Once, it was a symbol of just how little Miami's government valued public park space.

Paul Walker Park -- a small downtown ''pocket park'' popular with the office crowd -- was abandoned in the early 1990s and replaced with a sub-sandwich shop operated by a well-connected political fundraiser who had been active in local politics for decades.

Tuesday, the park reemerged as a cause for optimism, an example of city leaders' newfound commitment to the ''greening'' of Miami.

The sub shop has been torn down, and the city Tuesday broke ground on the planned new Paul Walker Park, set to rise in the exact same spot -- 46 W. Flagler St., across from the historic county courthouse.

''It's a little oasis, green oasis in the middle of downtown,'' said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who has made improving Miami's long-neglected parks system a cornerstone of his tenure.

SETTLEMENT

The new park's $284,993 price tag was funded by Miami's semi-independent Downtown Development Authority and city of Miami bond dollars.

Key to the park's rebirth was a legal settlement between the restaurant operator and the city. Under the terms of that settlement, Miami regained control of the land a little more than two years ago.

At first, city administrators had little interest in building a park again. Instead, Miami entered into negotiations to sell the land to attorney Eugene Howard, owner of an adjacent parking garage. The sale price: $1.4 million.

In early 2007, when a Miami Herald reporter asked the city why it couldn't keep the land and re-create Paul Walker Park, the response was tepid.

Laura Billberry, Miami's then-director of public facilities, said that such a possibility was not seriously researched -- mostly because of the two-story, sub-sandwich building.

Billberry said the sub shop was what gave the property its market value, so tearing it down didn't seem practical.

SARNOFF STEPS IN

But Miami's downtown city commissioner, Marc Sarnoff, stepped in at the last minute and thwarted the sale. It was one of Sarnoff's first actions as a new commissioner.

''I learned, I think, from The Miami Herald, that this was a park, because it didn't look like a park to me,'' Sarnoff said. ``It looked like a building, and I learned that it's still in our books as a park, so I of course was not going to sell a park.''

Sarnoff recalled that his efforts to preserve Paul Walker Park at first faced stiff resistance within City Hall -- proof Miami still has a ways to go when it comes to prioritizing park space.

On Tuesday, however, a crowd of more than 50 surrounded Sarnoff and other city leaders as they posed for pictures and tossed the ceremonial first piles of dirt.

`LITTLE CONCERTS'

In four months, that dirt will be replaced by a waterfall and fountain, shade trees, seating areas, and a musician stage.

''We should have little concerts in here, we could have symphonies playing,'' Sarnoff said.

Already, the sub sandwich shop -- named Latin Gourmet Restaurant, with signs that advertised ''Latin American Toasted Subs'' -- is gone.

Political fundraiser Lazaro Albo won the original restaurant management contract in 1992, but Hurricane Andrew and other difficulties complicated construction. The property stayed vacant or half-built for years. Former Miami City Manager Cesar Odio once called it a ``big political turkey.''

`ALWAYS A CROWD'

But now, more than a decade and a half after it disappeared, one of Miami's most centrally located parks is poised to return. The 4,200 square-foot property, its entrance about the size of a storefront, is surprisingly deep -- providing enough space for dozens of downtown workers clamoring for a burst of fresh air.

Indeed, a 1980 Miami Herald report marveled at how ''there's always a crowd'' at Paul Walker Park, ``anywhere from 30 to 50 people sitting, eating, reading, basking in the sun.''

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