Are there sections of Miami that are according to their decor or is it like a lot of other places that expansion takes place, new land is developed and newer buildings are built with more modern designs.
@skipt07 Miami Beach runs about 200 blocks from South Beach to Aventura. Back in the day, when I lived just across the Bay from SoBe, it was derelict and crime ridden. We would go there to eat at Wolfie's, a famous New York style deli (great cheesecake!). Lincoln Road, a upscale shopping center was hanging by a thread. In fact, the Saks there closed shortly after I left the area. Developers wanted to knock down all of South Beach and it's iconic Art Deco style. People said it would cost too much money to fix up. The preservationists persevered and SoBe was born and prospers. Miami Beach, to me, changes every few miles. The area I took these photos, and a number of my recent Miami photos, are around 71st Street. There is a neighborhood, known as Ocean Terrace, with low rise buildings that are old. This area is about half-way between South Beach and Aventura, so complete development has not reached here. There is a group of people trying to protect the old MiMo architecture in that area. MiMo is mid-century, so slightly older and different than the Art Deco phase. Quoting an article from 2004:
One architect who bridged the Art Deco-MiMO gap was Albert Anis, who created such Art Deco South Beach landmarks as the Clevelander, the Savoy, the Leslie, the Waldorf Towers, the Avalon and the Winter Haven before he moved on to his equally dramatic yet more organically shaped MiMO hotels of mid-beach, the Royal York (5875 Collins Ave.) and the Bel-Aire (6515 Collins)
Both hotels were recently the subjects of community protests against developers and calls for preservation, to date without success — the Bel-Aire’s fa’de has already been destroyed. Although preservationists are fighting the good fight, they are hampered by three harsh realities: (1) the current building code allows for far taller buildings than are currently standing, which is a boon for developers (2) The National Register of Historic Places, which would need to certify MiMO buildings in order to protect them from the wrecking ball, is unlikely to list properties younger than 50 years old unless they show “exceptional significance,” and (3) MiMO architecture is not universally considered to be of “exceptional significance.”
Even MiMO architect Morris Lapidus has weighed in against preservation; he was quoted in The New York Times as saying of the Bel-Aire, “Try living in a hotel like that. They were nice hotels for their time, but that time has passed.” Architect Norman Giller, who designed The Carillon (6801 Collins Ave.), lamented to The Miami Herald, “I think something needs to be done. It’s a crime the way [The Carillon’s] just sitting there. It’s an eyesore.” This particular eyesore won a Hotel of the Year award in 1957 for its distinctive glass facade and accordion wall in the ballroom. More than 40 years later, it stands abandoned."
It's funny, because I took a photo of the Carillon Hotel. It has been renovated! I believe my prom took place there. I will post that photo tomorrow.
My parents actually knew Morris Lapidus. I even sold a condo in one of his buildings not too long ago. They are definitely leaning towards preserving that kind of architecture there in Miami. Times have changed in 12 years!
@eyesmile It's funny, because it had been raining and it rained afterwards. The blue sky here is just temporary! We've had a lot of rain this winter, normally our dry season.
January 12th, 2016
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One architect who bridged the Art Deco-MiMO gap was Albert Anis, who created such Art Deco South Beach landmarks as the Clevelander, the Savoy, the Leslie, the Waldorf Towers, the Avalon and the Winter Haven before he moved on to his equally dramatic yet more organically shaped MiMO hotels of mid-beach, the Royal York (5875 Collins Ave.) and the Bel-Aire (6515 Collins)
Both hotels were recently the subjects of community protests against developers and calls for preservation, to date without success — the Bel-Aire’s fa’de has already been destroyed. Although preservationists are fighting the good fight, they are hampered by three harsh realities: (1) the current building code allows for far taller buildings than are currently standing, which is a boon for developers (2) The National Register of Historic Places, which would need to certify MiMO buildings in order to protect them from the wrecking ball, is unlikely to list properties younger than 50 years old unless they show “exceptional significance,” and (3) MiMO architecture is not universally considered to be of “exceptional significance.”
Even MiMO architect Morris Lapidus has weighed in against preservation; he was quoted in The New York Times as saying of the Bel-Aire, “Try living in a hotel like that. They were nice hotels for their time, but that time has passed.” Architect Norman Giller, who designed The Carillon (6801 Collins Ave.), lamented to The Miami Herald, “I think something needs to be done. It’s a crime the way [The Carillon’s] just sitting there. It’s an eyesore.” This particular eyesore won a Hotel of the Year award in 1957 for its distinctive glass facade and accordion wall in the ballroom. More than 40 years later, it stands abandoned."
It's funny, because I took a photo of the Carillon Hotel. It has been renovated! I believe my prom took place there. I will post that photo tomorrow.
My parents actually knew Morris Lapidus. I even sold a condo in one of his buildings not too long ago. They are definitely leaning towards preserving that kind of architecture there in Miami. Times have changed in 12 years!