Pan Am Terminal Coconut Grove (Dinner Key, Miami): When the Grove Was the Gateway to the Americas
- Natalija Ugrina
- 3 hours ago
- 12 min read
Spending time in Miami, I was trying to figure out my favorite area—where I’d actually want to spend my days when I wasn’t working, shooting, or bouncing between plans. Somehow, it ended up being Coconut Grove.
It’s the kind of neighborhood that feels like it has its own rhythm: leafy streets, little pockets of old Miami, and that constant reminder that the water is always close.
One day, I was walking past a clothing shop and noticed something that stopped me in my tracks: the window was full of Pan Am pieces—logos, vintage-inspired designs, that unmistakable retro airline aesthetic.
Of course I went in.
While I was browsing, I started chatting with the shop owner. That’s when they casually dropped a piece of local history I couldn’t believe I’d missed: they told me there used to be a Pan Am museum—and that Coconut Grove once had a Pan Am terminal.
And here’s the thing: I’ve already been down the Pan Am rabbit hole before. In the past, I visited Key West and saw what’s considered Pan Am’s first office (I even wrote a blog about it—I’ll link it below).
But somehow, I never knew where the actual Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove was.
So naturally, I had to go see it.
Today, the spot is impossible to miss: it’s Miami City Hall, right on the waterfront at Dinner Key in Coconut Grove. But once you know what you’re looking at, it’s hard not to picture the era when this was one of the most important gateways in the Americas—when “checking in” meant stepping into a seaplane terminal, and your aircraft was a flying boat waiting out on Biscayne Bay.
Where was the Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove?
It was at Dinner Key—inside the building that’s now Miami City Hall.
Timeline: key dates at Dinner Key
World War I: Dinner Key was joined to the mainland to serve as a U.S. Navy training field.
1926: The Navy facility was destroyed by the Great Miami Hurricane.
1929: Pan American Airways began seaplane service between the U.S. and Latin America on the site.
1930: Pan Am selected Dinner Key as the base for its inter-American operations; inaugural flight to Panama (Dec 1).
1931: Pan Am’s first hangar was constructed.
1934: The permanent terminal building was constructed.
1930s: The base became one of the nation’s busiest commercial seaplane airports.
1943: President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed through the base en route to Casablanca.
1945: The last Pan Am flight left the terminal.
1946: The site was sold to the City of Miami.
1954: The terminal building became Miami City Hall.
1975: The terminal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dinner Key before Pan Am: why this spot existed at all
Dinner Key wasn’t always a civic building with meetings and agendas.
Originally, Dinner Key was a small island in Biscayne Bay. During World War I, it was joined to the mainland to provide a training field for the U.S. Navy. After the war, the base was used by non-scheduled commercial fliers—until the Navy facility was destroyed by the 1926 hurricane.
That destruction matters, because it created the opening for what came next: Pan Am.
Why Pan Am chose Dinner Key (and why it wasn’t a runway airport)
If you’ve ever looked at a map and thought, “Miami feels like the edge of the U.S.”—you’re not wrong.
In the early days of international aviation, that geography made Miami a natural gateway to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
But there was a problem: along many early routes, there weren’t enough landing facilities. So instead of relying on runways that didn’t exist yet, Pan Am leaned into marine aircraft—seaplanes and flying boats that could land on water.
This is why the Dinner Key seaplane base mattered. Dinner Key, sitting right on Biscayne Bay, was perfectly positioned for that kind of operation.
The first big moment: Pan Am’s inaugural flight from Dinner Key (Dec 1, 1930)
In 1930, Pan American Airways selected the former naval air base at Dinner Key as the base for its inter-American operations—and on December 1, 1930, the inaugural flight from Dinner Key to Panama officially took off.
This wasn’t just a new route on a timetable. It was a statement about Miami’s role in the world: a waterfront city becoming a true gateway to Latin America, with Pan Am building the bridge—one flight at a time.
