola T95/00 1995 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Formula Atlantic 1:10.895 Bill Auberlen Ralt RT-41 1995 Miami Atlantic Championship round Indy Lights 1:11.032 Greg Moore Lola T93/20 1995 Miami Indy Lights round Grand Prix Circuit (1986–1994): IMSA GTP 1:06.412 P. J. Jones Eagle MkIII 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTP Lights 1:14.578 Parker Johnstone Spice SE90P 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTS 1:16.680 Paul Gentilozzi Oldsmobile Cutlass 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Miami Trans-Am 1:17.806 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang Cobra Trans-Am 1994 Miami Trans-Am round IMSA GTO 1:20.039 Pete Halsmer Mazda RX-7 1990 Nissan Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTU 1:22.434 David Loring Nissan 240SX 1990 Nissan Grand Prix of Miami IMSA Supercar Championship 1:29.885 Doc Bundy Lotus Esprit X180R 1993 Miami IMSA Supercar round IMSA AC 1:31.139 Carson Hurley Buick Skylark 1989 Nissan Grand Prix of Miami Grand Prix Circuit (1983–1985): IMSA GTP 1:23.987 David Hobbs March 83G 1985 Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTO 1:29.993 Willy T. Ribbs Ford Mustang 1985 Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTU 1:30.256 Clay Young Pontiac Fiero 1985 Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami IMSA GTP Lights 1:32.514 Kelly Marsh Argo JM16 1985 Löwenbräu Grand Prix of Miami

References

External links Bicentennial Park Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science Pérez Art Museum Miami