This spring semester two students (Aileen Garrido and Kristen Argalas) and two professors (Sandra Suarez and Elizabeth Cardona) from Florida International University's Architecture School have been hard at work creating a template to survey the Art Deco Historic District. 

They completed their work and presented their findings at a Re-Survey Committee meeting in May. Their research was highly detailed and included Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings for six buildings. 

Due to the depth of their research they were only able to complete a full study on 6 properties. However the committee learned a lot from their study and has plans to move forward with a broader survey soon.  

At its June meeting, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board will consider a new application to demolish 1001 Lincoln Road. Previously, the owners proposed to build a new Apple store on the site. That proposal never materialized. Now, over a year later, a new application has been submitted with a new building proposed to house the GAP and as yet unnamed tenant.

MDPL will present the following statement in opposition to the new proposal at the June 12th meeting:

"The Miami Design Preservation League has consistently opposed the demolition of buildings listed as contributing the City's historic districts. In some situations, contributing buildings have been demolished because they were determined to be unsafe structures; in other cases contributing buildings have been demolished when they were not the primary structures on the property and their demolition contributed to the restoration and renovation of the principal building on that property.

 

MDPL opposes the total demolition of the property at 1001 Lincoln Road because the building is a contributing structure. The building is occupied and has not been declared unsafe. MDPL's position is that a viable contributing building should not be demolished.

 

In many cases, MDPL has supported the partial demolition of an historic property when that demolition contributed to the restoration and renovation of the contributing building. MDPL is prepared to consider a proposal for the restoration and renovation of this property, including compatible new construction, which does not involve the total demolition of the contributing structure.

 

The 1001 Lincoln Road building is part of the Lincoln Road Mall ensemble of buildings. The Lincoln Road Mall was re-imagined by Morris Lapidus in 1960. His designs solidified the street into a single entity. The 1001 Lincoln Road building remains today as it was in 1960 when it became part of that larger vision. The strength of Lincoln Road's historic status comes from the quantity of historic buildings not any one building.

 

The applicant has not requested the re-classification of the property at 1001 Lincoln. MDPL believes that the property is a contributing structure and is correctly listed. MDPL would oppose any application for reclassification since the property clearly provides a unique opportunity to study the progression of architectural styles in the district, specifically in context with buildings to the south, and the transition from revivalist to modern styles. The building's distinction derives from its unusual provenance and its adherence to the ideal of  'good neighbor' design which characterize these historic ensembles, and from its place within the context of the Miami Beach Architectural District as a record of the development of 20th century design in the United States.

Starting now, each month we will bring you the latest updates on Art Deco Weekend 2013. 

Thank you for your ongoing support! We look forward to Art Deco Weekend 2013!

 

Our Visual Memoirs project is coming together nicely. We have already interviewed the first 30 people with that portion funded by the VCA. Thanks to our successful www.power2give.org fundraiser and MDPL supporters like you, we were able to raise money to fund 10 additional interviews, which are now underway.

We had a competition in April asking for your memories of Miami Beach. The requirements were to write a 500 word essay about your favorite Miami Beach memory. We would like to share the winning essay with you. Be sure to follow this Visual Memoirs Project on Facebook to see who is being interviewed and to follow all the exciting updates.

VISUAL MEMOIRS FACEBOOK PAGE:

VISUAL MEMOIRS WINNING ESSAY:

 

MEMORIES of MIAMI BEACH

 

by Sheryl Gold

 

The stately Roney Plaza hotel, built in 1925-26, was located at 23rd and Collins, facing the Altantic. An enormous structure, designed in Mediterranean revival style by Schultze and Weaver, the "Roney" was the grand dame of

Miami Beach hotels...like the Biltmore in Coral Gables and The Breakers in

Palm Beach.

 

The hotel was a standout for several reasons: its flamingo pink color, huge size, towering height, architecture and unique amenities. It was a real tragedy when, in 1968, the city permitted new owners to demolish this landmark. Of course, this was before preservationists found their voice.

 

I grew up on Miami Beach from the age of four, not far from the Roney. My best friend Bonnie (half-sister of former Miami Beach mayor Mel Richard) and I played in the hotel garden. After school, we would walk along the promenade from her home in the Francis I DuPont & Co. building, a beautiful limestone structure, to the hotel. Once there, we would romp among cages with exotic birds and fountains. The Roney garden was its own tropical paradise...a combination of botanical garden and parrot jungle. What an enchanting playground!

 

The Roney wasn't the only place where we could interact with colorful birds. Live macaws and other multi colored birds greeted moviegoers from their perches in the lobby of the Carib Theatre on Lincoln Road. They complemented stylized fish designs, natural stone walls, miniature waterfalls, fountains, plantings and sea and wave motifs. When I grew up, I worked at WTVJ, Florida's first TV station, owned by Mitchell Wolfson, the man who had the vision to build this tropical movie palace. One of my first responsibilities was as "gatekeeper" of the tickets to the Jackie Gleason show at the Miami Beach Auditorium.

 

Continuing with the bird theme, just down the street at Collins and Lincoln, was Pickin' Chicken, a restaurant featuring fried chicken that had folks standing in line.

 

We not only lived on a barrier island...we rarely ventured off the island.

 

As youngsters, we flourished in our natural surroundings in spite of the

challenges of living in the tropics with undeveloped swampland and without air conditioning. We were covered constantly with calamine lotion to soothe prickly heat and mosquito bites. In retrospect, the most harmful side effect was our exposure to DDT spraying by low flying planes.

 

To end on a positive note, growing up in this abundant Eden led to my environmental activism and advocacy for our urban forest. Being introduced at a young age to the abundant wonders of nature--flora and fauna, sun and sand, and the endless ebb and tide of the ocean-- instilled in me a heightened awareness of the delicate balance between our natural resources and development.

 

Miami Beach remains a barrier island, with a location and geographic limitations that influence how best to ensure its sustainability. I'm hopeful that all who love this special place in the sun will be good stewards, now and into the future. 

 

 

A non-profit preservation and arts organization founded in 1976, Miami Design Preservation League, Inc. is devoted to preserving, protecting, and promoting the architectural, cultural, social, economic and environmental integrity of Miami Beach and surrounding areas.

 

MDPL is the oldest Art Deco Society in the world.

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