2009-3661 OrdinanceORDINANCE NO. 2009-3661
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE LAND DEVELOPMENT
REGULATIONS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY CODE; AMENDING SECTION
118-593, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION DESIGNATION"; AMENDING
SECTION 118-593(E), "DELINEATION ON ZONING MAP"; AMENDING
SECTION 118-593(E)(2), "HISTORIC PRESERVATION DISTRICTS (HPD)" BY
DESIGNATING THE MORRIS LAPIDUS /MID 20TH CENTURY HISTORIC
DISTRICT, AS MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; PROVIDING
THAT THE CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE
MORRIS LAPIDUS /MID 20TH CENTURY HISTORIC DISTRICT; ADOPTING
THE DESIGNATION REPORT ATTACHED HERETO AS APPENDIX "A";
PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS
OF THE CITY CODE, REPEALER, SEVERABILITY, AND AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
WHEREAS, on July 14, 2009, the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board held
a public hearing and voted (7 to 0) in favor of recommending that the Mayor and City
Commission designate Morris Lapidus Mid-20th Century Historic District; and
WHEREAS, July 28, 2009, the City's Planning Board held a public hearing and voted (7-
0) in favor of recommending the proposed designation; and
WHEREAS, the City of Miami Beach Planning Department has recommended this
amendment to the Land Development Regulations of the City Code; and
WHEREAS, these recommendations of approval for the designation of the Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District were based upon the information documented in the
Designation Report prepared by the City of Miami Beach Planning Department attached hereto
as Appendix "A".
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT DULY ORDAINED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA:
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF MORRIS LAPIDUS MID-CENTURY HISTORIC DISTRICT.
Those certain areas which are generally bounded by the northern boundary of the
Collins Waterfront Historic District at approximately 44th Street to the south, the eastern
bulkhead line of Indian Creek to the west, the northern lot line of lot 24 of the First Ocean Front
Amended Subdivision to the north, and the erosion control line of the Atlantic Ocean to the east
and having the legal description as described herein, are hereby designated as an Historic
District of the City of Miami Beach and shall be known as the "Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century
Historic District." That the Designation Report attached hereto as Appendix "A" is hereby
adopted.
SECTION 2. AMENDMENT OF SECTION 118-593 OF THE CITY CODE.
That Chapter 118, Section 118-593 entitled "Historic Preservation Designation" of the
Land Development Regulations of the City Code of Miami Beach, Florida, is hereby amended to
read as follows:
(e) Delineation on zoning map. All sites and districts designated as historic sites and
districts shall be delineated on the city's zoning map, pursuant to section 142-71, as an
overlay district. Such sites and districts include:
(2) Historic preservation districts (HPD).
d. RM-3, GU/HPD-12: The boundaries of the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic
District commence at the northwest corner of Lot 1. Block 39, AMENDED MAP OF THE
OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY OF THE MIAMI BEACH IMPROVEMENT COMPANY. Plat
Book 5, Page 8. Public Records of Miami-Dade County, Florida; thence run northerly, along
the east right-of-way line of Collins Avenue for a distance of 75.00 feet to the POINT OF
BEGINNING of the portion of land herein described; thence run easterly, parallel to the north
line of the above mentioned Lot 1 and its easterly extension to the point of intersection with
the Erosion Control Line of the Atlantic Ocean. Said Erosion Control Line of the Atlantic
Ocean as recorded in Plat Book 105 at Page 62, Public Records of Miami-Dade County
Florida; thence run northerly, along said Erosion Control Line of the Atlantic Ocean for an
approximate distance of 5197 feet to the point of intersection with the easterly extension of
the north line of Lot 24, as said Lot 24 is shown in AMENDED PLAT OF FIRST OCEAN
FRONT SUBDIVISION OF THE MIAMI BEACH BAY SHORE COMPANY Plat Book 9 at
Page 78, Public Records of Miami-Dade County, Florida; thence run westerly along the
north line of said Lot 24 and its easterly and westerly extension to the bulkhead line of
Indian Creek; thence run southerly, along the bulkhead line of Indian Creek to the point of
intersection with the westerly extension of a line which is 75.00 feet north and parallel to the
north line of the above mentioned Lot 1. Block 39' thence easterly along the last described
course to the POINT OF BEGINNING. Said lands located Iying and being in Section 23
Township 53 South. Range 42 east. City of Miami Beach Florida.
2
SECTION 3. INCLUSION IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY
CODE.
It is the intention of the Mayor and City Commission, and it is hereby ordained that the
provisions of this Ordinance shall become and be made part of the Land Development
Regulations of the City Code of Miami Beach, Florida. The sections of this Ordinance may be
renumbered or relettered to accomplish such intention, and the word "Ordinance" may be
changed to "section," "article," or other appropriate word.
SECTION 4. AMENDMENT OF ZONING MAP.
That the Mayor and City Commission hereby amend the Zoning Map of the City of Miami
Beach as contained in the Land Development Regulations of the City Code by identifying the
area described herein as HPD-12, Historic Preservation District 12.
SECTION 5. REPEALER.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith be and the same are hereby
repealed.
SECTION 6. SEVERABILITY.
If any section, subsection, clause or provision of this Ordinance is held invalid, the
remainder shall not be affected by such invalidity.
3
2009=3661 ~-
-
SECT/ON 7. EFFECT/VE DATE.
This Ordinance shall take effect ten days following adoption.
PASSED and ADOPTED this
14th day of October -- -' 2009.
A Y Matti Herrera Bower
ATTEST.•
,,
. -~j~r~v~'~` l..
C/TY CLERK obert Parcher
APPROVED AS TO FORM & LANGUAGE
& FOR EXECUT/ON:
~ ~ ; 1-- ~ 6
C/TY A TT T
Underscore denote§.~~(iv language.
~r+l~ denotes deleted language.
F:\PLAN\SPLB\2009\7-28-09\1938 -Morris Lapidus -historic designation- ORD.doc
4
Condensed Title:
Second Reading Public Hearing -Proposed Designation of the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20 Century Historic
District
rce mtendea outcome su ortea:
Designation and retention of historically significant properties.
Supporting Data (Surveys, Environmental Scan, etc.): In the 2009 Survey, all respondents were
~sked to indicate if they felt the effort put forth by the City of Miami Beach on historic preservation was
00 little, too much or about the right amount. 77.1 % of respondents reported that the effort put forth
by the City of Miami Beach on historic preservation is "about the right amount."
Issue•
The Administration is requesting that the Mayor and City Commission consider the proposed designation
of the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District.
Item Summary/Recommendation:
SECOND READING PUBLIC HEARING
Adopt the proposed amending ordinance on second reading public hearing by designating the Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District with the boundaries as recommended by the Planning Board .
-avisory r~oara Kecommenaatlon:
On July 14, 2009, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed the designation report and unanimously
approved a motion (7 to 0) to recommend approval of the designation of the proposed historic district and
further directed staff to modify the name of the district to Morris Lapidus /Mid 20 h Century Historic District.
On Juiy 28, 2009, the Planning Board reviewed the designation report and approved a motion (7 to 0) to
recommend approval of the designation of the proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic
District.
On September 9, 2009, the Mayor and City Commission unanimously approved the designation (7 to 0) of
the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District on first reading public hearing and scheduled the
second reading public hearing for October 14, 2009.
Financial Information:
Source of Amount Account
Funds: ~
2
3
OBPI Tota!
Financial Impact Summary:
Ci Clerk's Office Le islative Trackin
William H. Cary, Assistant Planning Director; Debbie Tackett, Senior Planner.
~1~ ~ I~ ~ ~ ~ AG~NQ~- t-rEM 5 J
~~rE (0-/ -d
m MIAMIBEACH
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manage
DATE: October 14, 2009 \ Second Reading
SUBJECT: SECOND READING PUBLIC HEA`I~tIVG -HISTORIC DESIGNATION
AN ORDINANCE OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE MIAMI BEACH CITY CODE;
AMENDING SECTION 118-593, "HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DESIGNATION"; AMENDING SECTION 118-593(E), "DELINEATION
ON ZONING MAP"; AMENDING SECTION 118-593(E)(2), "HISTORIC
PRESERVATION DISTRICTS (HPD)" BY DESIGNATING THE MORRIS
LAPIDUS /MID 20TH CENTURY HISTORIC DISTRICT, AS MORE
PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED HEREIN; PROVIDING THAT THE
CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THE
MORRIS LAPIDUS / MID 20TH CENTURY HISTORIC DISTRICT;
ADOPTING THE DESIGNATION REPORT ATTACHED HERETO AS
APPENDIX "A"; PROVIDING FOR INCLUSION IN THE LAND
DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CITY CODE, REPEALER,
SEVERABILITY, AND AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission adopt the
proposed amending ordinance on second reading public hearing by designating the
Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District with the boundaries as recommended
by the Planning Board.
