Roddy B. Burdine (ca. 1888-1936) was the head of the Burdines department store chain from 1911 - 1936. A leading citizen of Miami in the early 20th century, Burdine was the son of William Burdine, who founded Burdines as a dry goods store in 1898. After his father's death, Burdines became the chairman of the department store, leading its expansion to become one of the biggest department stores in the United States. He built Miami's first skyscraper, and created the first parking garage connected to a retail business.[1] In 1933, Roddy Burdine Municipal Stadium opened in the Little Havana section of Miami. In 1959 it was renamed to the Orange Bowl.
Roddy Burdine was born in Verona, Mississippi, the third oldest of seven children.[2] He was the son of a Confederate veteran and merchant. At a young age, the Burdine family moved to Bartow, Florida where his father became a successful orange grower.[2] When he was 10, William Burdine moved his family to Miami after a great freeze destroyed the family's crop.[3]
Miami was recently incorporated as a town just two years back. The Spanish American War was raging, and many soldiers were training in the area. Burdine founded a dry goods store in order to cater the needs of these soldiers. Roddy worked at the store since he was a teenager, first as a clerk, and after graduating from Miami High School (Miami, Florida) becoming a partner with his brother, R. Freeman, a successful Miami attorney.[2]
Upon his father’s death in 1911, Roddy became the owner of the company. Soon afterwards, Roddy led the expansion of Burdines. In 1912, Roddy built a new store on Flagler Street, the main commercial street in Miami. Five stories high, the Burdine Building became Miami's first "skyscraper", and the first building to have modern electrical installation.[2] He constantly went up north to study department stores such as Wanamaker's and Marshall Field's to make his department store the most modern in the country. By 1924, Burdines became the leading department store in Florida, with people traveling from across the state in order to make purchases.[2] It had its own post office, restaurant, and car dealership.[2] A new parking garage opened in 1923, becoming the first garage linked to a retail establishment. A new sixth story building with 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2) opened next to its original location in 1925.[1] His second store opened in Miami Beach also in 1925.
Also a politician, Burdine was the head of several committees, including the Miami's Rotary Club, and the head of the business ethics committee.[4] After the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, Burdine was named the head of the rebuilding committee.[5]