Downtown Miami · September 18, 1926

Cowen’s hurricane-day opening

Cowen’s advertised doors opening at 5 p.m. on the day the Great Miami Hurricane struck. The advertisement survives; confirmation that the opening happened does not.

A city advertised for Saturday

Would Cowen’s have opened at 5 p.m.?

Cowen's shoe advertisement saying doors open at 5 p.m. Saturday, September 18 — The advertisement names 59 East Flagler Street and says “Doors Open 5 P.M. Saturday, September 18th.”

An opening overtaken by the hurricane.

The surviving crop does not use the words “grand opening,” and it does not establish whether Cowen’s was the store name, a concession, or a special event. A separate 1926 photographic catalog identifies Nankin’s Shoe Store at the same address. Florida’s official corporation index then records Cowen-Nankin Shoe Stores, Inc. as filed on January 1, 1927. That later filing shows the names were commercially connected, but it does not establish the exact arrangement on September 18, 1926.

The business name also persisted. A Miami-Dade Public Library catalog record identifies Cowen’s Shoes at 155 East Flagler Street in 1950. That later storefront is useful evidence of continuity, not proof that the advertised 1926 opening took place. Because the 1950 photograph’s rights are marked undetermined, this exhibit links to the institutional record instead of copying the image.

The surviving record does not prove that the advertised opening occurred. Given the hurricane’s dawn landfall, downtown damage, power and communications failures, a normal 5 p.m. opening appears unlikely—but that is an inference, not a documented fact. The advertisement survives as a striking plan overtaken by disaster.

New evidence · Miami city directories

Cowen and Nankin were already in Miami retail.

Two public-domain R. L. Polk directories now establish a longer commercial prehistory. The 1919 directory lists Morris L. Cowen in shoes at 338 Eleventh Street; the 1920 directory repeats the shoe business and names his wife, Anna R. Cowen. The same 1920 volume lists Max Nankin as a clerk at Century Clothing Store. These records make the later Cowen–Nankin association less abrupt, but they do not identify the tenant at 59 East Flagler in September 1926 or prove that the advertised 5 p.m. event opened.

1919 Miami directory entry listing Morris L. Cowen in the shoe business — 1919: “Cowen Morris L, shoes 338 11th.” Open the complete directory page.

1920 Miami directory entry listing Morris L. Cowen and his shoe business — 1920: Morris L. Cowen remains listed in shoes at 338 Eleventh Street.

1920 Miami directory entry listing Max Nankin as a clothing-store clerk — 1920: Max Nankin is listed as a clerk at Century Clothing Store.

Source: R. L. Polk & Co.’s Miami city directories for 1919 and 1920, digitized by Internet Archive. The exhibit preserves the relevant pages locally; the large complete volumes remain at the repository.

1919 complete directory ↗ 1920 complete directory ↗

The business record

Cowen and Nankin remained connected after the storm.

Earlier city directories place Cowen in the shoe business and Nankin in retail. Florida’s corporation index records Cowen-Nankin Shoe Stores, Inc. on January 1, 1927 and Cowens Bootery on September 12, 1927. Those records establish a continuing commercial relationship, though they do not prove that the September 18 event took place.

Florida name history: Cowen-Nankin ↗ Florida record: Cowens Bootery ↗ MDPLS: Cowen’s Shoes in 1950 ↗