BACKGROUND
On May 4, 1998, the Historic Preservation Board requested Planning staff to commence
with detailed historic survey and research work along the Collins Avenue corridor north
of the Miami Beach National Register Architectural District (aka Art Deco District),
from 22nd Street to 87th Terrace, including Indian Creek Drive, Harding Avenue, the cross
streets from 22nd Street to 87th Terrace, and the Lake Pancoast multi-family residential
neighborhood due west of Lake Pancoast, for the purpose of identifying and initiating the
designation of historic sites, structures, and districts along this stretch of the historic
Collins Avenue corridor that should be afforded historic designation protection. The
Planning Department commenced its survey and research work at 22"d Street and has
continued this intensive study since then, resulting in the following preservation actions
by the Historic Preservation Board and the City Commission:
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 2 of 24
On January 31, 2001, the City Commission approved the designation of the Co/lins
Waterfront Historic District. The historic district extends from 22"d Street to 44th Street
along Collins Avenue, and includes as well Indian Creek Drive, the Indian Creek
waterway, Lake Pancoast, and the Lake Pancoast multi-family residential neighborhood
east of Pinetree Drive.
On March 17, 2004, the City Commission approved the designation of the North Beach
Resort Historic District. This historic district extends from 62"d Street to 71St Street
along Collins Avenue, and includes all but one property on the east side of Collins
Avenue as well as properties on both sides of Collins at 63`d Street.
On June 8, 2004, the Historic Preservation Board requested that an item be placed on
the board's August agenda for the Board to consider directing Planning staff to
commence the process for the possible designation of the Fontainebleau Hotel, located
at 4441 Collins Avenue, as a local historic site, due the property's immense historical
significance.
On July 13, 2004, a legal representative of the owner of the Fontainebleau Hotel
requested the Historic Preservation Board to grant a continuance for the possible
commencement of the historic designation process for the Fontainebleau Hotel
property at the Board's upcoming August meeting. The Board approved a motion to
continue this item to the September 14, 2004, meeting.
On July 13, 2004, the Historic Preservation Board also approved a motion to direct staff
to proceed with research and prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation
report for the possible designation of the Eden Roc Hotel, located at 4525 Collins
Avenue, as a local historic site, after a discussion of the property's historic value and
significance.
On September 14, 2004, the Historic Preservation Board discussed directing staff to
initiate the process for the possible designation of the Fontainebleau Hotel as a local
historic site. The owner, Hotelerama Associates, advised the Board that although they
recognized the historical and architectural significance of the hotel site, they were in the
process of completing a phased redevelopment project for the property that had been
previously approved by the Design Review Board. The owner requested that the Board
defer the possible historic designation of the hotel site until such phased project was
completed, with the assurances that the ownership would remain the same and no major
demolition would occur on the property. The Board approved a motion to defer the
possible designation of the Fontainebleau Hotel as a local historic site to a later
unspecified date.
On January 11, 2005, the Historic Preservation Board approved a motion to direct staff
to place an item on their March agenda relative to the possible designation of the Doral
Beach Hotel (then known as the Wyndham Hotel), located at 4833 Collins Avenue, as a
local historic site, as a consequence of the property's historic value and significance.
In February of 2005, it was announced that the Fontainebleau Hotel site would likely be
sold to Turnberry Associates but that the new ownership intended to maintain the
assurances made to the Board by Hotelerama Associates that the hotel site would
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 3 of 24
eventually be designated.
On March 8, 2005, the Historic Preservation Board discussed the historical and
architectural significance of the Doral Beach Hotel. The Board considered that
although the subject property might be eligible for designation as an individual historic
site, the Doral Beach Hotel might also be considered as part of a possible expansion of
the Collins Waterfront Historic District. The Board approved a motion not to initiate the
process for the possible designation of the (former) Doral Beach Hotel as an individual
historic site. The Board instead directed staff to place an item on their next available
agenda, at which time the Board would consider directing Planning staff to commence
with the historic designation process for the possible northward expansion of the Collins
Waterfront Historic District, to include several historically significant properties, the
Fontainebleau Hotel and Eden Roc Hotel among them as well as other properties with
significant historic structures from the mid-century Miami Beach era, designed by Morris
Lapidus and other prominent Florida architects.
The possible historic district expansion area, which the Board wished to explore and
consider, was generally bounded by the northern terminus of the Collins Watertront
Historic District, at approximately 44th Street to the south, the eastern bulkhead line of
Indian Creek to the west, the southern terminus of the North Beach Resort Historic
District, at approximately 63`d Street to the north, and the erosion control line of the
Atlantic Ocean to the east.
There were approximately 52 properties located within the boundaries of the possible
historic district expansion area described above (from 44th Street to 63`d Street), all of
which were located within the general confines of the historic Collins Avenue corridor.
The Board could choose to direct Planning staff to commence the designation process
for this entire area, or for a smaller area. Consequently, Planning staff studied the larger
historic Collins Avenue corridor area in two distinct parts, Part "A" (the southern part),
-from 4380 to 5255 Collins Avenue, and Part "B" (northern area) -from 5301 to 6080
Collins Avenue, and from 4381 to 6086 Indian Creek Drive.
In reviewing Part "A" which spanned from the Fontainebleau Hotel property on the
south to the Imperial House (at 5255 Collins Avenue) on the north, staff noted the very
distinct and direct relationship of this area's buildings to open waterfront on both sides.
To the west, all of the buildings directly faced Indian Creek, affording a spectacular
panoramic vista of their primary facades with direct visual access from the water as well
as from the land. To the east, the Atlantic Ocean formed an immediate and natural
geographic boundary. Staff also noted that this area possessed a most remarkable
collection of highly individualistic, historic architecture which reflected the changes in
American tourism patterns and hotel design as well as residential life style aspirations in
Miami Beach and South Florida in the era of renewed development following World War
II. Further, the buildings were each designed to take maximum advantage of their
waterfront views to both their east and west sides, directly influencing their respective
designs. Miami Beach became the cutting edge of modern resort hotel architecture with
the opening of the Fontainebleau Hotel in 1954. And the Fontainebleau further set the
standard for the future of redevelopment of this stretch of the historic Collins Avenue
corridor from its former private residential estates to the larger scale hotel and
oceanfront apartment architecture for which it became world famous in the 1950s and
1960s through to the present.
Commission Memorandum of October 74, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 4 of 24
Staff noted that the relatively compact one mile stretch of the Miami Beach "sandbar",
located in Part "A", was so richly endowed in historically significant mid-century modern
architecture that it was home to five (5) major works by Morris Lapidus, including the
Fontainebleau Hotel (1954), the Eden Roc Hotel (1955), the Crystal House
apartments (1960), the Seacoast Towers South apartments (1963), and the Seacoast
Towers East apartments (1965). Staff also noted that this area represents the single
largest concentration of the Morris Lapidus' individual major works located anywhere in
the world today.
Staff further noted that the list of historic architectural notoriety located within the Part
"A"area does not end with Morris Lapidus. This area also includes three (3) very fine
mid-century modern works by local architect Melvin Grossman: the Mimosa apartments
(1962), the Doral Beach Hotel (1962), and the Imperial House apartments (1961).
Furthermore, the design genius of one of Miami Beach's most distinctive architects, B.
Robert Swartburg (architect of the Delano Hotel), was represented in the compact but
highly spirited architecture of The Executive apartments (1959). Another highly
individualistic work of design, one that encompassed the integration of art and
architecture into its memorable Collins Avenue facade, was the Alexander (1962),
which was originally constructed by the Muss Family as Seacoast Tower North before
its later conversion to a hotel. It was designed by Charles McKirahan & Associates.
