Doral is named for Doris and Alfred Kaskel, whose country club opened in 1962. Voters chose to incorporate in January 2003. Landmarks and where to visit.
Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. History comes from the City of Doral’s Doral History page, which credits an article by Cindy Rodriguez-Pereira in Ciudad Doral; National Register listings come from the National Park Service’s listed-properties data.
Doral is one of Miami-Dade County’s youngest cities. It began as a golf resort on reclaimed swampland in 1962, grew into a business and warehouse district in the 1980s and 1990s, and became a city only in 2003. Its name, its best-known landmark and its first big crowds all trace back to one couple, Doris and Alfred Kaskel.
Who to call
- City history and records: City Clerk, 305-593-6730, cityclerk@cityofdoral.com
- Arts and culture programs: Doral Cultural Arts Center, 8363 NW 53rd St.; Parks and Recreation, 305-593-6600
- Official page: Doral History
Timeline
From the city’s history page:
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| Late 1950s | Doris and Alfred Kaskel buy 2,400 acres of swampland between NW 36th and NW 74th streets and NW 79th and NW 117th avenues, for about $49,000 |
| 1962 | The Kaskels open the Doral hotel and country club, with the Blue, Red and Par 3 courses; “Doral” joins Doris and Alfred |
| The club’s second year | The Kaskels host the first Doral Open Invitational |
| Early 1980s | Grandson Bill Kaskel develops Doral Estates; a joint venture with Lennar builds Doral Park |
| 1983-1985 | Miami-Dade County imposes a building moratorium to protect the well fields |
| 1987 | The spa, first called the Saturnia International Spa, is added to the resort |
| 1989 | The West Dade Federation of Homeowner Associations forms under Morgan Levy |
| 1996 | The first election of the area’s Community Council |
| January 2003 | 85% of voters approve incorporation after a seven-year effort |
| June 2003 | 92% approve the City Charter; voters elect Mayor Juan Carlos Bermudez, Vice Mayor Pete Cabrera and council members Mike DiPietro, Sandra Ruiz and Robert Van Name |
| August 2003 | The first City Council takes office |
| 2012 | Donald Trump buys the club for $150 million; it becomes Trump National Doral |
| 2016 | The last year of the resort’s PGA Tour tournament before its return |
| April 2026 | The PGA Tour returns with the Miami Championship on the Blue Monster |
The city’s history adds that in the early days traffic was rare, “except for the occasional escaped cow,” NW 87th Avenue had two lanes and NW 41st Street ended at NW 104th Avenue.
From country club to city
Alfred Kaskel was born in Poland, moved to New York at 21 and became a real estate developer before the couple moved south and built the Doral Beach Hotel and the Carillon Hotel on Miami Beach, the city’s history says. Beach guests were driven out to the country club for a day of golf.
Families arrived in the 1980s, the city says, but at first there were no stores, schools or parks. Residents’ groups, first the West Dade Federation and later One Doral, pressed the county for higher development standards and more lighting, roads and landscaping. In 2002 the governor appointed Jose “Pepe” Cancio Sr., an early Community Council member, to the County Commission, and the push for a city gained speed. Also in 2002, the company then running the resort sued a hotel over its use of the Doral name and sought payment from the new city for the name; the city’s history says the resort agreed not to charge.
Landmarks you can visit
| Place | Address | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Trump National Doral (the former Doral Golf Resort) | 4400 NW 87th Ave. | The 1962 resort that named the city; home of the Blue Monster course |
| Doral Government Center | 8401 NW 53rd Terrace | City Hall, at the center of Downtown Doral |
| Downtown Doral Park | 8395 NW 53rd St. | Three-acre park beside City Hall, finished in 2012 |
| Doral Cultural Arts Center | 8363 NW 53rd St. | About 14,000 square feet with a gallery, multipurpose room and rooftop terrace |
National Register of Historic Places
The National Park Service’s list of properties on the National Register of Historic Places has no listing in Doral, as of the data we checked. The nearest listings are in Miami Springs, about four miles away: the Glenn Curtiss House, 500 Deer Run (listed 2001); the Carl G. Adams House, the Clune Building, the Osceola Apartment Hotel and two Lua Curtiss houses (all listed 1985); and the Millard-McCarty House (1986). In Hialeah, about five miles away, Hialeah Park Race Track was listed in 1979.
We found no museum, state historical marker or historic cemetery listed for Doral in the sources we checked. If you know of one, tell us.
What this means for you
- Doral’s history is short: the resort is from 1962 and the city from 2003.
- The Blue Monster is still the city’s best-known landmark.
- For older history nearby, visit Miami Springs’ Glenn Curtiss-era homes.
Related: Doral population and growth, parks and trails and things to do this month.
Frequently asked questions
How did Doral get its name?
From Doris and Alfred Kaskel, who bought 2,400 acres of swampland in the late 1950s and opened the Doral hotel and country club in 1962. Doral combines their first names, the city’s history page says.
When did Doral become a city?
In January 2003, 85% of voters chose to incorporate. In June 2003 voters approved the charter and elected the first mayor, Juan Carlos Bermudez, and the council took office that August.
Is anything in Doral on the National Register of Historic Places?
No. The National Park Service’s list of National Register properties has no listing in Doral. The nearest are in Miami Springs, including the Glenn Curtiss House, listed in 2001.
What is the Blue Monster?
The best-known golf course at the resort that gave Doral its name, now Trump National Doral. It hosted the Doral Open and later PGA Tour events, and the PGA Tour returned to it in April 2026.
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