The Miami Design Preservation League recently received a remarkable collection as a generous donation that traces the MDPL’s history back to 1976, the year of our founding. The items document the early efforts to preserve the Art Deco Historic District and to create Art Deco Weekend (the 49th annual beloved event is around the corner from Jan. 9-11, 2026). The collection will supplement the Barbara Baer Capitman Archives.
It comes from long-time members Michael D. Kinerk and Dennis W. Wilhelm, who were pivotal to MDPL’s early work.
“We were involved with virtually all MDPL activities for many years, the most memorable being our presentation to First Lady Barbara Bush at the White House,” Michael Kink and Dennis Wilhelm wrote in a statement. “We each served on the Board of Directors and Art Deco Weekend Committees, edited the newsletter “Impressions”, hosted events, made donations and co-authored “Rediscovering Art Deco U.S.A.” with Barbara Capitman. From 2005-2014 we began sorting and organizing the material and putting things into numbered archival boxes and sending them to climate controlled storage. Over those years we contributed many hours cataloging the boxes and paid thousands of dollars to store the boxes.”
Highlights of the collection include:
– Barbara Baer Capitman’s cape worn to protests and special events
– Photos from MDPL’s early years
– Items from the estate of Leonard Horowitz, the MDPL co-founder and a visionary who helped turn the Art Deco District into a pastel paradise
– Architect Andres Fabregas’ personal slides of the newly completed Miami Beach City Hall
– A scrapbook of early MDPL newsletters and news clips
– A 1989 interview with Barbara Capitman on cassette
– Research files for the book Michael and Dennis wrote with Barbara, titled “Rediscovering Art Deco U.S.A.”
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Michael and Dennis for their irreplaceable work and dedication to preservation and for carefully taking care of vital documents that help tell the rich story of Miami Beach’s Art Deco heritage!
Michael Kinerk, Dennis Wilhelm and Barbara Capitman