Just as the currently designated Collins Waterfront Historic District traces the
chronological progression of the City's architectural design continuum from south to
north over time, the stretch of Collins Avenue located in Part "A" perhaps epitomized
the highest levels of architectural design achievement attained in Miami Beach during
the 1950s and 1960s. If it was not for the direct physical relationship of these properties
along Collins Avenue to the open waterfronts of both the Atlantic Ocean and Indian
Creek, affording spectacular water views east and west, it may not have been possible
to have financed and constructed this caliber of architecture in Miami Beach.
In reviewing Part "B" (the northern part), which would have generally extended from
the Amethyst at 5313 Collins Avenue on the south to Le Trianon, at 6061 Collins
Avenue on the north, staff noted a dramatic shift in the defining character of the historic
Collins Avenue corridor from Part "A': The strong direct relationship of Collins Avenue
to the open waterfront of Indian Creek, to the west, was completely lost at approximately
the 5500 block of Collins Avenue. There, the development tracts to each side of Collins
Avenue become narrow and elongated, and the resulting large scale architecture was
stretched out linearly from south to north, creating an almost continuous "canyon" wall
effect on both sides. Indeed, staff noted, in driving along Collins Avenue through much
of this area, it was not possible to discern any visual relationship to either the Atlantic
Ocean or Indian Creek. Although the area contained some fine examples of architecture
from the early to late 1960s, staff noted that it could not recommend to the Historic
Preservation Board to direct it to proceed with commencing the process for historic
designation of the area, Part "B", extending along Collins Avenue from approximately
the 5300 Block to the 6300 Block at that time.
On May 10, 2005, the Historic Preservation Board held a fully noticed public hearing to
consider the possibility of expanding the Collins Waterfront Historic District northward
from 44th Street to approximately 63`d Street. Following a presentation by Planning staff
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 5 of 24
of the above analysis, the Board voted unanimously to direct staff to commence the
detailed survey of Part "A", the one mile stretch of Collins Avenue between
approximately 44th Street and the 5200 Block (south of Fire Station No. 3) off, and to
proceed with the additional research necessary to prepare a formal evaluation and
recommendation report relative to the historical and architectural significance of this area
for designation either as one or two separate local historic districts, rather than as a
northern expansion of the Collins Waterfront Historic District. The Board chose not to
direct staff to initiate the designation of "Part B", between 5313 Collins Avenue (the
Amethyst) and 63~d Street, at that time.
Between May 10, 2005 and the present day, the Historic Preservation Board and
Planning staff have reviewed and approved all proposed major renovation, restoration
and new construction for the Fontainebleau Hotel, Eden Roc Hotel, Miami Beach
Resort and Spa (Former Doral Beach Hotel), and Mimosa properties, as well as all
other properties within this one mile stretch of Collins Avenue (see attached Proposed
Historic District Boundaries Map). This construction has resulted in approximately
one billion dollars of new development and redevelopment with the proposed Morris
Lapidus Mid-Century Historic District as well as a high caliber of historic preservation.
On December 18, 2008, upon substantial completion of renovation, restoration, and new
construction, the Fontainebleau Hotel was individually listed on the National Register
of Historic Places at the request of its owners, further validating the historical
significance of this section of Collins Avenue at a national level.
On May 12, 2009, the Historic Preservation Board held a meeting to consider a
Preliminary Evaluation and Recommendation Report relative to the proposed Morris
Lapidus Mid-Century Historic District to include all properties on the east side of
Collins Avenue between 44th Street and 5255 Collins Avenue. At this meeting, where
all property owners of record within the proposed district were provided written notice 15
days in advance, the Board directed the Planning Department to prepare a formal
Historic Designation Report for the proposed Morris Lapidus Mid-Century Historic
District. The Board further directed staff to extend the proposed district northern
boundary northward to include two (2) City-owned lots containing the surface parking lot
immediately to the south of Fire Station No. 3, at the request of the Imperial House
Condominium Association. The condominium association wished to ensure that any
new development of the public parking lot to their north would be subject to Historic
Preservation approval so that it would be "appropriate" and have no adverse impact
upon the quality of life on their property. The Board directed staff not to include Fire
Station No. 3 within the proposed historic district boundaries.
On July 14, 2009, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed the designation report and
unanimously approved a motion (7 to 0) to recommend approval of the designation of
the proposed historic district and further directed staff to modify the name of the district
to Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District.
On July 28, 2009, the Planning Board reviewed the designation report and unanimously
approved a motion (7 to 0) to recommend approval of the designation of the proposed
Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District.
On September 9, 2009, the Mayor and City Commission unanimously approved the
designation (7 to 0) of the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District on first
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 6 of 24
reading public hearing and scheduled the second reading public hearing for October 14,
2009.
DESIGNATION PROCESS
The designation report for a proposed historic district is required to be presented to the
Historic Preservation Board and the Planning Board at separate public hearings.
Following public input, the Historic Preservation Board votes on whether or not the
proposed historic district meets the criteria listed in the Land Development Regulations
of the City Code and transmits a recommendation on historic designation to the Planning
Board and City Commission. If the Historic Preservation Board votes against the
designation, no further action is required. If the Historic Preservation Board votes in
favor of designation, the Planning Board reviews the designation report and formulates
its own recommendation. The recommendations of both Boards, along with the
designation report, are presented to the City Commission. Because in this instance the
proposed ordinance involves an area less than ten (10) contiguous acres, the City
Commission must hold one public hearing on the designation. Upon conclusion of the
hearing, the City Commission can immediately adopt the ordinance with a 5/7 majority
vote.
RELATION TO ORDINANCE CRITERIA
1. In accordance with Section 118-592 in the Land Development Regulations of the
City Code, eligibility for designation is determined on the basis of compliance
with the listed criteria set forth below.
(a) The Historic Preservation Board shall have the authority to recommend
that properties be designated as historic buildings, historic structures,
historic improvements, historic landscape features, historic interiors
(architecturally significant public portions only), historic sites or historic
districts if they are significant in the historical, architectural, cultural,
aesthetic or archeological heritage of the city, the county, state or nation.
Such properties shall possess integrity of location, design, setting,
materials, workmanship, feeling or association and meet at least one of
the following criteria:
(1) Association with events that have made a significant contribution
to the history of the city, the county, state or nation;
(2) Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's past
history;
(3) Embody the distinctive characteristics of an historical period,
architectural or design style or method of construction;
(4) Possesses high artistic values;
(5) Represent the work of a master, serve as an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer, architect or builder who
contributed to our historical, aesthetic or architectural heritage;
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 7 of 24
(6) Have yielded, or are likely to yield information important in pre-
history orhistory;
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Historic Places;
(8) Consist of a geographically definable area that possesses a
significant concentration of sites, buildings or structures united by
historically significant past events or aesthetically by plan or
physical development, whose components may lack individual
distinction.
(b) A building, structure (including the public portions of the interior),
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historic even if it
has been altered if the alteration is reversible and the most significant
architectural elements are intact and repairable.
2. The proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District is eligible for
historic designation as it complies with the criteria as specified in Section 118-
592 in the Land Development Regulations of the City Code outlined above.
possess integrity of location, design, setting. materials.
workmanship, feeling or association for the following reasons:
The Planning Department Staff has surveyed fourteen (14) private
properties and two (2) city-owned properties within the proposed Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District boundaries and has found that
twelve (12) of the fourteen (14) private properties within the proposed
boundaries fully satisfy the requirements of Section 118-592 (a) of the
Land Development Regulations of the City Code. Each of the fourteen
(14) private properties is located within a highly unique waterfront setting
situated between Indian Creek and the Atlantic Ocean affording direct
and unparalleled watenfront views in both directions, both to and from the
water. This fact dramatically impacted the unique design and success of
the architecture of each of the structures. The twelve (12) contributing
properties, while highly individualistic in design, both with regard to their
exterior architecture and public interior features, are constructed of similar
materials and posses design characteristics which collectively define mid-
20th century architecture in Miami Beach. A very high level of
workmanship and craftsmanship is demonstrated in both exterior and
interior features as well as evidenced by their structural and functional
over more than a half a century in an intense marine environment. The
properties clearly demonstrate a strong feeling and association with the
dramatic change that occurred along this stretch of Collins Avenue,
including most particularly the radical shift in zoning, from private estates
to hotels and high intensity residential. This is reflected in both the scale
and modern design of these opulent, first-class resort hotels and resort
apartment houses which could only have been conceived and built
following the successful close of World War ll. While each contributing
Commission Memorandum of October 74, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 8 of 24
property is highly unique in plan and design, collectively they form a
cohesive and concentrated ribbon of mid-20th century design along this
tropical stretch of Florida's coastline. A list of properties is shown in
Appendix A. Further, fhe proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century
Historic District satisfies the following designation review criteria:
(a) Further staff finds the proposed historic district to be eligible for historic
designation and in conformance with the designation criteria for the
following reasons:
(1) Association with events that have made a significant
contribution to the historv of the city, the county, state or
nation:
Satisfied
Redirection of War Defense Economy to Domestic Economy
The advent of reliable and affordable mass-produced automobiles
and air transportation, as well as the introduction of central air
condition during the early mid-century period made year-round
resort living in South Florida highly desirable and practical, as well
as within the reach of America's middle and upper-middle income
classes. This was a direct result of the redirection of the nation's
war defense economy to the domestic economy.
