1609-16 Various Miami Beach New Pioneering Spirit Is Rejuvenating Old Areas
aN rte- 1 p 1-�
4. I"w l 7 J
Miami 1P
each-- Where What's Past Is s Future
By SYLVIA PORTER. Beach's oldest hotels I went. y , a Although It has been filled to I been deteriorating rapidly.
ri a5I5I as•ir.t And there, to my delight, I sx.nes 1 •-capacity during this season of Now, though, the largest con-
It's utterly unthinkable to not only rediscovered the s i• + s ".;t'z. spectacularly good weather, struction venture in th•, entire
most hep visitors to Miami charm, the dignity and spa-- ,_a:. • ' ,f'••'..;. rumors persist that the Roney state of. Florida — a:1,600-
Beach at the winter season clousness of an "ancient" M1- ..'twill be significantly expanded room, 500-unit apartment
e
ak to check into anything and Beach inn; I also stum- i. so it can fight the brutal corn- buildini— is going up in this
except the latest of hotels. bled on an exciting new tale t.'''• petition from the new marvels. section, and business leaders
Each year since World War II, of pioneering. ''Was ,"s. And therein lies the story. believe this will spark a resto-
as new palaces have sprung upration of the South Shore as a
literally out of the water, the Coming directly from Louis- ,, For what Is starting to hap-,region for permanent residents.
affluent tourists have leap. vile, Ky., where businessmen (0 ; pen here Is the rediscovery Says Nathan S. Gumenick,
frogged northward with the are quibbling over the need for and rejuvenation of the ()rig-
, builder of the Southgate: "We
hotels on this most fabulous re- sprucing up structures dating ` / Mal Miami Beach. Even ss will revive the South Beach
sort beach In the.world. To be from the 19th century, I still ! the fickle, tad-conscious tour- with apartments In every in-
fashionable, one has had to be find it hard to believe that in I ists concentrate on new ureas, come range. We'll prove you
seen in the latest version of a Miami Beach, any luxury hotel L
astute financiers and bust- don't have to be a millionaire'
French chateau or Arab ha- over five years is no longer , nessmcn are concentrating on to live on the Beach, and by so
Terri • considered in the luxury class, SYL\.Lt revolutionizing the qld. doing we'll strengthen .the
any building over 15 years is Beach's entire economy.
But while by Miami Beach "old," any in the 20-30 year, In Miami Beach, the South
yardsticks the newest is auto- group,no matter how grand,is'the Roney Plaza, the hotel in Beach was•developed first asIn Miami proper, Biscayne
maticaIly the best, this year an"antique!" which I stayed, would be a the prime property' in the ,• �. --�-^
on my annual trek to the sun Nevertheless, this is a fact, showplace in most other resort 1920s but while its location is _
• I rebelled. as awesome as any other as- cities, here it is out of date. as superb as ever,the area hail
pect about this place.Although
sack to the comparatively Refugees from Secaucus! Beef tonight? Try ROMA Beach Locks
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area and into one of Miami monthly Pmts.-PL 8-472L-Adv. in Miami.Call FI{,9-S007.-Adv. —Adv. TinPast
l1
Future
For Fu
Continued from Page 1'',
Blvd. also'was
developed tins
Ias a key site for hotels and
commerMal buildings in t h e
11920s. It..too. has been gaP-
I Idly losing out to newer �
I tions in theanushroomM
ing , i,
Today, though, nearly eve
hotel along the Biscayne strip
— the McAllister, the,Coluct
bus, the Colonial, etc.,e— `1 I.
Thad its face lifted, re-lifted
even veiled entirely,with a ne s
exterior in the last fewnyears..
New buildings are Ping
P al
well. And now being finished
is a complete o t e laull l of'thmi i
e
Everglades Says Its,owner. !
iarg who 1s
Vaughaann B. Connelly, •
pouring millions into the Im-
provements: "Without this
]d be
building, this.area
rushing headlong for ruin, but
with it, we'll force an.upgrad-
ing throughout the
region
io The
meet our competition.reinvhe
whole section will be
ig-
orated."
These are just two i lustre=
tions; I could submit many
has gone
more.For 30 years,tisles tcity
hat
usually'aren't covered by cit-
ies in a century or more.
First came the feverish.
speculative development ld by
the '201lan — a later to that
the land crash
decade.
I Then came this dazzling deo-
ade of the'50s—with its new
•
skyscraper hotels year a f t er
y ear, its lush nightclub$.
- worldwide publicity.
1 ,Now comes.
areas
the third phase
and rebuilding of Settled.
so short a time ego'— a p1
1- neering all over again. is a�tY
1. Miami Beach truly
>e of fantasy. Here.even tim thee l
different dimensions.
se past becomes the future under;
our eyes '
MPF