The Blackstone Hotel at 830 Washington Avenue was designed by architect B. Kingston Hall in 1929. Nathan Stone was the developer and built this 13 story hotel in the Mediterranean Revival style. His wish was to accommodate his northern Jewish customers who came to Miami Beach and were turned away at other hotels. Assisted by […]
Category Archives: archives
Hotel Leonard 54 Ocean Drive
The Hotel Leonard at 54 Ocean Drive was built in 1925 by the owner H.E. Glickman, who named it after his son Leonard. Across from Hardie’s Casino, it was designed by Pfeiffer & O’Reilly, as a three floor Spanish-Mission style hotel with a classic roof-line Mission parapet. It had 53 hotel rooms, all surrounding an indoor […]
1235 Washington Avenue
In 1934, The French Casino at 1235 Washington Avenue was built as a supper and vaudeville club, featuring cabaret acts and showgirls. By 1937, it was converted to a motion picture house by noted architect Thomas Lamb, at a staggering cost of $5 million for that era. Renamed the Cinema Casino Theatre, it was constructed […]
The Colors of Leonard Horowitz’s Life
This July 2021 we honor what would have been the 76th birthday of Leonard Horowitz. Leonard Eugene Lazar Horowitz was a young furniture designer from New York, who created window displays for Bloomingdale’s and studied architecture. At the time, he also created a modular-wedge furniture system that earned him awards, but not much money. The […]
The Surf Club
Originally opened in 1930, The Surf Club located at 9011 Collins Avenue was designed by pioneering Miami architect Russell Pancoast. It was the ultimate place to be seen. Located between Miami Beach and Bal Harbour, The Surf Club was built by tire tycoon Harvey Firestone during the Great Depression. In the 30’s it was the playground of […]
Carl Fisher’s Clubhouse
Carl Fisher’s Clubhouse built in 1916, just one year after the incorporation of the city of Miami Beach, was located at his executive golf course on Dade Blvd. and Washington Avenue. It is considered the oldest public building in Miami Beach. August Geiger was the architect, who also worked with Carl Fisher on various projects […]
1942 Postcard from WWII soldier to his mother
In honor of the Memorial Day Weekend we present a 1942 postcard from our archive collection written by Private Paul Munson, stationed in Miami Beach to his mother. “Dear Mother, Notice arrow in picture, that’s where I live. It’s a lovely location although the walk up five flights to get to room doesn’t add to […]
National Register of Historic Places
On May 14th, 1979, the Miami Beach Art Deco District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the nation’s first urban 20th century Historic District. This year we celebrate the 42nd anniversary of that momentous event! At a State of Florida hearing in December 1978, Barbara Baer Capitman made her passionate plea proposing […]
“Definitely Deco”
In the early 80s in the Art Deco Historic District, in the lobby of the Washington Storage Company, 1003 Washington Avenue, you could find the eclectic antique and gift shop by the apropos name of “Definitely Deco”. Marilyn Sandoz was the creator and owner of this unique shop. Marilyn would continually haunt estate and garage […]
The New Yorker Hotel
The New Yorker Hotel once stood at 1611 Collins Avenue. It was the destruction of this iconic 1940 hotel in January 1981, considered by some the masterpiece of local architect Henry Hohauser, that really sparked the historic preservation passion in Miami Beach. Barbara Baer Capitman and other preservationists won national attention when they briefly lay […]
1940’s “Kernel” Lew Mercur’s Nut Club
The “Nut Club”, known in the 40’s as “The Gayest Spot in Town” with “Continuous Screwey Entertainment”, offering “Dancing and Dinners from $1.50”, was located on Alton Road and Dade Blvd. This nightclub actually copyrighted their other popular saying displayed on their postcards, “We’re Never Too Busy To Say Hello!”. On February 13, 1943, Billboard’s magazine […]
Barbara Baer Capitman’s 101st Birthday
On April 9th, 2021, we celebrate the 101st year anniversary of the birthday of MDPL’s founder, Barbara Baer Capitman. We will be forever be in debt for her dedication, fierce determination and innovation for saving Miami Beach’s Art Deco District. Without her passion, 800 buildings may not have been recognized on the National Register of […]