Major Mid-Century Change in Zoning Intensity
Between 1949 and 1957, several major lawsuits were brought against
the City of Miami Beach claiming Zoning Ordinance No. 289 of 1930
to be arbitrary, unreasonable and confiscatory. This ordinance
classified the properties located on the east side of Collins Avenue
from 44th Street north to 60th Street as RAA, `Estate District.' The only
permitted use within this strip of oceanfront land was single-family
residences with a minimum !ot area of 40, 000 square feet for each
family. During this development period (1949-1957) the population of
Miami Beach had greatly increased, many hotels and apartment
buildings had been built south of 44th Street, and the current economic
conditions left this strip of Collins Avenue north of 44th Street
unfavorable for additional large single family estates and adversely
impacted the expected quality of life on the existing estates. The first
of such cases to reach fhe Florida Supreme Court was City of Miami
Beach v. First Trust Co. on July 5, 1949. The First Trusf Co., owners
of the Firestone Estate, argued that the erecfion of hotels and
apartment houses on the properties south to 30th Street caused their
property to be less valuable and desirable for Estate Use due to the
increase in traffic and loss of privacy. The court ruled that the zoning
restriction placed on the property in 1930 was `boo harsh, "and "the
ordinance should be modified and made to fit the changed
conditions, "~ The rulings in this case paved the way for subsequent
'City of Miami Beach v. First Trust Co.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 9 of 24
complaints arguing the same, and led to the grand hotel and
apartment district present today within this strip of oceanfront land.
Post World War II Boom
The twelve (12) contributing properties within the proposed
historic district directly reflect the turn of events in America
following World War JI (WWII). The twelve properties were all
constructed within a 13 year period between 1954 and 1967.
Unprecedented development followed the American success in
WWII when major new resort hotels and residential resort
architecture were contemplated. Development during this time
was on a scale never before seen in South Florida. This event
redefined the evolution of resort architecture not only in Miami
Beach and Florida but as well set a new standard for glamour,
amenity and luxury for such architecture across the nation. The
Fontainebleau Hotel, which was designed by Morris Lapidus, and
opened in 1954, was the first major luxury resort hotel constructed
in the United States since the Wa/dort Astoria opened in New York
City in 1932.
Furthermore, Miami Beach played a significant role as a training
site and redistribution center for the U. S. Army Air Forces during
World War ll. After the war, many veterans who had trained as
recruits in Miami Beach returned here to vacation or to make their
home, often with their brides.
The McCarthy Era
The McCarthy Era and the beginning of the Cold War fostered the
championing of capitalism and the celebration of the American
way. The economy was thriving and gave rise to the growing
middle class. Suddenly, luxury items were flooding the market and
becoming affordable to many more Americans for the first time.
New hotels located within the proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th
Century Historic District such as the Fontainebleau Hotel and
Eden Roc Hotel, established the concept of the American Plan; a
one-stop resort experience, where all long term needs of the guest
were accommodated on a single hotel property, including dining,
shopping, entertainment and recreation.
Strong Precedent in Land Use .Case Law
A landmark land use lawsuit concerning the Fontainebleau and
Eden Roc Hotels (Fontainebleau Corporation v. 4525 Inc.) filed in
1959 had a significant impact on future land development in Miami
Beach as well as on jurisdictions throughout the country and is
referenced in the curriculums of educafiona/ intuitions nationwide.
The case, brought by the owners of the Eden Roc Hotel claimed
that Fontainebleau developer Ben Novack spitefully constructed a
forbidding 14-story annex along the northern property line of the
Fontainebleau site. The claim alleged that Novack's intended
effect of this notorious "Spite Wall" was to cast a shadow on the
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20`h Century Historic District
Page 10 of 24
Eden Roc's swimming pool for most of the day. The Florida State
Supreme Court ruled in favor of the owners of the Fontainebleau
Hotel, stating that there is "no legal right to the free flow of light
and air from adjoining land. "
Beginning of the Space Age
The first Sputnik was launched in 1957. Rivalry with the U.S.S.R.
led to the space race. Futuristic, flamboyant, fun design elements
showed up in cars, furniture, and buildings. Automobiles sprouted
wings and depicted rocket motifs. The small globe with protruding
antennae reminiscent of the Sputnik became a common design
detail. Cheese holes, woggles and boomerangs (terms the famous
post war architect Morris Lapidus chose to define his style) began
to appear in Miami Beach's architecture. Perhaps, nowhere else
in the City is the influence of the `Space Age' more highly
developed than within this one mile stretch of Collins Avenue.
Where complete buildings are rounded and radically cantilevered
balconies are scientifically engineered.
Impact of the Cuban Revolution and the Influx of More
Diverse Cultural Groups
The Cuban Revolution in 1959 prompted an unprecedented mass
immigration of Cubans to the United States, and specifically to
Miami and Miami Beach. Further, more diverse cultural groups
began to visit and reside in Miami Beach. This included not only
North Americans, but Europeans, South Americans, Central
Americans and Latins from the Caribbean. At the same time,
Miami Beach became more popular as a retirement community
with its warm, tropical climate and beautiful beaches, appealing to
a!1 of these groups. The need for housing, retail, and services to
accommodate these different growing segments of the population,
as well as tourists, increased. During the 1950s and 1960s, the
typical postcards of Miami Beach showed large, fanciful resort
hotels against a backdrop of sun, sea, and palm trees. They
conveyed the image of an affordable world of tropical delight that
appealed to visitors, retirees, and transplants from the north, the
Caribbean Basin and abroad.
(2) Association with the lives of persons significant in the city's
past history:
Satisfied
Ben Novack, Morris Lapidus and Harry Mufson
Highly successful hotel developer Ben Novack wanted to build the
biggest, most luxurious hotel in Miami Beach, and he had
acquired the former Harvey Firestone Estate (originally the James
Snowden Estate) in the "Millionaires' Row" section of Collins
Avenue, at 44`h Street, for just that purpose. But in 1953 Novack
still had no architect for the hotel he would soon name The
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 11 of 24 ,
Fontainebleau, after the grand Fontainebleau Palace, in France.
Morris Lapidus, who had emigrated to the Lower East Side of New
York City from Odessa, Russia, in 1902, with his parents at the
age of nine months, had trained at Columbia University and
become a confident architect and brilliant interior designer in high
demand across the nation. But Morris had never designed an
entire building from the foundations up, not to mention a 565 room
luxury hotel. It was a match made in heaven, and hell, with
Lapidus agreeing to work for a ridiculously low fee. But by the
beginning of 1954 Lapidus had moved his drafting office into the
living room of the old Harvey Firestone mansion, and work on
construction documents for America's mid-century dream hotel
commenced.