What makes this moment so fascinating is the context. In 1930, a direct air link to Panama wasn’t “normal travel”—it was the future arriving early. Dinner Key was chosen because it could support marine aircraft, and because Miami’s geography made it the perfect jumping-off point to the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
And the experience itself would’ve felt completely different than flying today. Instead of a runway and a terminal gate, the bay was part of the operation—water as the runway, flying boats waiting offshore, and the sense that international travel was still something a little glamorous and a little unreal.
If you’re curious about Panama in general (and want a fun little fashion-history detour), I also wrote about the real story behind Panama hats here: The Real Story of Panama Hats (Yes, They Are Not Actually From Panama).
What kind of planes flew from the Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove?
This is the part most people don’t realize: the “planes” tied to the Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove weren’t typical land-based aircraft.
Pan Am acquired the New York–Rio–Buenos Aires Airline, which flew twin-engine Commodore flying boats between Miami and Buenos Aires.
Because landing facilities along parts of the South American route were inadequate, Pan Am relied on flying clipper ships—the famous “Clipper” flying boats that became a vital link between North and South America.
Charles Lindbergh served as a technical advisor to Pan Am and surveyed some of the early air routes.
Aviation history is full of these larger-than-life names and stories—and if you love that side of travel, you might also like my post on Amelia Earhart: Chasing the Sky: The Enduring Legacy of Amelia Earhart in Atchison, Kansas.
Flying boats vs. seaplanes (in plain English)
A quick way to think about it:
Seaplanes are aircraft designed to land on water.
Flying boats are a type of seaplane with a hull-like body that sits in the water.
So when you stand at Dinner Key, you’re standing at a place built around the bay as a “runway.”
The first “terminal” was a houseboat from Havana (and I’m obsessed with that)
Before the iconic terminal building existed, Pan Am’s first passenger “terminal” at the Dinner Key seaplane base was a houseboat.
Pan Am obtained it in Havana, had it towed to Miami by tugs, and anchored it to pilings—with barges at each end.
It’s such a surreal detail, and it makes the whole story feel more human: early aviation wasn’t polished yet. It was inventive. It was improvised. And it was happening right here.
Building a real seaplane gateway: hangars, dredging, and expansion (1931–1938)
Pan Am opened the first hangar at Dinner Key in 1931.
That same year, the company expanded the facilities:
Additional land was filled in.
A deeper channel was dredged—about one mile long and 700 feet wide.
That dredging was historically significant because it marked the first time an appropriation was approved by the Congressional Rivers and Harbors Committee expressly for dredging to create a navigable channel for marine aircraft.
During this expansion, the present terminal building and several additional hangars were constructed.
By 1938, the major structures called for in the plans were completed and operative.
1934: the permanent terminal building (and why it was so advanced)
The permanent terminal building was constructed in 1934—and it wasn’t just functional. It was designed to impress.
According to the Florida Historical Marker for the site, this Art Deco building was considered the largest, most modern marine air terminal in the world in its day. It was also designed to be seen from both the air and the ground.
That design detail is so easy to miss when you’re visiting today, because we’re used to buildings being designed for pedestrians—not pilots.
The 1930s: one of the nation’s busiest commercial seaplane airports
The 1930s weren’t just the “glamour era” of Pan Am branding—they were the operational peak of the Dinner Key seaplane base.
The Florida marker describes the base as one of the nation’s busiest commercial seaplane airports during that decade.
It’s the kind of fact that reframes the whole place. Miami wasn’t just “part of” the story of aviation between the Americas—it was a major stage for it.
1943: FDR passes through Dinner Key on the way to Casablanca
One of the most surprising details tied to this site is that in 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed through the base on his way to Casablanca.
The Florida marker notes this as the first time a U.S. president traveled by air while in office.
Even if you’re not a history person, it’s hard not to pause at that. It’s a reminder that this wasn’t a niche little terminal—it was part of world events.
What the Pan Am terminal was like inside (when it was actually a terminal)
The building you see today as Miami City Hall was designed as a true international gateway.
