Explore the Morris Lapidus / Mid 20Th Century Historic District

Ben Novack and Morris Lapidus, found themselves Architecture Explore the Morris Lapidus / unexpectedly intertwined in a high stakes develop- These large, Post War Modern hotels and apartment Mid 20th Century ment adventure that would redefine the modern buildings fronting the Atlantic Ocean were designed American resort hotel and strongly influence the fu- to accommodate a dramatically increased volume of Historic District ture of modern American resort apartment living. In guests and provide luxury service in in an exotic so doing, they would also propel the new mid- style. The resort hotels usually featured grand lob- century architecture of South Florida permanently bies, cocktail lounges, supper clubs, themed restau- Miami Beach’s Morris Lapidus / Mid 20th Century into the national psyche. rants, ballrooms, banquet halls, retail shops, meeting Historic District was designated by the City of Miami rooms, spa facilities, enormous swimming pools, Beach Commission on October 14, 2009. Located Highly successful hotel developer Ben Novack expansive outdoor sun decks, and a sweeping ar- along a one-mile long stretch of oceanfront land, this wanted to build the biggest, most luxurious hotel in ray of private beach cabanas. This new American district spans from 44th Street to the 5300 block of Miami Beach, and he had acquired the former Har- plan provided everything for a total guest experi- Collins Avenue and is bounded to the east by the vey Firestone Estate at 44th Street, for just that pur- ence without the need to leave the hotel for the dura- Atlantic Ocean and to west by Indian Creek. pose. But in 1953 Novack still had no architect for tion of the visitor’s stay. The grand new apartment Twelve (12) of the 14 total properties within the dis- the hotel he would soon name The Fontainebleau, buildings along Millionaires Row rivaled the new trict contain mid-20th century structures, all built be- after the grand Fontainebleau Palace, in France. hotels in their size, level of amenity and quality of tween 1954 and 1966. A remarkable five (5) of Morris Lapidus, who had emigrated to the Lower design. these historic properties are home to among the most East Side of New York City from Odessa, Russia, in distinctive, grand, and architecturally dramatic mid- 1902, with his parents at the age of nine months, This collection of buildings incorporates expansive century structures designed by internationally ac- had trained at Columbia University and become a use of glass curtain walls, cantilevered asymmetrical claimed Miami Beach architect, Morris Lapidus. confident architect and brilliant interior designer in roofs, arches, dramatic fin walls, floating planes, high demand across the nation. But Morris had and grand entrance porte cocheres. Primary fa- History never designed an entire building from the founda- cades are sometimes graced with bold neon signs, Until March 10, 1950, the exotic one mile stretch of tions up, not to mention a 565 room luxury hotel. It and sky signs were mounted on rooftop features. sandbar east of Collins Avenue, between 44th street was a match made in heaven, and hell, with Lapidus These hotels and apartment buildings took on futuris- and about 60th Street, was zoned “Estate District”. It agreeing to work for a ridiculously low fee. But by tic forms, using architecture as advertising in an ef- was home to the lavish pre-Depression private the beginning of 1954 Lapidus had moved his draft- fort to outdo one another in competing for business. oceanfront winter residences of America’s industrial ing office into the living room of the old Firestone This new architecture celebrated the satisfaction of and corporate barons and baronesses. The list of mansion, and work on construction documents for announcing that the Post World War II era in Miami owners was impressive, including the homes of John America’s mid-century dream hotel commenced. Beach and America had arrived. Hertz, of Yellow Cabs, Albert E. Erskine, of Stude- baker and Pierce Arrow Cars, Mrs. J. Richard Fran- And so began a new generation of major American cis, of Marvel Carburetors, and Harvey S. Firestone, resort architecture on Collins Avenue, as the Fon- of Firestone Tires, among many others. The exclu- tainebleau became the first major Miami Beach hotel sive strip was called “Millionaires Row”, a term still to replace the former early 20th century industrial used by savvy realtors today, even though in the millionaires’ oceanfront estates north of 44th Street. decade following World War II things changed very Equally luxurious oceanfront apartment buildings of dramatically. a scale never before seen on Miami Beach, and competing with each for outstanding mid-century In this turbo charged post-World War II atmosphere, design and level of amenity, would soon follow. two equally audacious and visionary individuals, www.MiMoOnTheBeach.com 1

Use this map to explore the Morris Lapidus / Mid 20th Century Historic District.