Following close on ,the heels of the Fontainebleau's success,
Harry Mufson, Ben Novack's former hotelier partner and now
ambitious competitor, knew he too had to have a Morris Lapidus
designed luxury resort masterpiece, and so he purchased the
property immediately to the north of the Fontainebleau. It too
would be an ultramodern state-of--the-art resort, with its own
classical European references, and it would "scream luxury':
Morris would quip decades later, "l didn't dare use sweeping
curves in the design of the Eden Roc Hotel. After the
Fontainebleau, the critics would have killed me'~. And so in direct
and intentional contrast with the powerful curves of the
Fontainebleau, Lapidus instead gave the much smaller Eden Roc
Hotel a "Y"shaped plan, exploring an architectural symphony of
subtle angles, cantilevered balconies protecting radically out to
sea, and dramatic `towers' of aquamarine mosaic tiles
symmetrically flanking the main facade and gradually changing in
color from darker to lighter shades as they rose up the seventeen
story height of the building to the sky. Memorably capping this
modern masterpiece of ocean-side design would be the dramatic
funnel of an ocean-liner graciously screaming "Eden Roc" in
Morris Lapidus' own bold neon hand script.
Alexander Muss
Nationally-known developer Alexander Muss figures prominently
in the story of this area. The Muss family started building housing
in New York City in the 1880s; by 1966 it was said that "over
110, 000 people live in Muss-built homes and apartments. "~ In the
postwar years, Alexander Muss & Sons both built and managed
apartment houses for long-term investment. Muss moved to South
Florida after a vacation in 1962, seeing an unmet need for
"moderately priced luxury apartments in prime locations. "
Seacoast Towers, South designed by Morris Lapidus, was his first
Florida venture, and hiring Robert Turchin was the first time the
z Morris Lapidus, personal conversations with William Cary, 2000
s "Muss Builds, Manages Apartment Empire," Miami Herald, March 6,1966.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 72 of 24
Muss firm had ever subcontracted a project.4 By 1969 the Muss
firm had built five Seacoast buildings in Miami Beach, as well as a
16-story apartment house in Fort Lauderdale that was designed
by Charles McKirahan, who has previously designed Seacoast
Towers North (now fhe Alexander), in the proposed historic
district..
In Miami Beach, the Muss organization is known and respected
for personal family management. The Musses build and stay on
for unprecedented personal involvement. The results can be seen
at Seacoast Towers East, Seacoast Towers West, Seacoast
Towers North, Seacoast Towers South, and the new Seacoast
Towers V. Every Muss building has been a smashing success,
opening fully rented. These successes can be attributed to the
beauty of the buildings, their lavish resort facilities, the plush
splendor of hotel-like lobbies and social rooms....Dreaming up
creative new ways to make life more luxurious seems to be the
keynote at the firm of Alexander Muss & Sons.S
Legendary Figures in Politics, Cinema and Entertainment
The Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Hotels played a significant role
in the booming Mid-Century entertainment industry. They offered
the finest in live entertainment to draw their guests as well as local
residents and the guests of other hotels. On December 20, 1954,
the Fontainebleau Hotel hosted a lavish `Grand Ball' to celebrate
its opening. "Patty Page sang the Fontainebleau Waltz, Liberate
played an 1882 German Steinway Grand and Groucho Marx
famously anointed the hotel, the Eighth Wonder of the Wor/d.fi
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the hotel's register included
some of the biggest names in show business, politics and popular
culture, with performers such as Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Dean
Martin, Red Skeleton and Sammy Davis Jr. performing on the
stage of the La Ronde Room. Miss Universe was crowned at fhe
Fontainebleau and in 1972 the Republican and Democratic
conventions were both held at the hotel.
Numerous celebrities of the time also flocked to the Eden Roc
Hotel, which was a favorite vacation spot of Lucille Ball and Desi
Arnez. Elizabeth Taylor, and Jerry Lewis also stayed there, while
Milton Berle, Harry Be/afonte, and Nat King Cole performed at
nightly supper shows.
(3) Embodv the distinctive characteristics of an historical period
architectural or design style or method of construction•
a "He's Sold On Miami," Miami Herald, May 5, 1968.
s "This Tower Will Tower on Beach," Miami Herald, Nov. 9, 1969
s Mike Capuzzo, "The Sand Castle: The Famed Fontainebleau inspired by a French castle and a
Miami Beach toilet seat, has seen -and barely survived- more than 10,000 nights," The Miami
Herald, February 19,1984.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 13 of 24
Satisfied
The Post-War Modern style in Miami Beach established a path of
its own in terms of modern functional simplicity with a new and
often dramatic vocabulary of pizzazz. Essentially the strong
design personality of Art Deco, as it evolved over two decades in
Miami Beach, lent to but at the same time significantly gave way
to the changing dictates of use, function and scale in the era of the
post-World War 11 luxury resort and high-rise residential
architecture.
From about 1948 to 1966, the widely popular Post War Modern
style was applied to hotels, commercial buildings, apartment
houses, and single family homes throughout Miami Beach. Post-
war Modern style buildings generally made an extensive use of
glass, poured concrete and special materials such as ceramic the
mosaic, architectural breeze block, polished stone embedded
surfaces, as well as expansive use of high-grade marble, and rare
hardwoods on the public interiors. They often mixed two or more
textured surfaces together (i. e. stucco with stone, brick, or mosaic
the as well as contrasting smooth and patterned stucco surfaces).
The style featured such dramatic elements as accordion-like
folded plate roofs and walls, acute as well as subtle angles,
dynamic parabolas, delta wing shapes, sweeping curved walls,
and soaring pylons. Other commonly occurring design elements
and materials that were added to the architectural vocabulary of
the Post-War Modern style structures included: brise so/eil,
architectural accents with exotic themes and often wall sculptures
in relief, brick or stone faced feature areas, cast concrete
decorative panels with geometric patterns, and a remarkable use
of architectural `breeze block' in a wide variety of design patterns
lending itself so well to natural air flow in this tropical environment
. Architect Morris Lapidus further expanded the architectural
language of this style when he made popular "cheese holes';
"woggles', and "beanpoles':
The large hotels in the Post-War Modern style often incorporated
an expansive use of glass curtain walls, cantilevered asymmetrical
roofs, leaping arches, dramatic fin walls, floating planes,
architectural bridges, and grand entrance pone cocheres. Primary
facades were sometimes graced with bold neon signs or logos in
order to catch the eye of passing motorists. Sometimes, "sky
signs" were mounted on rooftop features or on parapet walls.
Color was an essential ingredient of signage. The fenestration
was often highlighted with boxed or corner windows, as well as
continuous ribbon windows and eyebrows. The hotels often took
on exotic or futuristic forms, using architecture as advertising in an
effort to outdo one another in competing for business. This new
architecture celebrated the satisfaction of announcing that the
Post-World War 11 era in Miami Beach and America had arrived,
and there was pride in it.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Pubic Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 14 of 24
Beth Dunlop, a columnist for the "Miami Herald'; Editor of "Home
Miami'; and a former member of the City of Miami Beach Historic
Preservation Board, captures the essence of the Post-War Modern
architectural movement when she writes:
In the decades after World War ll, these were the
buildings that expressed our ebullience, our energy,
our faith in the future. They were catchy, kitschy,
eccentric, engaging, with loads of curbside appeal -
our first auto age buildings, really, not to mention
space age. We were going places then - to the
suburbs, to the moon -and our buildings told us so.
You could see it in roofs that cantilevered daringly,
in facades that swooped saucily, in towers that took
off like a Buck Rogers rocket ship, in aerodynamic
fins and prows that seemed to lift otherwise
mundane buildings right off the ground. ~
Collectively, new design forms, dramatically magnified scale, and
the extraordinary use of new as well as traditional materials,
defined and distinguished Post-War Modern Architecture as
reflected in the contributing buildings within the proposed Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District.
(4) Possess high artistic values:
Satisfied
The Fontainebleau and Eden Roc Hotels themselves, defined a
new level of artistic value that would be applied to new luxury
resort hotels .across America. The success and excitement
generated by these two hotels inspired a new era of modern
luxury hotel architecture not only in the United States but
elsewhere. Achieving high artistic value and aesthetic delight was
a major goal that Morris Lapidus had to meet with the
understanding that the Fontainebleau Hotel was to be the first
significant luxury hotel to be constructed in the United States since
the Waldorf Astoria, which had been designed by prominent
architects Shultz and Weaver, and was opened in New York City
in 1932. Thus, the new standard for artistic value was set high by
Morris Lapidus and this standard is still recognized, celebrated,
and even emulated more than half a century later
A 2002 exhibit launched by the Municipal Art Society at the Urban
Center Galleries on Madison Avenue entitled, "Beyond the Box -
Mid-Century Modern Architecture in Miami and New York, "
underscores the high artistic value of this architecture. The
Fontainebleau Hotel is the centerfold image of the exhibits'
Beth Dunlop, 'The Mod Squad," Miami Herald, 30 September 2001.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 15 of 24
catalog. When Morris Lapidus' original cantilevered balcony
design was threatened by inappropriate alterations in 2007, it
caused a feature article in Miami Herald entitled the `Loss of
Eden : The artistic value of this architecture influenced not only
the other contributing buildings within the proposed historic
district, but modern resort architecture internationally.
