Flamingo Plaza at 1051-1055 Meridian Avenue in the Flamingo Park area, was a classic Art Deco Hotel. Designed by L. Murray Dixon in 1937, this 38 room structure has a symmetrical and a triple facade in the A-B-A form, with both vertical and horizontal design features. You can find all the defining characteristics of the 1930’s era building here: eyebrows, glass blocks, colored keystone, neon lighting, terrazzo floors and exterior bas-relief displaying pastel colored flamingos and palm trees.
Today in opposite sides of the lobby there are still two original murals by Miami muralist, Earl LaPan. These were his most famous murals of a scene of pink flamingos frolicking in a colorful landscape. They both had been featured in several art books, including Tropical Deco. LaPan was specially noted for his popular murals in many Art Deco Hotels such as the Essex House and Victor Hotels.
Outside of the Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue area, The Flamingo Plaza was probably one of the most elaborately designed hotels. In 1988, the hotel was rehabbed by making the 38 rooms into 16 much larger rooms at the cost of $400,000. The building still stands today as a condominium and has been kept in pristine condition, with the original murals, terrazzo floors and stairway railing as they were in 1937. Shown are three vintage postcards from the 1940’s and several current day photographs taken on September 18, 2020.
