Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which separates the Beach from the mainland city of Miami. The neighborhood of South Beach, comprising the southernmost 2.5 square miles (6.5 km2) of Miami Beach, along with Downtown Miami and the Port of Miami, collectively form the commercial center of South Florida. Miami Beach's population is 82,890 according to the 2020 census. Miami Beach is the 26th largest city in Florida based on official 2019 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. It has been one of America's pre-eminent beach resorts since the early 20th century.
Morris Lapidus was an architect, primarily known for his Neo-baroque "Miami Modern" hotels constructed in the 1950s and 60s, which have since come to define that era's resort-hotel style, synonymous with Miami and Miami Beach.
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York, United States. A source interviewed by Time magazine stated that the visits to the area by Jewish families was already underway "as early as the 1890s ... Tannersville ... was 'a great resort of our Israelite breathren'...from the 1920s on [there were] hundreds of hotels".
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States, located due east of Miami city proper between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard.
Miami Modernist architecture, or MiMo, is a regional style of architecture that developed in South Florida during the post-war period. The style was internationally recognized as a regionalist response to the International Style. It can be seen in most of the larger Miami and Miami Beach resorts built after the Great Depression. Because MiMo styling was not just a response to international architectural movements but also to client demands, themes of glamour, fun, and material excess were added to otherwise stark, minimalist, and efficient styles of the era. The style can be most observed today in Middle and Upper Miami Beach along Collins Avenue, as well as along the Biscayne Boulevard corridor starting from around Midtown, through the Design District and into the Upper Eastside.
Ocean Drive is a major thoroughfare in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, on the east or Atlantic coast of the State of Florida, in the United States. In July 2020, Miami Beach Commission passed a resolution that banned cars on Ocean Drive to create a pedestrian thoroughfare and increased sidewalk seating.
The Miami Beach Convention Center is a convention center located in Miami Beach, Florida. Originally opening in 1958, the venue is composed of four exhibition halls, two ballrooms and a concert venue.
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel was a resort in the Catskill Mountains in the Town of Liberty, near the village of Liberty, New York. One of the largest Borscht Belt resorts, it was a kosher establishment that catered primarily to Jewish clients from New York City. After decades of activity and notable guests, it closed in 1986. The resort buildings were demolished in 2018.
The Miami Beach Architectural District is a U.S. historic district located in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. The area is well known as the district where Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace lived and was assassinated by crazed C.S. Lewis enthusiast Andrew Cunanan, in a mansion on Ocean Drive. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Sixth Street to the south, Alton Road to the west and the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard to the north. It contains 960 historic buildings.
The Concord Resort Hotel ) was a resort in the Borscht Belt of the Catskills, known for its large resort industry in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Located in Kiamesha Lake, New York, United States, the Concord was the largest resort in the region and was also one of the last to finally close in 1998, long after the others closed. At the Concord, there were over 1,500 guest rooms and a dining room that sat 3,000; the resort encompassed some 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). The resort was a kosher establishment, catering primarily to Jewish vacationers from the New York City area, and it was more lavish in decor and activities than comparable large Catskill resorts.
Victor Hugo Nellenbogen was a Hungarian-American architect known for his Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival designs in Miami Beach during the first half of the 20th century. His notable buildings include the Savoy Plaza Hotel on Ocean Drive, the Lord Tarleton Hotel on 40th and 41st Streets, and the Sterling Building on Lincoln Road.
Teatro Fox Delicias is a historic building in the city of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Inaugurated in 1931, it originally housed a movie house until 1980, from 1991 to 1998 it house a shopping mall, and stating in 2004 it housed a boutique hotel. Its architecture is Art Deco. Originally called Teatro Delicias, it was renamed Fox Delicias many years after its inauguration based on a contract with 20th Century Fox.
The Surfcomber Hotel is a boutique hotel on Collins Avenue in the historic Art Deco district of South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. The hotel was built in 1948 and was acquired by the Kimpton hotel chain in April 2011. The Surfcomber is known for pool parties, and it served as the headquarters for MTV during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and for Bud Light during Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. The hotel is located at 1717 Collins Avenue, on the shore of Miami's South Beach.
Lawrence Murray Dixon was an architect in Miami Beach, Florida. He was born in Live Oak, Florida, attended the Georgia School of Technology (1918-1919) and worked in New York for Schultze and Weaver from 1923 to 1929, when he moved to Miami Beach. He is credited with designing The Temple House (1933) in the South Beach section of Miami Beach as well as other Art Deco hotels and residences. Dixon is listed as a Great Floridian.
Henry Hohauser was an architect in Miami Beach, Florida. He is known for his Art Deco architecture stylings, and is listed as a "Great Floridian"; in 1993, he was ranked as one of the 100 most influential people in South Florida history by The Miami Herald.
Les Dennis Beilinson was an American architect and preservationist. He was known for his work in Miami's Art Deco district, both preserving existing architecture and ensuring its ongoing viability through modernization and upgrade for commercial purposes. As a founding member of the City of Miami Historic Preservation board, Beilinson was a defender of the glory days of 1940s and 1950s Miami against threats from unmoderated development. Beilinson was the founding partner of Beilinson Gomez Architects, PA, in partnership with Jose Gomez, AIA.
Barbara Baer Capitman was a community activist and author who led the effort to preserve Miami Beach's historic art deco district and helped create the Miami Design Preservation League. A historical marker as well as a memorial honor her in Miami Beach.
Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the programs accepts nominations and identifies hotels that have maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity. As of June 5, 2015, the program included over 260 members in 44 states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
B. Robert Swartburg was an American architect working in New York and Florida primarily known for his Modern and Streamline Moderne architectural style. He was one of the leading modernist architects in South Florida contributing greatly to the development of MiMo Modern style in the post- WWII 40s and 50's. In his 35-year career he is said to have designed over 1000 buildings. Swartburg was also an accomplished artist who painted for pleasure, and executed murals and sculptures to embellish his buildings.