(5) ReAresent the work of a master, serve as an outstanding or
representative work of a master designer, architect or builder
who contributed to our historical aesthetic or architectural
heritage;
Satisfied
Many prominent Miami Beach architects are represented in the
proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District, as
indicated below. For a more complete listing of addresses and
architects, refer to the Properties List in Appendix 1.
Morris Lapidus (1902- 2001)
The people of the City of Miami Beach had in their midst for five
decades, an internationally acclaimed architect, exemplary of the
creative spirit and foresight which forged this city of design delights,
making it unique among American ocean-side resorts.
Morris Lapidus graduated from Columbia University in 1927, and
commenced his architectural career with an established New York
firm; however, he soon found himself lured to moonlighting as a store
designer, in order to generate a suitable income to support a new
bride. Soon, he rose to the top of this field, making stores in the
smallest American cities as architecturally dramatic as those on Fifth
Avenue, employing design techniques that visually expanded space,
drawing customers throughout.
By mid century, a newly emerging breed of hotel developers in Miami
Beach began to see the potential for Morris' magical and compelling
sense of design to transform a modern hotel interior into a world of
delight far removed from the work-a-day life of its guests. While the
sweeping curved walls, woggles, bean poles, cheese holes and bow
ties, for which Morris became famous, shaped Post-War hotel interior
architecture on the Beach, his passion to design the complete
structure lingered on.
Hotelier Ben Novack had intended for Morris Lapidus to design the
interior only of the fabulous Fontainebleau Hotel, to be located amidst
the gardens of the Firestone estate; but Morris held secure to a
greater dream, his moment to create the complete architecture, the
total magic of delight and function. In 1953, Morris prevailed,
completely designing America's foremost modern resort hotel, tailored
to America's guests, their place in time, and their values. The
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 16 of 24
architecture and decor of the Fontainebleau was coined radical by its
critics, but fhe hotel was a brilliant success. The Fontainebleau Hotel
played a pivotal role in revitalizing the ebbing image and vitality of
Miami Beach following World War ll; it further led to major
commissions for Mr. Lapidus, including the fabulous Eden Roc,
Seacoast Tower East, the Crystal House, the Dilido, and many others
locally, nationally, and internationally.
In 1960, when Lincoln Road, once known as the Fifth Avenue of the
South, had fallen into decline, Morris was called upon by City leaders
to recapture the luster of this historic retail avenue. Morris boldly
removed automobiles from Lincoln Road, maintaining, "a car never
brought anything" he replaced them with fountains, sculpture, joyful
pavilions and flowers and trees, at once creating a new retail
esplanade of unique and lasting design.
When Morris Lapidus died on January 18, 2001, his life's work was
commemorated locally, nationally and internationally, some examples
follow:
In a Miami Herald article published on January 19, 2001, William
Lane, a Miami Beach architect who considers himself an intellectual
descendant of the legendary designer, celebrated Lapidus' life and
career by stating the following:
Morris Lapidus was a true original. As an
alchemist and poet, he blended style and
design in ways that we have never seen
before and will never see again.8
The Miami Design Preservation League issued a statement as
follows:
Morris Lapidus, architect and South Florida
icon, a man who once said he could never
use a straight line and so created the
sinuous silhouette of Miami Beach in
dozens of buildings still treasured today,
has died. Best known as the designer of
postwar resort hotels in Florida, such as the
Fontainebleau (1954) and the Eden Roc
(1955) in Miami Beach. Mr. Lapidus left his
mark from Miami Beach's Lincoln Road Mall
to New York's Summit & Americana Hotels.
Our thoughts and prayers are with him & his
loved ones.
The New York Times,' in an article entitled, `Morris Lapidus, an
s Daring Beach architect Lapidus dies. The Miami Herald. January 19, 2001.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 17 of 24
Architect Who Built Flamboyance Into Hotels, Is Dead at 98,'
celebrated Lapidus' life and work through his own words:
When Ben Novack announced that he was
building the Fontainebleau, it appeared in
the New York papers that 1 was to be the
architect. But when I called him he said I
wasn't chosen, that I never did a whole
hotel and that he just needed a name at the
time. It took me over a year to convince him.
1 moved heaven and earth to get that job. if
there's one thing I'm going to do, I told
myself, I'm going to do the Fontaineb/eau.9
Melvin Grossman (d. 2003), an associate with Albert Anis in
1950, was also a protege of master MiMo architect Morris
Lapidus. In fact, all three collaborated on the Nautilus Hotel (now
the Riande, 1825 Collins Ave.) in 195010; and a year later on the
Biltmore Terrace Hotel (8701 Collins Avenue). ~ ~ Grossman and
Lapidus partnered in designing the DiLido Hotel (One Lincoln
Road) in 1953.
According to MiMo authorities Nash and Robinson, Grossman
began as an engineer working for Lapidus and then, after turning
down an offer to become partners, struck out on his own to
become Lapidus' biggest imitator.12
Influenced by both Anis and Lapidus, Grossman would go on to
design the Seville Hotel (2901 Collins Avenue) in 1955, the 593-
room Deauville (6701 Collins Avenue) in 1957, and the Doral
Beach Hotel (4833 Collins Avenue) in 1962. He also exported the
MiMo style in designing the original Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
and the Acapulco Princess Hotel in Mexico.13
MacKav & Gibbs:
Frederick Alton Gibbs was born in Miami in 1910 and studied at
the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. He returned to
Miami and worked in association with Henry Hohauser, 1934-41.14
Edward A. MacKav was born in Flint, Michigan in 1908 and
graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1934.15The two
s Morris Lapidus, an Architect Who Built Flamboyance Into Hotels, Is Dead of 98. The New York
Times. January 19, 2001.
M Lapidus, Too Much Is Never Enough; Rizzoli, 1996, p.150; also "Hotel Roosevelt Plans Gala
Birthday Opening, Miami Herald, Nov. 19, 1950
" Building Permit Card #27133 and Plans #37045, Miami Beach Building Department.
12 Nash and Robinson, op• cit•, p.73.
13 Obituary, Miami Herald, November 12, 2003, p.4B.
14 Application for AIA membership,"Gibbs, Frederick A.." AIA, Coral Gables, Fla.
is Application for AIA membership, "MacKay, Edw. A." AIA, Coral Gables, Fla.
Commission Memorandum of October 74, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 78 of 24
formed a partnership in 1946, with an office at 927 41st Street in
Miami Beach. Between 1947 and 1965, MacKay & Gibbs
designed many fine buildings in the Postwar Modern style in
Miami Beach, including:16
Sherbrooke Apts. 901 Collins Ave.
Amber/ee Apts. 1520 Euclid Ave.
Surfcomber Hotel 1717 Collins Ave.
Hotel del Caribe 1725 Collins Ave.
Seacomber Hotel 1737 Collins Ave.
Tradewinds Apts. 2315-35 Pinetree Dr.
Carriage Club North 5005 Collins Ave.
Carol Lee Apts. 7610-20 Harding Ave.
In the late 1960s the firm of Gibbs & Wang designed several
larger apartment buildings, such as: ~~
Carriage Club South 5001 Collins Ave.
Seacoast Towers West 5700 Collins Ave.
Byron Hall 6900 Abbott Ave.