At the first-floor level, it included:
Waiting rooms
Ticket counters
An international mail office
Customs
Public health offices
Immigration
Upstairs, there was an outer promenade where takeoffs and landings were observed.
And then there’s the detail that feels like pure Pan Am theater: a three-and-one-half ton revolving world globe in the lobby that attracted thousands of visitors.
What to look for on the exterior
The building is rectangular, with white stucco exterior walls and a flat roof. Just below the cornice, there’s a frieze featuring winged globes and rising suns, connected at the corners by sculptured eagles.
The Florida marker also notes that the frieze contains images from the history of aviation and the signs of the zodiac.
World War II and the end of the seaplane era at Dinner Key
By the time World War II began, Dinner Key wasn’t just a glamorous stop on Pan Am’s route map—it was strategic. The base once again served the needs of the U.S. Navy, while still functioning as an international gateway for travelers moving between the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America. It’s one of those details that’s easy to miss when you’re standing outside Miami City Hall today: this peaceful waterfront building was operating in a world that suddenly felt tense, urgent, and global.
But even as Dinner Key stayed active during the war years, aviation itself was changing fast. The early advantage of flying boats was simple: they didn’t need runways. Water was the runway. That made seaplanes and flying boats perfect for long routes at a time when many destinations didn’t yet have modern airports.
Then infrastructure caught up.
As more landing fields and paved runways appeared across Latin America, the practical need for seaplanes started to fade. Land-based aircraft could fly more efficiently, airports could handle higher volumes, and the future of commercial aviation began shifting away from the bay and toward the runway.
That transition is what makes the end of the Dinner Key era feel so bittersweet. The place that helped define Pan Am’s early international identity—this elegant marine terminal built for flying boats—was becoming less essential to the way the world traveled.
Pan Am’s final flight to Dinner Key took place on August 9, 1945. And with that, the seaplane chapter of Coconut Grove’s aviation history quietly closed—leaving behind a building that still looks out over Biscayne Bay, even if the Clippers are long gone.
How it became Miami City Hall
In 1946, the City of Miami purchased 39 acres of the Dinner Key site.
In 1954, the terminal building was adapted for use as Miami City Hall.
Recent renovations restored original decorative features of the terminal, including beams, wall murals, and ceiling panels depicting the signs of the zodiac. Murals near the ceiling depict the history of flight—from Leonardo da Vinci’s designs to the Clipper planes flown by Pan American.
National Register status (1975) and why that matters
The terminal building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
That’s not just a trivia fact—it’s a signal that this building isn’t only important to Miami. It’s recognized as a significant piece of American history.
If you’re the kind of traveler who loves places that hide history in plain sight, this is exactly that.
Pan Am’s first office (and why it makes Dinner Key feel even bigger)
If Dinner Key is the glamorous “gateway” chapter of the story, Pan Am’s first office is the humble beginning.
I visited what’s considered Pan Am’s first office and wrote a full post about it here: Pan Am’s First Office.
Reading that story and then standing at Miami City Hall hits differently. It’s the contrast that gets me: how quickly aviation went from scrappy beginnings to an international operation with customs, immigration, and a waterfront terminal built for flying boats.
If you’re doing a Pan Am-themed trip, these two stops pair perfectly—because they show both sides of the brand: the origin story and the era of expansion.
How to visit the former Pan Am terminal at Dinner Key today
You can visit the exterior of the historic terminal building at Dinner Key by going to Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove.
When you’re there, look for:
The waterfront setting (imagine the flying boats out on the bay)
The aviation-themed decorative details on the building
The second-floor promenade area where people once watched arrivals and departures
Where to stay in Coconut Grove (3 great options)
This section contains affiliate links.
If you’re planning to make a full Coconut Grove day (or weekend) out of this, staying in the neighborhood is honestly the move—because you can walk a lot of it, and the vibe at night feels completely different than downtown.
