With Miami Beach’s thriving travel and hospitality industries, the city has once again become a major destination for visitors from all over the world, bouncing back with significant resilience from its pandemic challenges. The Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) has supported the City’s efforts to preserve, protect, and promote a shared vision for an international arts and culture destination since 1976.
Barbara’s Vision
“All the ingredients are here to create one of the most distinctive urban environments in America: the architecture, the geographic location, the people. This could be a vibrant community where all kinds of people – elderly retirees, young artists, people from the North, people from Latin America – come together to create an exciting, harmonious community“
MDPL founder Barbara Baer Capitman, 1980
Miami Beach is seeing record-setting income from resort taxes, with collections reaching over $12.6 million in March 2022 alone. This impressive increase of 36.5% compared to collections from the previous year shows just how vibrant the city’s tourism and dining scene truly is. Resort taxes aren’t just an indicator of the city’s dynamic economy: they also support essential services such as capital improvements as well as the promotion of arts and culture tourism.
“This is wonderful news and a confirmation of MDPL and the City of Miami Beach’s decades-long partnership to create a vibrant, tropical, historic community that is also a major economic engine for the region,” said Daniel Ciraldo, Executive Director of the MDPL.
Visitors to Miami Beach can take advantage of many exciting attractions and destinations, including MDPL’s Art Deco Museum and Visitor Center plus its wide range of Art Deco-inspired activities. Miami Beach’s rich history and culture are waiting to be explored, and with a renewed focus on arts and culture, there’s never been a better time to visit.
A visit to the museum will teach about the three major historic design styles in Miami Beach. These styles are Mediterranean, Art Deco, and Miami Modern (MiMo). Scale models of select buildings allow you to have a closer look at the elements of these structures. You will also learn about the development of the City Miami Beach. The Miami Beach Visual Memoirs project has recorded the personal stories of people who have been a part of Miami Beach’s story. MDPL’s history is also on display so that guests can learn more about preservation. The museum includes a resource center, rotating exhibits, and more!
You never know what you might find at the Miami Design Preservation League which features several exhibits throughout the year. For Miami Beach Race Weekend, visitors can enjoy the History of Auto Racing in South Florida exhibit – on view now through May 9th.
MDPL also offers a wide variety of walking tours that are led by knowledgeable guides who are passionate about Miami Beach history and architecture. From walking tours to bus tours and even private group tours, MDPL has something for everyone interested in learning more about Miami Beach’s Art Deco Cultural District.
Visit mdpl.org for more information.
