Miami Senior High is a very old school that went through a lot of changes with its look and design. According to the website for the City of Miami Historic Preservation Office, the first Miami High school was built in 1902, it was only one story high, and it was made of wooden planks.

Later in 1909, the School Board decided to redesign, repaint, and move the original one story building to a different location at SW 12th Street and 1st Avenue.  It reopened as the Southside Elementary School.

After a new Southside Elementary School was constructed in 1914, the original high school building fell into decades of neglect, operating as a boarding house for 90 years. It was re-discovered in 1983 by a local historian, and in January 2003, was moved to its current location in Southside Park, where it has since been renovated and opened as a community center.

In 1926, the School Board selected a fifteen-acre campus in the middle of what was then a pine forest, where the current Miami Senior High School was built. The construction was delayed due to the “Great Miami Hurricane”, but it was later completed and opened its door in 1928.

According to an article in the Miami Herald, the building was designed in a Spanish Mediterranean style with Moorish and Byzantine details, giving the school a very unique look that is different from any other high school in Miami-Dade County. The first building was used for nearly 80 years until 2010, when the project to renovate and restore the school started. It took nearly four years to complete.

According to the same article, the project removed dropped ceilings that had accommodated an old air conditioning system and restored the original high ceilings and decorative cast-stone vent screens in the halls. It also reopened the original second story arcade next to the library, removed an office expansion that had blocked part of the courtyard, and restored the original 14-foot arched windows and steel-trussed cathedral ceiling in the old library, now a media center.

The renovation project didn’t only touch the main building, but also added 3 new building to the campus. Building 5, 2, and 3 were added, with 3 being the largest. Buildings 2 and 5 are exactly the same shape and size located in front of the main building. Also a parking lot in front of building 7 was added for teachers, while students can now park in front of the school. Furthermore, a street directly in front of the school was removed to make a walkway in front of Building 1.

The renovation project at Miami high made the school look bigger and better, especially with the first building because they added a fresh gold paint to it. Luis Gomez, a sophomore, said, “First building looks better than the rest of the school. It is the first thing you look at when you look at the school, and it looks great.” Freshman Dante Galan said, “First building looks the best because it is in the center and it has a different color than the rest of the other buildings.”

Many teachers that came to Miami High before the renovation project were surprised by the changes made to the school.  Ms. Meiklejohn, the school assistant principal who supervised construction, said, “With a school that was at 150% over capacity at the time, these new buildings brought much needed relief. They have provided a beautiful and state-of-the-art facility with Smartboards, audio systems, Wi-Fi, computer labs, etc. where teaching and learning can take place.”

Mr. Valdes, the school principal, agrees saying said that now teachers are able to provide a better learning experience to Miami High students because the new buildings provide more classrooms and opportunities to use more technology.

Mr. Perez, a biology teacher, said the school is way bigger than it was when he came here 10 years ago. He also said that the classrooms aren’t as cramped as they were.

Mr. Miranda, a CSI teacher who graduated from Miami High, said that the school is way more different now than when he was a student, mentioning how the gym completely changed, how they added a patio for students to hang out during lunch, and the brand new buildings.