Loading...
1628-17 Various Miami Beach Printable page Page 1 of 1 F1, Print this page • Close Window From miaminewtimes.com Originally published by Miami New Times Nov 08, 2001 ©2004 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved. More MIMo Praise for one of Miami Modern's unsung heroes BY NINA KORMAN Call architect Norman Giller the man who made MIMo. Of course in 1949 when he was designing buildings such as the first ever two- Thomas Delbeck story motel, Sunny Isles' Ocean Palm, the last thing on his mind was what style he was utilizing. "Styles are something that historians give to architecture," says Giller. "Architecture actually represents the people of that particular time and the technology of that time." The time that MIMo, or Miami Modern architecture, refers to spans from 1945 to 1973. Along with the appreciation of all things modern from the midcentury, the style is hotter than ever, and 83-year-old Giller is recognized as one of its major ' • Detail from Norman proponents. As Design + Architecture 2001's final event, he'll be Giller's Carillon Hotel feted during a lunch Monday at, of all places, the Eden Roc, (1957) designed in 1956 by another leading light Morris Lapidus. Unlike the praise heaped on Lapidus near the end of his life, the seemingly late recognition for Giller's achievements is not overdue Oetaiis at all. Established for 50 years, his firm received accolades for its Norman Giller influential innovations such as introducing air conditioning in Details: Will be honored residential structures, pioneering the use of PVC pipe, and at noon Monday, Inventing the catwalk balcony/hallway for motel patrons. They November 12. Tickets designed more than 11,000 buildings in the United States and cost $75. Call 305-573- South America. Some in South Florida: The Thunderbird, Suez, and 6477. Driftwood motels in Sunny Isles, Hollywood's Diplomat Hotel, and Where: The Eden Roc the Carillon in Miami Beach. Resort and Spa, 4525 One of the benefits of living to a ripe age may be seeing your'work Collins Ave, Miami Beach admired for a second time, but witnessing your creations torn down and replaced thanks to skyrocketing land values is a sight Giller would rather not behold. "Times have changed, people's way of living has changed, and architecture reflects that." he notes philosophically. "Every building should not be saved just because it's old, but some should be preserved because they're good buildings, a good design, so that our children and grandchildren can see what the history of our generation was." http://www.miaminewtimes.com/issues/2001-11-08/nightday.html/print.html 6/7/2004