In 1910 Carl Fisher began to transform Miami Beach into a world class resort destination. The Miami Beach Improvement Company was founded in 1916 by John Collins and it platted the Oceanfront Subdivision and named the area Miami Beach. In the 1920's during Florida's land boom years, many hotels and mansions were built. The 1930's and 40's were the height of the Art Deco design movement inspired by Paris and many of the hotels were built in this style.
By the 1970's Miami Beach was run down by neglect and salt water damage. Things were so bad that the movie Scarface used South Beach as a stand in for a drug infested ghetto neighborhood. Barbara Baer Capitman and a group of activists banded together to preserve the Art Deco buildings of South Beach. Capitman founded the Miami Design Preservation League in 1976 with Leonard Horowitz which started a movement to place one square mile of South Beach on the National Register of Historic Places. Their efforts enabled 800 of the historic Art Deco buildings to be saved. In the late 1980's South Beach had a resurgence. Models and the fashion industry moved in. An area that once had people thinking twice about driving through became home to the wealthy. Today it is walking friendly and generally low crime.
As a component of trying to save the Art Deco gems in the 1970's, the Miami Design Preservation League founded Art Deco Week in 1978 to bring attention to saving this area. The event transitioned into an annual free weekend festival celebrating the district's history, arts, and iconic style. Today it is the Preservation League's largest educational outreach program for the city's famous landscape.
Although I have visited this area many times, this was my first time attending the festival. My favorite part was being able to walk up and down Ocean Drive since it was closed off to traffic for this weekend. Many of the restaurants extended their normal sidewalk dining into the street creating elaborate outdoor dining areas. In addition to dining specials offered by area restaurants this event also has a car show, artisan market, Jazz Age Stage with live music and dancing, VIP Opening Night Soiree, lectures, and residential and Ocean Drive architectural tours for $40. You can also visit the Miami Preservation League's Welcome Center and Museum. There are fun photo opportunities set up in Lumus park opposite the Versace mansion. Parking in South Beach is always a challenge but as a fan of both history and architecture this festival was right up my alley. read more