On Saturday, January 13, 2024, Anna Andrzejewski presented her lecture “The Florida House, 1945-1965” at the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum.
Often one story tall and built of concrete block—with a large screened-in porch, Florida room (more commonly known today as a sunroom), louvered windows, and carport—the Florida House became a popular vernacular form in South Florida after the Second World War. Not simply the result of builders copying designs by known architects like Igor Polevitzky and Paul Rudolph on the cheap, the idea of the Florida House was cultivated by builders and developers hoping to lure northerners to the Sunshine State. Using colorful promotional materials and archival evidence, scholar Anna Andrzejewski explores how these efforts were so successful that within a generation, both coasts of South Florida were transformed into a sprawling suburban landscape.
Organized with Miami Design Preservation League and presented as part of Art Deco Weekend.
Art Deco Weekend is produced and owned by the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) with major funding and support from the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.
