On Friday, April 21, Allan Shulman, FAIA, spoke at the Jewish Museum of Florida for the 16th World Congress on Art Deco lecture series.

In his lecture, Shulman traces the origins of Miami Art Deco’s signature Tropical Stucco, which was commonly used in hotels, apartment buildings, and commercial buildings.

This is unique to Miami Art Deco’s regional interpretation of the style, which expressed the depression age’s optimism and was known to feature many tropical ornaments.

Shulman focuses on the unique architecture of Miami Beach, where many Art Deco buildings were conversing with each other, as were their architects.

Allan Shulman is an architect, author, editor, and curator. He is a professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture and the founding principal of his architectural office Shulman + Associates. Allan’s research focuses on themes of modernism, tropicality, and urbanism.

Published works include Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art and Identity, Miami Modern Metropolis: Paradise and Paradox in Midcentury Architecture and Planning; The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker in Florida; and as a co-author, The Making of Miami Beach: 1933-1942: The Architecture of Lawrence Murray Dixon; and Miami Architecture: An AIA Guide.

As an extension of his research, Shulman founded Shulman + Associates in 1996 with a focus on the creation of relevant, site-specific designs. In this body of work, he has become a leader in forging a creative urban synthesis of preservation and innovation, and in developing new approaches to tropical architecture.

Shulman holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University and a Master of Suburb & Town Planning from the University of Miami.

The 16th World Congress on Art Deco was made possible with the support of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, the State of Florida, the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies, and the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches.