MDPL Opposes Addition of 10–Story Tower + Water Slides to Fontainebleau Hotel
MDPL opposes the proposed water park intervention at the Fontainebleau. While we recognize the interest in expanding family-oriented programming, this proposal is fundamentally incompatible with the architectural integrity of this individually designated landmark and the established character of its surrounding context. Ownership of a historic property carries with it a responsibility to steward—not visually dominate or diminish—the very qualities that warranted its landmark designation.
The introduction of a water slide and tower would constitute a visually dominant, vertical structure that would compete with, rather than complement, the Fontainebleau’s iconic massing and historic resort silhouette. Such an addition would materially transform the perception of one of Miami Beach’s most recognizable properties and establish a troubling precedent for future alterations to designated historic resources.
Equally concerning, the proposal would compromise visual access to the Fontainebleau from the water, disrupting a character-defining relationship between the landmark and the shoreline that has shaped Miami Beach’s historic identity in film, photography, and popular culture.
The proposed scale and spectacle of the slide structures are inconsistent with the refined historic beach resort identity that has defined Miami Beach and contributed to its international reputation. Responsible ownership of a historic building carries a moral obligation to steward an irreplaceable resource. It should ensure that the new work protects the landmark’s architectural integrity and public value rather than diminishing it.
MDPL Opposes Proposed Demolition of the Morris Lapidus-Designed South Shore Community Center
MDPL stands in opposition to the demolition of the South Shore Community Center, a significant civic work by Morris Lapidus, whose influence helped shape Miami Beach’s architectural identity. As an early and remarkably intact example of Lapidus’s modernist public architecture, the building represents a defining moment in the city’s postwar evolution, when design was not only used to create iconic resort destinations, but also to elevate the everyday life of residents through ambitious civic investment. Its sculptural forms, human-scaled modernism, and contextual relationship to the surrounding neighborhood embody principles that would later contribute to Miami Beach’s international reputation.
Demolition of this structure would constitute an irreversible loss of an architecturally and culturally significant resource, eliminating a tangible link to Miami Beach’s mid-century civic history and to one of the city’s most influential designers. Preservation, by contrast, offers the opportunity for sensitive adaptive reuse, allowing the South Shore Community Center to continue serving the public while honoring its architectural legacy, reinforcing neighborhood continuity, and affirming Miami Beach’s longstanding commitment to reimagining its historic built environment rather than replacing it.
