In 1951, newspaper reporters referred to Richmond Heights as one of the most unusual African American subdivisions in Florida, if not the whole country.  From the first scraper of a bulldozer, there was a waiting list of black WWII veterans wanting to buy in the planned community of wide curving streets, concrete sidewalks, and modern homes.

The man behind the development was Captain Frank Crawford Martin, a former Pan American Airways pilot who spotted the track of pineland after having flown over Dade County for several years. First, he planted his 2,200 acres with papaya crops. When the 1945 hurricane destroyed his grove, he plowed it under and looked for other uses for the land, purported to be the highest elevation in the county.

As Airport Manager for Pan Am at Miami Airport, Captain Martin spoke with African American skycaps and airport workers, many of whom had recently returned from the War and who were in need of housing from their growing families. He sought the advice of a realtor and several acquaintances. The idea of a planned community for black GIs was proposed and eventually accepted. Martin undertook the development after consultation with a committee of African American leaders.

There were no neighbors to fight the proposed development in the remote vicinity of Richmond. Capt. Martin added ‘Heights’ to the name because of the area’s high elevation. At first, lending institutions were wary of venturing out in “the woods” to finance construction. According to Capt. Martin in this 1951 interview, Investors thought we were off our trolley to go that far out in the country to develop a subdivision for Negroes. We managed to get up three model homes and when the Negroes came and saw them, we got orders so fast that investors changed their minds.”

Only veterans with honorable service in some branch of the Armed Forces could buy a home in Richmond Heights. Under the VA home finance plan, a veteran could buy a house for a down payment as little as $25. The base price was $8,030. Most of the houses were three bedrooms with carports. The interiors were the same, but no two houses in any one block had the same exterior. Lawns were spot planted with St. Augustine grass before occupancy. Minimum lot size was 75’ x 100’.

Martin planned the community with provisions for schools, parks, churches, and a shopping center. He did not want children to walk across any busy streets to get to school and parks. He even donated land for Frank C. Martin Elementary (now K-8 Center), Sgt. Joseph Delancy Park and two churches, Martin Memorial AME and Bethel Full Gospel Baptist.

Richmond Heights had its own water system, post office and fire hydrants within 500 feet of every building. A university planning department designed wide streets with gentle curves, eliminating the stodgy and uninteresting square patterns of mass housing projects of the era. Curving streets were intended to cut down on speeding cars. The development was served by the Richmond Coach Company, which operated buses to downtown Miami. Martin insisted that the segment from Richmond Heights to South Miami had no seating restrictions for passengers.

Martin saw Richmond Heights as more than an African American housing development. He saw it as an opportunity for homebuyers to show-case their homeownership status, and as a challenge to developers in Miami and elsewhere throughout the South to provide well-built houses without skimping on land, materials or labor. He had witnessed the “get in and get out” tactics of other developers and he intended that Richmond Heights would be a “get in and stay in” development.

The signs of permanency were abundant in the community. Every weekend the neighborhood was alive with families working on their lawns and beautifying their homes. Carports opening on the streets were spic and span. Leading women in the community started the Richmond Heights Garden Club, which held an annual flower show where residents would compete for the best lawn, plants, and flowers.