A bronze statue of Glenn Curtiss, who founded Miami Springs in 1926, will be unveiled along with a monument on August 22nd in the Town Square as part of the city’s Centennial Celebration. The statue was the brainchild of Miami Springs City Councilman Jorge Santin, who recognized an opportunity to honor the history and accomplishments of the renowned aviation pioneer, inventor and land developer.
“Glenn Curtiss helped put Miami Springs on the map. Now it’s our responsibility to keep that legacy alive,” said Santin. “As we celebrate our Centennial, let’s remember that history doesn’t just define us – it drives us forward.”
Miami Springs sculptor Natalie Plasencia designed the statue of Glenn Curtiss and the accompanying walk-through monument that resembles the wing frame and aileron of a ‘June Bug’, an experimental aircraft designed and first flown by Curtiss’ in 1908. That flight is recognized as the first publicly observed and officially recorded flight of over one kilometer in the United States.
“My research led me to design and create not only in the classical way of a bronze human figure, but with the hope that the public might feel the space between the wings, where air moves, lift happens and the human leaves the ground,” said Plasencia. “My admiration for Glenn Curtiss is not only because of his achievements, but because he was quietly determined and defined by sincerity.”
According to Miami Springs Historian Kenneth Wilde, Glenn Curtiss made an enormous impact on the aviation industry as an airplane designer and pilot. He is known today as the ‘Father of U.S. Naval Aviation; his planes known as the Jenny and Curtiss flying boats were used extensively by the Navy during World War I. His genius and intrepidness weren’t limited to aviation, however.
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“In 1908, Curtiss rode a motorcycle he had designed at 136 miles an hour, making him the fastest man on earth at the time,” said Wilde. “He also raised cattle and founded Opa Locka and Hialeah, in addition to Miami Springs, where he lived in the Curtiss Mansion until his death in 1930.”
Born is Hammondsport, New York in 1878, Glenn Curtiss produced engines for airships while in his 20’s and worked in the American Experiment Association founded by Alexander Graham Bell. His historic 5,090-foot flight in the June Bug on July 4, 1908 at Stony Brook Farm in Hammondsport captured national and international attention.
“The honoring of Glenn Curtiss is long overdue because he was not just a pioneering figure in Florida history, but one of America’s great unsung heroes,” said Santin. “His ideas and inventions revolutionized aviation around the world and, for us, his founding of our city is something we will be forever grateful for.”
For more information about Miami Springs and upcoming events, please click here. Details about tax-deductible sponsorship opportunities for the Glenn Curtiss statue and monument are available.
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