Editors Note: The Barbara Baer Capitman archive’s “Historic Threads” project is sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources and the State of Florida.
In the 1970s, Leonard Horowitz left his design office in New York City for a vacation in Miami Beach. He became so enthralled by endless summers and ocean waves that he chose to establish his permanent residence in South Florida. An artist had now found paradise and would make sure to leave his mark throughout history, redefining the city’s style forever.
Horowitz was an award-winning industrial designer who graduated from the New York Institute of Technology as an Environmental Architect. One day, while strolling around Miami Beach, he decided to scout the area “to see if there was anything worth saving,” and that’s when he first took notice of the Beacon Hotel.
“I realized that all these old hotels I hadn’t seen or thought about since I vacationed here as a child were prime examples of Art Deco. And I thought boy, I could have a wonderful time painting all these old buildings – wouldn’t they look great with the architectural features highlighted through color so that anyone passing by could see the shapes that I see now?” –Leonard Horowitz, ‘Leonard Horowitz’s Neighborhood’, by Marlena B. Morton, 1988
When it came to style, Leonard decided to take the initiative. He saw color in a way that the rest of the world did not. He painted buildings the colors of tropical sunsets and sea foam greens, highlighting architectural details that had long been concealed under white and beige paint. It was like applying blush to enhance cheekbones or lipstick to pale lips. Leonard began to foreshadow what the Art Deco District could become.
“Most buildings tell you what color they should be.” Leonard Horowitz, Post Mortem Newspaper, Author Kim Rose, Jan 10, 1989
In 1976 Leonard and his group had found their cause – the preservation of the Art Deco District – and their name, the Miami Design Preservation League. He and his dear friend, Barbara Baer Capitman, became leading voices for these deco buildings. They co-founded the league along with eight other passionate individuals. The Miami Design Preservation League was on a mission: to preserve Miami Beach’s Art Deco heritage. They peppered the district with posters announcing their first public meeting. Over 400 design professionals showed up to hear speakers discuss the history and preservation potential of the area.
Leonard devoted his life to preserving the district and pushing for national recognition. In 1979, the Miami Design Preservation League’s intense lobbying efforts on behalf of the district paid off when the National Register of Historic Places officially designated a one-square-mile area of Miami Beach as a historic district. It became the first 20th-century urban historic district in the United States.
“The City and the County became interested in preserving some of the old buildings. The first project was the Washington Avenue Revitalization Program. With grant money, Leonard was hired to restore the buildings to their former glory through the use of carefully applied colors from an Art Deco palette that he had created. A part of this program was Friedman’s Bakery on Washington Avenue. For the first time, he was able to implement what has become an integral part of his design.” —Marlena B. Morton, ‘Leonard Horowitz’s Neighborhood’, 1988
Leonard painted Friedman’s Bakery to resemble a Deco-Style birthday cake and it was coined a symbol of hope for preservationists.
The Art Deco District became an innovative destination that everyone was ready to see: as the setting for Miami Vice, as the backdrop for thousands of fashion photoshoots, and soon, as one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world.
Leonard Horowitz not only spoke to save the Art Deco District, but he became a local who lived in the very midst of it.
“Leonard’s move to 1211 Pennsylvania Avenue had been the move of a person already knowledgeable about the Art Deco style which I was not. Unerringly he chose an apartment in a Henry Hohauser building with swooping balconies, porthole windows, ziggurat doorways, and a fireplace with bas-relief decorations. These were new revival components to all of us who went to visit him; we were not really aware that this was the look of the future for the Beach.” —‘Leonard Horowitz Special Memories’ article by Barbara Baer Capitman, May 1989
Leonard L. Horowitz, died of AIDS on May 5th, 1989, and MDPL, which he founded with Barbara Capitman in 1976, held a memorial service for him on Sunday, May 28th. His use of pastels is what will ensure he is always remembered. Those pastels helped define the iconic Art Deco buildings that we hold so dear.
“Without Lenny, the Art Deco District would not have the same kind of vitality, imagination, and aesthetic.” — developer Tony Goldman, owner of Park Central Hotel, May 7, 1989, article by Beth Dunlap, Miami Herald
