The southern end of the the 10-mile-long barrier island of Miami Beach is home to
the Art Deco National Historic District, the only location in the United States to
be so designated. It is comprised of a few dozen hotels and apartment buildings
built primarily in the 1930's. These buildings are soaring examples of pre-war
modernism with charactertic rounded corners and geometric ornamentation. The highlight
of the district is the strip of hotels along Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th street.
While the area is thriving
today, the southern region of Miami Beach has a less than
perfect history. When the first buildings were completed
in the 1920's during prohibition, South Beach soon became
associated with liquor and gambling and attracted the likes
of Al Capone. By the early 1980's, much of the Art Deco
district had become a slum and a center for drug traffic.
South Beach experienced an unprecedented revival in the late 80's which some
partially attribute to the success of the TV show "Miami
Vice." More likely, it was the result of the non-profit Miami Design
Preservation League and its founder Barbara Baer Capitman.
Today, almost all of the original buildings have
been meticulously restored and painted in a colorful array
of pastels. Known familiarly as "SoBe" the area is now the
chic-est place to be in all of Miami and Miami Beach and
has been referred to as "America's Riviera."
The Art Deco Welcome Center, at 1001 Ocean Drive (305-531-3484)
offers daily tours of the district.
[ Home |
E-Mail |
Diner Reviews |
Mailing List |
Buy Stuff ]
|
|
|
