Did you know that in between saving our Art Deco Historic District, the founder of MDPL Barbara Baer Capitman was a talented artist as well? Check out our virtual exhibit of drawings & watercolors done by Barbara.
Drawings from the Barbara Baer Capitman Archives.
What would Miami Beach be like without Historic Art Deco, Mediterranean, and MiMo buildings?
Read Time: 3 mins Andrew Capitman, son of Miami Design Preservation League leader Barbara Baer Capitman, was a leading Art Deco rehabilitation pioneer in the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, he purchased the Cardozo Hotel with a group of enthusiastic investors who believed in the resurgence of the city through the preservation of its past. Mr. Capitman instinctively knew that a 1930s revival would dramatically improve tourism.
Read Time: 2 mins In 1984, six hotels underwent major renovations that would mark the second wave of an Art Deco revival in South Beach. According to a Miami Herald article written by Paul Shannon on July 8, 1984, Royale Group Ltd. officials secured a $13.5 million loan to pay for the planned renovation, which included painting and refurbishing in the original Art Deco style.
Read Time: 2 mins Editors Note: The Barbara Baer Capitman archives “Historic Threads” project is partly sponsored by the Department of State,
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