A. Herbert Mathes (1912-1977) graduated from New York
University in 1937 and came to Miami Beach in 1944. Previously
he had designed stores for the National Shoe Company, shoe
exhibits at the 1939 New York World's Fair, packing plants in
Kansas, film labs for 20th Century Fox, and Forest Park Gardens
in Rye, New York. During World War 11 he designed ships for the
U. S. Navy.18 In Miami Beach he designed a number of
commercial, residential and municipal buildings, including:
Golden Gate Apartments
Parisian Hotel
Geneva Hotel
Continental Hotel
Allison Hotel
Miami Beach Public Library
Revere Hotel
2395 Flamingo Drive
1510 Collins Avenue
1520 Collins Avenue
4000 Collins Avenue
6261 Collins Avenue
2100 Collins Avenue (demolished)
1100 Ocean Drive (demolished)
In the proposed Historic District, Mathes designed the north
addition to the Fontainebleau, popularly known as the "spite wall,"
in 1958.
Charles Foster McKirahan
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1919, McKirahan first studied at
Oklahoma State University. During World War II he served for
three years as a captain with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in
Australia, Hawaii, Guam, Japan, and the South Pacific, an
is City of Miami Beach Bldg. Dept. records
"Ibid.
18 "Portraits and Projects of Architects," Florida Sun, May 21, 1951.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 19 of 24
experience that strongly influenced his later work. He completed a
B.S. degree in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1947.
He moved to Fort Lauderdale that same year, forming the
partnership of Wilmer & McKirahan in 1951 and his own practice
in 1953. One of his firm's first projects was the Polynesian-themed
Mai Kai Restaurant, which is still intact and operating on US 1
north of Oakland Park.
As Broward County was growing in the Postwar years, the
prominent Coral Ridge Properties development firm hired
McKirahan to design hundreds of homes and apartments,
including Coral Cove, Bay Club, Sunrise Bay Club, Maybury
Mansions, Coral Ridge Towers (North and East), Roya( Admiral
Condominium, and Ocean Manors Hotel, as well as the Coral
Ridge Country Club and Yacht Club.
Elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale he designed the Point of America
Condominium, Everglades House, Sky Harbour East, Lago Mar
Apartments, Marina Motor Inn, Ireland's Inn, the original Yankee
Trader Hotel, Birch Tower, Birch House, Sea Chateau Motel, and
Manhattan Tower. In Dade County his work included the
Castaways Hotel (also with a Far Eastern theme), the Seaquarium
dome, Point View Co-op, Island House on Key Biscayne. His
contribution to the proposed historic district is the original
Seacoast Towers (now the Alexander), designed in 1962 for
Alexander Muss.
In the Bahamas, McKirahan designed the Nassau Beach Lodge,
Nassau Yacht Harbour Marina Hotel, Cotton Bay Club Beach
House, and residences for actor Raymond Burr and artist
Alexander Calder. He is also known to have worked in Ecuador,
Honduras, Dominican Republic, and Brazil.
Sadly, this prolific and gifted architect was killed in an auto
accident in West Palm Beach in 1964, at age 44. A colleague from
Coral Ridge Properties has recently commented, "Chuck's genius
was his ability to design with flair at a time with very tight budgets."
B. Robert Swartburg
Born in New York in 1895, Swan`burg "stan`ed to work in an
architect's office when he was nine. "19 He was educated at
Columbia University, at the American Academy in Rome, and at
the Eco/e des Beaux Arts in Paris. He worked in Florida briefly
from 1925 to 1927, then returned to New York, but moved to
Miami permanently in 1944. He worked here until his retirement in
1972, when he merged his firm with Grove-Haack & Associates
and served as a consu/tant.20 He died three years later at age 80.
'9 Obituary, Miami Herald, Dec. 8, 1975.
20 "Two Firms In Merger," Miami Herald, Oct. 29, 1972.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20~' Century Historic District
Page 20 of 24
In his 35-gear career he is said to have designed over 1000
buildings.2
In New York he is credited with designing Garden Bay Manor, a
$17 million housing project for the Federal Housing
Administration. In Miami he designed municipal buildings such as
the Miami Civic Center, the Metro Justice Building, and fhe former
Miami Beach Convention Hall, as well as Riviera Junior High
School and Ojus Elementary School.
In Miami Beach he is best known for the Delano Hotel at 1685
Collins Avenue, one of the first post-war hotels to be built on the
beach. In the proposed historic district he is represented by the
reconstructed fagade of the Sorrento Hotel, designed in 1948 at
4391 Collins Avenue, now part of the Fontainebleau Resort; and
by the Executive Apartments at 4925 Collins Avenue, built in
1959. His other hotels include the Vagabond Motel on Biscayne
Boulevard and the Santa Anita in Sunny Isles. Mr. Swartburg was
also an accomplished artist who painted for pleasure, and
executed murals and sculptures to embellish his buildings.
(6) Have yielded, or are likely to yield information important in
pre-history or history:
Satisfied
The architectural resources within the proposed Morris Lapidus /
Mid 20f`' Century Historic District represent one of several major
development periods within the City of Miami Beach's history, the
Post World War ll Development Boom. Development in Miami
Beach commenced in the 1910s with simple vernacular,
masonry/wood-frame structures. This type of development came
to a halt during World War I and led to the period in 1920s when
developments of spectacular Mediterranean Revival style
buildings were constructed for both grand hotels and intimate
residences. Following the crash of 1929 and the Great
Depression, the design continuum began to reflect the changing
economic times, and a modern style known as Art Deco and
Streamline Moderne came into fashion in Miami Beach. This style
reflected the latest stylistic development in Europe as well as
rapidly changing technologies. Following World War ll
manufacturing was redirected from the defense to the domestic
economy. Advanced and highly efficient mass production
techniques resulted in new and affordable modes of
transportation, a major change in tourism and residential living,
and a consequent major change in the architecture of the Mid-
Century period. Preservation and protection of this architecture
which reflects these changes is critically important in informing
residents, visitors and future generations of this important period
21 "Exhibition Hall Designer Created 1,000 Buildings," Miami Herald, Oct. 26, 1958.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 21 of 24
in the City's dynamic history which represented a major shift in
design concepts in Miami Beach.
(7) Be listed in the National Register of Historic Places;
Partially Satisfied
The Fontainebleau Hotel was individually listed on the National
Register of Historic Places on December 22, 2008 due to its
architectural and historical significance and its value to the nation
as an historic site.
All of the contributing buildings located within the proposed Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District are between 42 and 55
years of age. The Planning Department believes the proposed
historic district is eligible for listing National Register of Historic
Places as a nationally significant mid-20th century historic district.
(All of the contributing buildings located within the proposed Morris
Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District are older than the Art
Deco structures located within the National Register Architectural
District at the time the district was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1979.)
(8) Consist of a geographically definable area that~ossesses a
significant concentration of sites, buildings or structures
united by historically significant oast events or aesthetically
by plan or ahysical development, whose components may
lack individual distinction:
Satisfied
The proposed Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
spans from the Fontainebleau Hotel property on the south to just
north of the Imperial House (at 5200 Block) on the north. Within
this area there is a significant concentration of contributing
structures that are physically united by their distinctive and unique
relationship to the waterfront on both sides. To the west, all of the
buildings directly face Indian Creek, affording a spectacular
panoramic vista of their primary facades with direct visual access
from the water as well as from the land. To the east, the Atlantic
Ocean forms a natural boundary with the buildings physically
united by the beach. This area possesses a remarkable collection
of highly individualistic, historic architecture which reflects the
changes in American hotel design as well as large-scale
residential apartment design in Miami Beach and South Florida in
the era of renewed development following World War ll. The
contributing structures located within this area form a cohesive
ribbon of Mid-Century American design treasures along the South
Florida coastline.
A review of the fourteen (14) properties located in the proposed
Commission Memorandum of October 74, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 22 of 24 ,
Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District indicates that
twelve (12) of these properties (or 86 percent) are Contributing
and two (2) properties (or 14 percent) are Non-Contributing. Two
additional properties within the proposed district are Cify--owned
parking lots adjacent to public parks.
(b) A building. structure (including the public' portions of the interior).
improvement or landscape feature may be designated historic even
if it has been altered if the alteration is reversible and the most
significant architectural elements are intact and repairable.
Each of the twelve contributing buildings located within the Morris Lapidus
/ Mid 20th Century Historic District retain a substantial degree of original
historic integrity and design features as well as integrity of original
location.
ANALYSIS OF THE AMENDING ORDINANCE
In reviewing a request for an amendment to the Land Development Regulations of the
City Code or a change in land use, the Planning Board shall consider the following:
Whether the proposed change is consistent and compatible with the
comprehensive plan and any applicable neighborhood or redevelopment plans.
