Art Deco Weekend is around the corner (Jan 12-14!) and our 2024 Official Poster by Sergey Serebrennikov features 10 places that represent this year’s theme: “Celebrating Florida’s Historic Coastal Communities.” Here’s a look at each place and the landmarks that make them so special.
Editors Note: For a full list of events, including lectures, walking tours, music, and more, visit the Art Deco Weekend official website: click here. This event is made possible with the generous support of the City of Miami Beach and the Original Miami Beach Antique Show.
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic Coast of northeastern Florida. It is the most populated city in the state and the largest city by area in the United States. Memorial Park honors those lost in World War I, and features the “Spiritualized Life” sculpture designed by Charles Adrian Pillars. To learn more about Memorial Park, click here.
St. Augustine
St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States. Since the late 19th century, St. Augustine’s distinctive historical character has made the city a tourist attraction. Castillo de San Marcos, the city’s 17th-century Spanish fort constructed out of sedimentary rock, is one of the city’s most popular historical landmarks and tourist attractions.
Vero Beach
Vero Beach is a city in Indian River County, Florida and it is nicknamed “The Gateway to the Tropics.” The city was named the 7th Best Small Beach Town in Florida by Southern Living Magazine in 2023. The iconic Driftwood Resort is located right along the beach and its a favorite spot for visitors and locals alike.
Palm Beach
Palm Beach is a town separated from West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoastal Waterway to its west, and a small section of the Intracoastal Waterway and South Palm Beach to its south. Its most famous hotel is the Breakers Hotel, designed in 1925 by the architectural firm of Schultze & Weaver.
Miami Beach
Miami Beach is a coastal city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. In 1979, Miami Beach’s Art Deco Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to the work of the Miami Design Preservation League and other local stakeholders. The Art Deco District is the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world. It is the site of the annual Art Deco Weekend festival.
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida and is the Southernmost city in the United States. Its official city motto is “One Human Family.” Key West is extremely pedestrian-friendly, and the locals welcome its high traffic of tourists year-round, who come to explore Old Town and its rich history. The Southernmost House Hotel was built in 1897 and is now known as Mansion on the Sea. It’s had many uses over its 120+ year history – as a single-family home, nightclub, and hotel – proving that historic buildings can be adapted for many uses to ensure their ongoing sustainability.
Fort Myers
Fort Myers, Florida, is a gateway to the southwest Florida region and a popular tourist destination. The city takes its name from a local former fort built during the Seminole Wars. The fort took its name from Colonel Abraham Myers in 1850. The Edison and Ford Winter Estates are now museums open to the public. They tell the history of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s time in Fort Myers where they spent the winter.
Sarasota
Sarasota is a city located in southwest Florida, the southern end of the Greater Tampa Bay Area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. The city is rich in arts & culture and was home to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Ringling Museum is a historic landmark completed in 1926, formerly the home of John and Mable Ringling and now a preeminent art institution.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, FL is the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. Locals often refer to the city as St. Pete. With an average of 361 days of sunshine annually, and a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive days of sunshine (768 days between 1967 and 1969) it’s no wonder St. Petersburg is nicknamed “The Sunshine City.” The Vinoy Hotel opened in 1925 and was designed by architect Henry L. Taylor.
Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle. The city is a seaport on Pensacola Bay and it is nicknamed “The City of Five Flags,” due to the five governments that have ruled it during its history: Spain, France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Confederate States of America. The old Pensacola City Hall was built in 1907 in the Mediterranean Revival style of architecture and is now operated as the Pensacola Historical Museum.
