First published in 1936 by Green, the “Negro Motorist Green Book” became the bible of Black travel during Jim Crow. For years, outside of the Black community, little was known about the Green Book, which was a compilation of accommodations, gas stations, restaurants and other businesses for people of color attempting to travel free of racial humiliation, discrimination and violence.

Located in Miami’s Brownsville neighborhood, the Hampton House Motel originally opened in 1954. During the 1950s and 60s, it played host to many prominent segregation era figures, including Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Sam Cooke, Joe Louis and Jackie Robinson. Threatened with demolition, community advocates rallied to save the site by having it designated as historic. Following a $6 million renovation, the motel now lives on as a museum and cultural center operated by a local nonprofit organization.

Duke Ellington playing a game at the Astor Hotel on Kings Road, while on tour in 1955. | Library of Congress

The majority of “Green Book” sites around the country have been destroyed already, making the preservation of the little that remains, more important than ever. Thanks to the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 21 issues of the Green Book, dating between 1937 to 1967 are digitized online. While the Hampton House is Miami’s last surviving Green Book site, four remaining standing in the LaVilla area of Downtown Jacksonville. They include the Fiesta Hotel on Kings Road, a former Odd Fellows Masonic Lodge building that housed the Sunrise Restaurant at Pearl and State streets, and LaVilla’s Richmond and Wynn Hotels/Genovars Hall (listed as Hotel Sanders). Of the four surviving Jacksonville sites, only the Fiesta Hotel has found a new use as an affordable rental community.

Photographs of the Historic Hampton House

Experience Miami during its civil rights era at the Historic Hampton House. Discover the 50’s interior and mid-century architecture of this iconic Green Book hotel with its rich music and social justice history. Explore informative exhibits that offer a deeper understanding of one of America’s most controversial periods. Visit the museum and grounds by purchasing tickets for a 45-minutes guided tour.