Numbers on the map are keyed to the build-

ing descriptions on the following pages. Municipal Parking Lot 12 11 10 9 8

7 6

3 Morris Lapidus / Mid 20th Century Historic District 2

44th

www.MiMoOnTheBeach.com 2

Historic MiMo Buildings - in the Morris Lapidus / Mid 20th Century Historic District

1 Fontainebleau Hotel 4 Miami Beach Resort & Spa 4441 Collins Avenue (formerly Doral Beach) Morris Lapidus, 1954 4835 Collins Avenue

North Tower Addition Melvin Grossman, 1962

A. Herbert Mathes, 1959 The slender, vertical tower features a This powerful sweeping c-shaped struc- projecting roof slab and continuous glass ture, was the first major luxury hotel built curtain wall which is in sharp contrast to in the U.S. since the Waldorf Astoria in the grand Spanish Baroque themed inte- 1932. The dramatic lobby features the rior. One of its most popular attractions iconic ‘stairway to nowhere’, and black was the Starlight Roof Supper Club on and white marble bow-tie patterned the top floor, overlooking Indian Creek. floor.

2 Eden Roc Hotel 5 The Executive 4525 Collins Avenue 4925 Collins Avenue Morris Lapidus, 1955 B. Robert Swartburg, 1959

Features gently folded front façade and Features a striking X-shape floor plan two vertical panels of perforated ma- and full-height vertical panels of perfo- sonry on a background of Italian tile rated masonry. The entry has a V- recalling the depths of the sea. Nautical shaped porte cochere and a curved, reference is seen in its distinctive rooftop covered walkway. The entry door has smokestack. Projecting side and rear a Classical Revival style broken pedi- balconies repeat the concave folding of ment of white and purple marble. the front façade.

3 Mimosa Condominium 6 Carriage Club South 4747 Collins Avenue 5001 Collins Avenue Melvin Grossman, 1962 Gibbs & Wang, 1967

Fourteen stories high, the Mimosa’s This 16-story building features vertical entrance is flanked by planter bins of rows of balconies originally with pre- green marble, and lower exterior walls cast concrete railings, now replaced faced with large, light green ceramic with blue glass. A rectilinear porte- tiles with a leaf pattern in bas-relief. cochere is supported by five round pil- The lobby features green marble faced lars, beneath it, a subterranean garage pillars and large plate-glass windows entry opens to the street. which open the view to the east.

www.MiMoOnTheBeach.com 3

Historic MiMo Buildings - in the Morris Lapidus / Mid 20th Century Historic District

7 Carriage Club North 10 Seacoast Towers East 5005 Collins Avenue 5151-5161 Collins Avenue MacKay & Gibbs, 1964 Morris Lapidus, 1965

This massive apartment building features Lapidus has compared the unusual a large, rectilinear porte cochere with shape of this building to a cloverleaf. plain round pillars and red quarry tile on The building features sweeping curves, the front steps and lobby floor. It is char- four grand rotundas, a multi-level sun- acterized by its powerful horizontal lines. drenched lobby, wedge shaped ball- room, and vast landscaped oceanfront pool deck.

8 Crystal House 11 The Alexander 5055 Collins Avenue 5225 Collins Avenue Morris Lapidus, 1960 Chas. McKirahan & Assoc., 1962

Features an impressive glass front cur- This narrow, 14-story building is set tain wall, articulated porte cochere and perpendicularly to street and covered in T-shaped plan. The entrance is flanked a full-height abstract stucco relief remi- by panels of perforated masonry in a niscent of Polynesian art. This distinctive cheese-hole pattern. Morris Lapidus is structure features a drive-through tunnel quoted as saying, “this was my version entrance from the street into a two-story of Mies (van der Rohe),” a style re- atrium with non-original round arches and coffered ceilings.

9 Seacoast Suites 12 Imperial House 5101 Collins Avenue 5255 Collins Avenue Morris Lapidus, 1963 Melvin Grossman, 1961

This T-shaped building features a west Features a Fontainebleau-inspired façade with vertical rows of projecting curve, Eden Roc-inspired tile mosaics balconies, rectilinear porte cochere and a dramatic entry with blue porce- with pre-cast cornice repeated on the lain tiled water walls on either side building parapet. Floor and walls at cascading down to a pool. Round the entrance are faced with yellow and openings in the porte cochere allow blue veined marble. A planter bin re- sunlight onto the water. mains to the right of the door.