Editors Note: The Barbara Baer Capitman archives “Historic Threads” project is partly sponsored by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, and the State of Florida.
In the 1980s, Miami Beach faced a dilemma that would crucially impact its future: Would it turn into a city full of brand-new skyscraper condos, or would it be a revitalized city honoring its past with an eye toward its future? The following quotes are from a Miami Herald editorial written by Charles Whited on January 29, 1981, in which he argues that Art Deco could save the desolate island and move it toward a cultural revival.
“Frankly, I think Miami Beach needs all the imagination and stimulus it can get. As a place to go and have fun, America’s Winter playground nowadays is pretty dead.”
Charles Whited begins by describing the challenge that preservationists in Miami Beach encountered when developers aimed to demolish historic structures and replace them with skyscrapers and condominiums:
This is nothing new. In a standoff between private developers, with all their megabucks and political clout, and the preservation-minded people in Miami Beach, the developers seldom lose. The city fathers of a bygone era turned over the beach itself — the very sands of the Atlantic oceanfront so vital to tourism — to builders. As a result, most of that once-stunning beachfront was filled with monstrous hotels. Later, in the early 1960s, we saw the felony compounded. The lovely old estates that graced the Atlantic oceanfront from the present-day Fontainebleau northward were razed, and skyscraper condominiums built in their place. Today’s Collins Avenue runs like a canyon road alongside those rabbit warrens in the sky.
Mr. Whited gives his not-so-popular opinion on Art Deco architecture:
I’ve made my own position on Art Deco pretty clear. I love the stuff. And while, sure, it might be tacky by some people’s standards of art and culture (what do I know about art and culture?) tacky can be strangely beautiful. Especially in the architecture of the 1930s.
Barbara Baer Capitman and the Miami Design Preservation League were the voices of these buildings during the 1980s:
The point is, I think that Art Deco’s drumbeaters, Barbara Capitman and friends of the Miami Design Preservation League, have got a great idea. A unique district in Miami Beach, harking back to that Depression decade’s incredible color and flair, could be a strong tourist draw — like New Orlean’s Bourbon Street and Boston’s Beacon Hill — giving visitors a place to go and things to do.
Charles Whited concludes his article by explaining how the resurgence of Art Deco was untapped potential waiting to be recognized:
I don’t mean to knock the efforts of private developers to make a buck. Private enterprise, in real estate and elsewhere, built the American dream. But if developers rip down the unique segments of the city, and replace it with more of the hulking condominiums, then they’re not as smart as I think they are. Miami Beach is at a crossroads. Will it revive as Fun City or Condo City? Today’s world is a frantic pursuit of recreation and pleasure. Leisure is America’s leading cash industry. And old Art Deco sits there like a bonanza waiting to be tapped. Even if some folks think it’s schlock.
