from the Archives

Barbara Baer Capitman’s Run For Commissioner

Read Time: < 1 min

Barbara Baer Capitman, the founder of MDPL, ran for the office of Miami Beach Commission back in 1983. Although she lost the election, her vision for Miami Beach endures to this day. Her campaign slogan was “Restore Our Paradise”. Shown is an archival political ad for her campaign including a notice for meetups and swim parties every Wednesday at the Sans Souci Hotel for her committee members. Also shown is her campaign poster and shopping bag. All from MDPL’s Barbara Baer Capitman Archives.

Shopping bag for Barbara Baer Capitman’s Campaign for City Commission with slogan “Restore Our Paradise”
Political ad for Barbara Capitman’s campaign including a notice for meetups and swim parties every Wednesday at the Sans Souci Hotel for her committee members.

Barbara Baer Capitman, the founder of MDPL, ran for the office of Miami Beach Commission back in 1983. Here is her campaign poster.

What would Miami Beach be like without Historic Art Deco, Mediterranean, and MiMo buildings?

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Explore the MDPL Archives

Capitman's Cardozo Leads Way (1979)

Capitman’s Cardozo Leads Way (1979)

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.

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Six Art Deco Hotels Facing Renovation (1984)

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.

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