Military Museum of South Florida

Naval Air Station Richmond was established in South Dade County, Florida during World War II as a base for the U.S. Navy’s blimp reconnaissance program. During the war missions originating from the base kept watch over U-boat and other enemy activity in the region, and one blimp (K–74) even engaged a U-boat off the Florida coastline in a successful and heroic attempt to forestall an impending Nazi attack on Allied shipping. In recent years, the Friends of NAS Richmond have been working to preserve the building and convert it to a military museum.

In 2007, Lord Cultural Resources in association with R.J. Heisenbottle Architects was contracted to develop a Master Plan for the new Museum, which is co-located with the Gold Coast Railway Museum and the Miami Metro Zoo and is in an area slated for large-scale entertainment and commercial development. Lord developed the concept for the new Museum as well as exhibition, staffing, operating, and space plans which were the basis of capital costs and attendance and financial projections for the first few years of operation.

“Rather than a generalized boilerplate handout, you created a Master Plan tailor made for us, and did so by a singular method… Our local government recently accepted this plan and has authorized restoration efforts to proceed… Lord Cultural Resources are the tops in the field, and deservedly so. It is an honor to recommend their work.”

Anthony Atwood, Executive Director,
Friends of the Military Museum and Veterans Memorial of South Florida