The history of the City of Miami, City Hall and Pan American Airways are forever entwined together in what once was the Pan American Seaplane Terminal at Dinner Key. Built in 1933, the Dinner Key Terminal and Airport was the most modern and largest marine air facility in the world, leading the way to Pan Am's future role as an international leader in aviation, transportation of people, property and mail. Referred to as the “Air Gateway between the Americas” the airport became a famous visiting attraction. Many people used to gather in front of the airport to watch the arrival and departure of the Pan Am “flying boats" or “clipper ships”. It is from here that president Franklin Roosevelt departed on January 11, 1943 to Casablanca, Morocco in the Dixie Clipper to meet with Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the height of World War II.

In 1954, the Pan American seaplane terminal became the home to Miami’s City Hall. Over the years City Hall has become internationally known as the “Gateway to the Americas”. Indeed, this slogan also represents the eventual reach and worldwide recognition of Pan American World Airway. The building today is occupied by the Mayor, Commissioners and the City Clerk.

In an effort to continue its tradition and safeguard the past for future generations, the City of Miami decided to renovate its City Hall. The restoration project began with an in-depth look at the original building plans and photographs of the interior. The first part of the paint analysis involved creating “exposure windows”-the removal of sections and samples of paint from the various layers of paint that had been applied over the past 74 years in order to determine the actual historic paintings. Based on the samples of paint from the original structure, accurate paint colors were formulated for use by the restoration artisans of Evergreen Studios of New York.

Evergreene Studios made hand tracings of the zodiac symbols and sent them to their New York Studios to be replicated on canvas. Sound absorptive cellulose, was then sprayed onto the original ceiling and in conjunction with a product called Snaptex, which stretches the canvas containing the tracings over the ceiling, the original ceiling replete with all the various symbols was recreated.

Today the decorative elements of the building are similar to the original terminal. The ceiling depicts the signs of the zodiac and are painted in a sleek modern style. The beams holding up the ceiling are decorated with stylized “wings” and bands in the Pan American colors. Covered with paint during the 1950’s, the murals near the ceiling depict the history of flight, from Leonardo Da Vinci’s aeronautical designs to the modern Clipper planes flown by Pan American. The upper deck restaurant window that once overlooked the terminal waiting area from the dining room has been restored to its original color. All of the fixtures replicate the precise detail of the light fixtures from the past. In addition, the massive, motorized Globe, once located in the lobby of the terminal and the focal point of passenger interest, is now located in the Museum of Science in Miami. A mosaic map of the western hemisphere depicting the original Pan American World Airways routes has replaced it. It is located in the building’s outer lobby.

The actual terminal space has been transformed into a state of- the-art meeting space for the City Commission. It includes a new wood dais, new and additional seating and increased public access and lighting. The restoration work was also careful to comply with fire safety issues and provide for accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Once again the building is poised, at the beginning of the 21st Century, to continue its prominent role in the world as the center of Miami’s City government, just as it once did as a transportation hub for Pan American World Airways.