Consistent - The proposed historic designation is consistent with the
Comprehensive Plan, specifically with the Historic Preservation Element of the
Comprehensive Plan's Objective No. 1, which states: "...increase the total
number of structures designated as historically significant from that number of
structures designated in 1988, either individually or as a contributing structure
within a National Register Historic Preservation District or a local Historic
Preservation District."
2. Whether the proposed change would create an isolated district unrelated to
adjacent or nearby districts.
Consistent - The amendment would not create an isolated district unrelated to
adjacent or nearby districts nor change the underlying zoning district for any
areas within the City. The adjacent zoning districts to the north and south of the
proposed historic district are the same RM-3 classification.
3. Whether the change suggested is out of scale with the needs of the
neighborhood or the city.
Partially Consistent - The designation of the area as a local historic district may
help to encourage further rehabilitation as well as new construction that is
compatible with the scale, characteristics, and needs of the surrounding
neighborhood.
4. Whether the proposed change would tax the existing load on public facilities and
infrastructure.
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 23 of 24
Consistent - The LOS for the area public facilities and infrastructure should not
be negatively affected, if at all, by the proposed amending ordinance.
5. Whether existing district boundaries are illogically drawn in relation to existing
conditions on the property proposed for change.
Consistent - The boundaries of the proposed historic district coincide with the
RM-3 and GU zoning districts as defined by its concentration of predominately
multi-family high-intensity residences and high-intensity hotels. The proposed
historic district will not change the existing underlying zoning district for any
property.
6. Whether changed or changing conditions make the passage of the proposed
change necessary.
Consistent - The protection of the special historic character and integrity of the
existing contributing buildings in the proposed historic district is essential to
maintaining Miami Beach's exceptional leadership in preserving and building
upon the inherent social, cultural and economic value of its unique 20th Century
historic resources. Past demolition of historic structures demonstrates the
necessity of this amendment to maintain the historical integrity of the area.
7. Whether the proposed change will adversely influence living conditions in the
neighborhood.
Consistent - The proposed amendment should not adversely influence living
conditions or the quality of life for the surrounding properties. Indeed, it has been
demonstrated that historic designation inevitably improves upon the quality of
living conditions within the designated boundaries of an historic district.
8. Whether the proposed change will create or excessively increase traffic
congestion beyond the levels of service as set forth in the comprehensive plan or
otherwise affect public safety.
Consistent - As historic designation does not change the permitted land uses,
the levels of service set forth in the Comprehensive Plan will not be affected.
Likewise, public safety will not be affected by historic designation.
9. Whether the proposed change will seriously reduce light and air to adjacent
areas.
Consistent - Historic designation normally results in the retention, rather than
the reduction of light and air to adjacent properties.
10. .Whether the proposed change will adversely affect property values in the
adjacent area.
Partially Consistent - As property values and value of construction have
historically increased in the existing historic sites and districts, there is no
Commission Memorandum of October 14, 2009
Second Reading Public Hearing -Historic Designation
Designation of Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District
Page 24 of 24
evidence to suggest that designation would adversely affect property values in
the area surrounding the proposed historic district.
11. Whether the proposed change will be a deterrent to the improvement or
development of adjacent property in accordance with existing regulations.
Consistent - The proposed amendment will not change the development
regulations for adjacent properties, which must comply with their own site specific
development regulations. Furthermore, the proposed ordinance should not affect
the ability for an adjacent property to be developed in accordance with said
regulations.
12. Whether there are substantial reasons why the property cannot be used in
accordance with existing zoning.
Consistent - The permitted land uses are not affected since the proposed
amendment does not change the underlying zoning district for any property.
13. Whether it is impossible to find other adequate sites in the city for the proposed
use in a district already permitting such use.
Not Applicable-
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed amending ordinance has no associated negative fiscal impact upon
enactment.
STAFF ANALYSIS
The proposed designation of the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District is
appropriate to protect the aesthetic, architectural, and historical importance of the Collins
Avenue corridor in Mid-Beach. The positive social and economic impact that
preservation has had on the revitalization of Miami Beach is well known. Local
residents, as well as visitors from around the world, are seeking the very special urban
character of Miami Beach that the Planning Department seeks to preserve. Further,
alterations as well as major additions are permitted to historic structures provided that
the changes are found to be appropriate by the Historic Preservation Board. Two
excellent examples of this are the new twenty-story south tower addition to the Eden
Roc Hotel, as well as the new spa building and pool structures for the Fontainebleau
Resort, all of which were reviewed and approved by the Historic Preservation Board.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Based upon the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic Designation Report, the
recommendations of the Historic Preservation Board and the Planning Board Planning,
and the above Staff Analysis, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City
Commission adopt the proposed amending ordinance on second reading public hearing
by designating the Morris Lapidus /Mid 20th Century Historic District with the boundaries
as recommended unanimously by the Historic Preservation Board and Planning Board.
JMG:TH:JGG:WHC:DT
T:WGENDA\2009\October 14\Regular\Morris Lapidus Historic District 2nd Reading. Memo.doc
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009 115N4B
__ _,.~_~
^
m Miar~igfACH
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
- NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
- H~STO#~IC DESIGNATION
The City of Miami Beach proposes to adopt the following
Ordinance:
AN ORDINANGE• OR THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF'THE CITY O;F MIAMI BEACH,=FLORIDA, AMENDING THE
LAND DEVELOPMENTREGUL•ATIONS OFTHE MIAMI BEACH
CITY CODE; -AMENDING SECTION 118-593, "HISTORIC
PRESERVATION DESIGNATION"; AMENDING SECTION
.•118-595(E), "DELiNF.AT'ION ON ZONING MAP"; AMENDING
-SECTION 118-593(E)(~), "HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DISTRICTS (HPD)" BY DESIGNATING THE MORRIS LAPIDUS
/ MID 20TH CENTURY'HISTORIC DISTRICT, AS MORE
PARTICULARLY''DESCRIBED HEREIN; PROVIDING THAT
THE CITY'S ZONING MAP SHALL BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE
THE MORRIS LAPIDUS /MID 20TH .CENTURY HISTORIC
DISTRICT; ADOPTING THE DESIGNATION REPORT
ATTACHED HERETO AS APPENDIX "A"; PROVIDING FOR
INCLUSION IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS
OF THE CITY `CODE, REPEALER, SEVEi3ABILITY, ~ AND AN
EFFECTIVE DATE. .
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a second reading public
-heating on the Ordinance will be held by the City Commission
on Wednesday October 14 2009 at 5.10 o m or as soon
thereafter as uossible in the City Commission Chambers.
Third Floor, City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami
Beach, Florida:
The historic district proposed for designation• is shown on the
Map within this Zoning Map Change: The district boundaries
may be modified by the City Commission at this meeting.
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Historic Dhtriet
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AN persons are invited to appear at'this meeting or be-represented by an agent, or to express their views in writing
addressed to the Miami Beach City Commission c/o the City Clerk, 1700 Convention Center. Drive, First Floor, City.
Hall, Miami Beach,•Florida 33139.-
The Ordinance and other related materials regarding the proposed historic district are available for publrc inspection ,
during normal busiriess hours in the City Clerk`s Office. enquiries may be directed to the Planning Department at
(305) 673-7550. The hearing on this Ordinance maybe continued '3t this meeting and, under such circumstances, .
additional legal notice would not be .provided. Any" person may contact the City Clerk's Office at (305) 673-7411 for
information as to. the status of the .Ordinance as a result of the meeting.
Pursuant to Sedtion 286.0105, Fla. Stet., the City hereby advises the public that: If a person decides to appeal .
any decision made. by this Board with respect to-any matter considered at its meeting or ifs hearing, such person
.must insure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made,`which record includes the testimony and evidence
upon which the appeal is to be based. This notice does not constitute consent by the City of the- introduction or
admission of otherwise inadmissible or irrelevant evidence, nor does it authorize challenges or appeals not otherwise
allowed by law. _
To request this material in accessible format, sign language interpreters, information on access for persons with
disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in any city-sponsored proceeding,
please contact 305-604-2489 (voice) or 305-673-7218 (TTY) five days in advance to initiate your request. TTY users
may also call 71.1 (Florida Relay Service).
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