Luxury pick: Mr. C Miami – Coconut Grove — A sleek, modern-luxury stay with that “Miami on the water” feel. It’s perfect if you want to keep the whole trip walkable in the Grove and still feel like you’re staying somewhere special.
Book on Expedia: https://expedia.com/affiliates/miami-hotels-mr-c-coconut-grove.tjKPnWT
Mid-range pick: Courtyard by Marriott Miami Coconut Grove — If your main goal is being close to the former Pan Am terminal at Dinner Key (Miami City Hall), this is a super convenient option—right by the waterfront, so you can easily build your whole Coconut Grove day around it.
Book on Expedia: https://expedia.com/affiliates/miami-hotels-courtyard-by-marriott-miami-coconut-grove.RVNQoZT
Budget pick: Hampton Inn Miami-Coconut Grove/Coral Gables — A solid, no-stress stay if you want to keep costs down but still be close enough to Coconut Grove to do the whole itinerary without a hassle—clean, comfortable, and reliable for a quick Miami weekend.
Book on Expedia: https://expedia.com/affiliates/miami-hotels-hampton-inn-coconut-grove.90XeFUj
Top 10 things to do in Coconut Grove (make a day of it)
If you’re already coming to see the Pan Am terminal at Dinner Key, these are the other stops I’d pair with it so the day feels like a full Coconut Grove experience.
Visit Vizcaya Museum & Gardens — one of the most iconic historic spots in Miami.
See The Barnacle Historic State Park (and tour the house) — a tiny, underrated piece of “old Florida” right in the Grove.
See the Pan Am terminal at Dinner Key (Miami City Hall) — even a quick stop hits differently once you know the history.
Walk the waterfront at Dinner Key / Peacock Park — the best way to picture the flying boats out on the bay.
Explore CocoWalk — shops, people-watching, and an easy place to grab a drink or dessert.
Stroll Main Highway — shaded streets, gorgeous homes, and that classic Coconut Grove feel.
Stop by a marina (and just watch the boats) — it’s very “Miami,” but calmer here.
Learn about the African American & Bahamian Settlement of Coconut Grove — a huge part of the neighborhood’s history that often gets overlooked.
Grab a coffee or matcha and sit outside — Coconut Grove is made for slow mornings.
Do a sunset walk — the light on the bay is unreal.
Pan Am in Florida: why this state shows up again and again
Florida wasn’t just a destination for Pan Am—it was a launch point.
The Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove (Dinner Key) helped shape Miami’s identity as an international gateway, especially during the era when reaching Latin America and the Caribbean wasn’t a quick hop on a modern jet.
This post also connects perfectly to other Pan Am-in-Florida stories—starting with Key West.
FAQs about the Pan Am terminal in Coconut Grove
Was Miami City Hall originally a Pan Am terminal?
Yes. The building now used as Miami City Hall was originally the terminal building at the Pan American Seaplane Base at Dinner Key.
What is the Dinner Key seaplane base?
The Dinner Key seaplane base was a marine aircraft base on Biscayne Bay. Pan Am selected it in 1930 as the base for its inter-American operations.
What kinds of planes flew from Dinner Key?
Pan Am operated flying boats from Dinner Key, including twin-engine Commodore flying boats early on, and later the famous “Clipper” flying boats used on long routes where landing fields were limited.
When did Pan Am stop flying from Dinner Key?
Pan Am’s final flight to Dinner Key took place on August 9, 1945.
Why did Pan Am use flying boats?
In the early era of international routes, many destinations lacked adequate landing facilities. Flying boats could land on water, making long-distance travel possible before modern airports were widespread.
Final thoughts
I love when a city surprises me like this—when you think you know a neighborhood, and then you find out you’ve been walking past a piece of history the whole time.
Coconut Grove isn’t just pretty. It has layers.
And now every time I see Pan Am branding—on a sweatshirt, in a shop window, anywhere—I think about Dinner Key and the era when Miami’s “airport” used to be the bay.