Wednesday, November 6th – Miami Art Deco District
Well it’s 5:45am and I’m getting up. Why the early start? We
have a 7:15am appointment with a bus for a trip to Miami Beach. Tina got up at 6:00
and after taking care of our morning routine we took the dogs out for a quick
walk. We’d made arrangements with Mary across the street to check in on them a
couple of times so we knew they’d be taken care of. By 7:00am we were in the
car and headed for Starbucks to grab a quick bite and a cup of coffee and by 7:20
we were parked and on the bus.
Miami is about 115 miles from here across Alligator Alley
and we’d be going through commuter traffic over there so the bus driver headed
for the freeway promptly at 7:30 while our tour guide gave us an idea of how
our day would go. It was a beautiful day with light breezes and temperatures in
the mid-seventies, great for a walk about!
With one stop for a brief break we made it across I-75 and
though Miami to Miami Beach by 10am where we picked up our guide Kevin for the
tour of the Historic Art Deco District. For details of the district, click on
this link - http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/places-to-see/south-beach-art-deco-district
.
We started our tour in the bus heading south along Ocean Blvd
to the end of the island. Kevin described the history of South Florida and
Miami Beach along with some of the districts history and why it exists today. Miami Beach
is a man-made island, known as the "Billion Dollar Sandbar,"
separated by Biscayne Bay from the Miami mainland.
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| Beach Patrol Headquarters |
Miami Beach began as a 165-acre plot of land intended for
planting and harvesting coconuts. Henry and Charles Lum, Quakers from New
Jersey, purchased the land from the federal government in 1870 for $.25 an
acre. Eventually, they sold it to John S. Collins and Thomas Pancoast after the coconut
venture proved a bust. In 1913, John Collins and Carl Fisher became partners.
Fisher envisioned how to develop the mangrove barrier island into an
oceanfront jewel and, along with the Army Corps of Engineers, dredged the thick
mangroves into a man-made island paradise - Miami Beach.
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| A beautiful day on Miami Beach |
When the depression hit, the beach experienced a rough
patch. It had been a popular playground for the rich in the 1920s (hence the
Art Deco architecture) and was a Mafia hangout in the 50s. By 1979, however, it
was a Mecca for the elderly and the poor, and many of the once-swanky hotels
had become retirement homes. Old-time beach residents remember when
octogenarians in rocking chairs were a common sight on Ocean Drive.
So
what is Art Deco? The name art deco itself comes from the Exposition
Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes held in Paris in
1925, which promoted art deco architecture in Europe. Although art deco looks
ultra-modern, it dates back to the days of Egyptian tombs. Specifically, the
discovery of King Tut's tomb in the 1920's opened the door to this enticing
style. The stark lines, bold colors and zig-zag architectural features were
added to objects placed in the tomb to entertain and enlighten the sleeping
kings.
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| A small Boutique Hotel |
This style greatly appealed to Americans, who were going through the
"roaring 20's" and loved the eclectic look. They saw it as a symbol
of decadence and extravagance, qualities their generation embraced. Art,
architecture, jewelry and fashion were all heavily influenced by the bold
colors and sharp lines of the movement.
But the buildings were never built with today’s codes in mind and as they became run down the property was worth more without the buildings. The Beach Preservation League was formed because they were concerned about the many historical hotels that were being razed by developers. So they brought together architects, businessmen, politicians and residents to help revitalize the area and garnered headlines in 1980 when artist Andy Warhol asked the group for a guided tour of the area. In 1984, the entire world was introduced to Miami Beach when the hit TV show “Miami Vice” used many of the neighborhood’s buildings as a backdrop.
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| Versace Mansion (Savoy Hotel is to the right) |
We ended the bus tour of the island back on Ocean Blvd and
walked out to the beach where Kevin continued his talk about the district. From
the beach we walked along Ocean Blvd where we learned about the many historic
buildings in more detail including the mansion, now a part of the Savoy Hotel,
once owned by Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace. On his first visit to
Miami Beach he saw the old home and fell in love with it. He lovingly restored
the home to its original glory and brought international celebrities to party
there. (Think Madonna and Elton John).
We made our way along Ocean Blvd for several blocks stopping
to take pictures and learn a little more about the area. Then it was time to
head for lunch at the Lincoln Road Mall, an eight block long outdoor pedestrian
mall. Tina and I made our way along the mall until we came to “100 Montaditos”.
Based on the atmosphere of a traditional 19th century Spanish tavern, the
restaurant specialized in montaditos, crunchy Spanish rolls baked to order and
jam-packed with traditional ingredients as Serrano ham, Spanish tortilla,
chorizo sausage and Manchego cheese. We had a great lunch and spent
another half hour wandering the mall before returning to the bus.
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| Yachts and Miami Skyline |
Our last stop of the day was Bay Front Park Marina and
Shopping mall where we were going on a boat tour of Biscayne Bay which
separates Miami from Miami Beach. We boarded our tour boat and cruised out of
the marina into Biscayne Bay. No matter where you looked, the skyline was
spectacular. We motored past the industrial heart of the bay, the Port of Miami,
with dozens and dozens of container cranes and ships. Past the port were
numerous small islands, preserves of the rich and famous, with mansions and
mega-yachts tucked into lush gardens of palms. On the other shore were high
rise hotels and resorts giving Miami its touristy feel. Ninety minutes later we
were back at the marina headed for the bus ride home.
To see more photos of our trip, go to:
and click on the album.
