World Congress Day Passes Now Available
Read Time: 3 mins The 16th World Congress on Art Deco® is coming to Miami and Miami Beach in April, and we have options for locals who want to participate in the biennial festivities! If you cannot join us for the entire 14-day Congress, we are now offering Individual Tickets to our Main Congress programs in South Florida between […]
2024 Docomomo US National Symposium Comes to Miami May 29-June 1
Read Time: 2 mins Experience one of the country’s richest collections of mid-century and postmodern architecture as Docomomo US holds its National Symposium in Miami, Miami Beach, and Coral Gables, May 29th to June 1st, 2024. Entitled Streams of Modernity: Postwar to Postmodern, the symposium is a collaboration of Docomomo US and the Docomomo US/Florida chapter.
People Saving Places: R.J. Heisenbottle Architects and the Freedom Tower
Read Time: 7 mins R.J. Heisenbottle Architects, P.A. (RJHA) was commissioned in 1987 by then-owner Zaminco International to conduct extensive restoration work to the rapidly decaying landmark to bring it back to its original 1925 splendor.
Keith Haring at the Wham Bam on Washington Avenue (1988)
Read Time: 2 mins Found among the archives PostMortem, a South Beach newspaper that ran from 1988-1990 and focused on arts and culture. A full-page ad announces a reception for the artist Keith Haring on Monday, May 2nd, 1988, at the Wham Bam at 437 Washington Avenue in South Beach.
People Saving Places: Infinity Collective and the Esmé Miami Beach
Read Time: 3 mins Interview with David Berg, Partner at Infinity Collective
Our Positions at the May 14th, 2024 Historic Preservation Board
Read Time: 6 mins MDPL’s Advocacy Committee has reviewed the following project on the upcoming Historic Preservation Board agenda and offers our positions below. Please note: the lack of a position on a project does not indicate support for or opposition to that project. Have a comment about a project you would like to share with our committee? Contact us. […]
A City Embraces Preservation (1986)
Read Time: 2 mins Barbara Baer Capitman, founder of the Miami Design Preservation League and monumental leader in the movement to save Art Deco, fought tirelessly for the preservation of Art Deco in the 1970s and 1980s. But it wasn’t until about 10 years into the effort that preservationists began to be taken seriously at the local level.
‘Streamline Dreamtime’ Art Deco Weekend (1988)
Read Time: 3 mins In 1988, the Miami Design Preservation League held its 11th Annual Art Deco Weekend. The festival’s theme was Streamline Dreamtime. Ocean Drive and the Art Deco District were slowly progressing from a hopeful dream to an innovative reality.
Moon Over Miami Ball at the Raleigh Hotel (1995)
Read Time: 3 mins Hosted annually from 1978 through the 1990s, the Moon Over Miami Ball was a black-tie soiree held to fundraise for the Miami Design Preservation League. The event featured a lively evening with a 1930s nightclub atmosphere, held at several hotels in the historic Art Deco district, and featuring a variety of celebrities each year highlighting a unique theme. Over the years, the Balls brought in some of the greatest talent in the industry, including Cab Calloway, Eartha Kitt, the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, the Incomparable Hildegarde, Lionel Hampton and the Swing Classics.
How to Celebrate Historic Preservation Month in May
Read Time: 4 mins May is Historic Preservation Month in the United States, organized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Here are our top picks for celebrating locally this month. Follow our events calendar for more events happening in historic places and beautiful spaces all year long. Take an Art Deco Walking Tour with the Miami Design Preservation […]
Nancy Liebman: “Beach Needs Preservation Expert” on the Planning Board (1986)
Read Time: 2 mins Before Miami Beach fully embraced its turnaround in the 1980s and 1990s, developers and preservationists alike had to come together to form a progressive and innovative plan for the future of the city. Part of this involved finding the best approach to planning and approvals within the district – a challenge given its status as the first 20th-century urban district in the United States listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our Drive, Ocean Drive: Campaign of 1986
Read Time: 3 mins The year was 1986 — Miami Beach was a tropical paradise that had fallen on hard times, and it was in the early stages of a citizen-led revitalization effort to spearhead economic development and improvements in the neighborhood.
Miami Shores Centennial Homes Tour and Exhibit Celebrates Historic Preservation Month
Read Time: 2 mins This Historic Preservation Month, celebrate one hundred years of Miami Shores History. A self-driving tour of six beautiful 1920’s houses is being sponsored by the Miami Shores Historic Preservation Board. The Centennial Splendor Tour is happening this Saturday, May 11th, from 10 am to 1 pm, starting at the Brockway Memorial Library, located at 10021 […]