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WHEN 1VIORE WAS 1VIORE
In postwar Miami Beach, architecture celebrated whimsy and curves, with a big boost from Morris Lapidus
By WAYNE CURTIS p14 ,.,. ` _ - �- L.
1 1
_out-
rageously
JNi9thearchaectMorrisLa:idus
modern hotels on Collins
Avenue in Miami Beach. 'i + *v ,,,, -" `
"I once again used my old bag ofti: " `
tricks;'he recalled in his memoirs,pub- - _ r=
lished five years before his death in Janu- ? ki a } 4=..
ary.His tricks included"sweeping curves,a I `" --
woggle-shaped carpet,the old cheese holes + `
in the floating ceiling and the curved walls, i i
beanpoles hung with cages of live birds.I %,.. ' -_'
• also added more...." {,} I tan J
Of course,more.Mr.Lapidus's autobiog- 1 1 _ - ' "' s F
raphy was endearingly entitled"Too Much - �„,,,.....-�-' E
Is Never Enough,"and in postwar Miami y �..�. ���' i
Beach,excess was the New Black. _
What a time!Frank Sinatra and the Rat 11 t ', -
Pack held court at the Fontainebleau,and I t ya
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz camped out ;'_ - -
next door at the Eden Roc.Jackie Gleason ! t ' �` -
-chartered an entire train to move the June '- 1 ; �'
Taylor dancers and the rest of the cast of his ` -- r^
TV show to"the sun and fun capital of the 1 1 ) E - ' `
world."Pale snowbirds followed the celebri- }{ l �, '<
ties and,living large,sipped festive cock- i ! I _ #- F '! `-
tails poolside at the vast new beach resorts. l,, -
Miami Beach in the 1950's and 60's de-
fined swank. ""- j- 9�
l
Alas,it was a brief,shining moment,and '- = `t'
the subsequent years proved unkind.The t _ ,� t- �; , 0,,,,,,,,._-.-_,4„.„,..
fashionable crowd drifted off.When it re- - -_�
turned in the late 1980's,it colonized South = }'-. 7{ '`t E ,� '
Beach,restoring older Art Deco hotels and \ `• 1 .,!!!!..-...-71_,..,,,..._......___ 4IP '`"
apartments,and launching nightclubs and ' i �f f .,--
paces sidewalk cafes. Swank was redefined by `=-.a -. , '.0 ' z 4,
places like Ian Schrager's Delano,a con- ' -
temporary interpretation of Art Deco with - �- _ '" -.
billowing, diaphanous curtains and mini- -�_ � �IX' - `' ,
malls+ furnishings. The high-rises to the - _`"'
north,which forma nearly impenetrable - alp
-- , '.
palisade between Collins Avenue and the •
beach,tended to be regarded,when regard- � 'mow
ed at all,as white elephants and eyesores,
dowdy and unloved. ---
its t`;
Fashion runs in cycles,of course."You
hate your mother's wedding gown in your -
Parents'wedding photograph," the archi- !!--,_X.4.,!-,,:,-,==:_
,tent Robert Venturi has said,"but you love - - -
your grandmother's wedding gown in your
grandparents'wedding photograph."
The jumbo-sized 1950's and 1960's resorts -
have recently become our grandmother's - .
-41
Phu,oy;raahzbv Wayne Cuni,t,The New York Times(h,,IN I,Sb cal),Slav Wa- u,Ium u,ar
wedding gown. Miami's midcentury style _ - a+ > Tma�raa
has been rediscovered, and has already
been endowed with a punchy nickname- ABOVE Lobby at the newly +�'e- r'v„- - -
MiMo,short for Miami Modern,a period refurbished Eden Roc.RIGHT TheUu'aii
that stretches from 1995 to the early 70's.
Some signs of arrival:This year the famous Fontainebleau next door. J-3,-_ t
Col-
lins Waterfront was officially designated a BELOW Morris Lapidus,who '. •--' - qP' p r "
historic district by the City of Miami Beach; ! Qp '
designed both hotels. >+ � q
it encompasses dozens of buildings between "PIP'!"
'
f
d and 49th Streets,with some outstand- - 3 i 4 ". �t�*� -
examples of midcentury modern. An I -..I -r - `,�"'41sts. s s ' Alikill
ldM `dFRl7Who.: R �" 1 -� s, ..+Ifiri;
Some signs of arrival:This year the Col- tamous F'ontamebleau next door. I;a+�°'!'� rx.. -
fy' -..s Waterfront was officially designated a BELOW Morris Lapidus,who -*'�7 ih ♦ x.
P
istoric district by the City of Miami Beach; dr` .
designed both hotels. f
it encompasses dozens of buildings between ,a'"'" `t . �rR ,
23rd and 44th Streets,with some outstand- p*"� �"1"e� k.' ��?.�f-�f ` '. - - "`-
-;-r-
ing examples of midcentury modern. An ,,;„•,,,,_ '
engaging exhibit of 79 MiMo photographs - er!k"'• r �+',%' -lot�' ,
opened this fall in Miami Beach (it runs)o - 4� '•= i i -
through Dec.16 and moves to the Municipal: - .y/pikr ' T -r , 11 - _
Art Society in New York next March).Sev-
eral MiMo resorts have been burnished } -,-
back to a semblance of their old luster.And „,..,,,,,..**07 - -
a few other MiMo-era renovations-includ-
ing ,,I..,,,,' -`"'- ,-� Ip � - 4i-
a Ritz-Carlton in aLapidus-designed" ---•"_,"--'0':1-1.A''5-',"
---7—�,_ � ` 5'400
' .
hotel-are under way. �, `z� s -- "�� "' �y.
In late October I spent a few days explor- x -Y ,•:<+,� x^ ( • *-
ing Miami Beach,visiting some of the MiMo - y
hotels and attractions.While woggle-shaped - I 0 ,� Ai 4! in in 6 # _ �,,
carpets(free-form kidney shapes)were in f •"4 # i
lamentably short supply, I did find thatu. a ,I 0 # if "- ' t '� i
1950's Miami is once again starting to look, �w S•.: _ ! I
well...pretty darn swank (A/ t 9. 0 € * `
A good starting point for a MiMo expedi- T\ ' it 4. �t v •4 I i 4 0
tion is the Miami Design Preservation I i� ', 14 , R- q • -s-- -
League at 1001 Ocean Drive in South Beach. ; ! /) - - - ; ``
Ask for the free brochure called"Miami ` ' boo, i ' - .-:,-0,4#'----i �^'�"�"`'+
Beach Architectural Guide," which was 4,), 1 r
published this year.Inside is a map of the r •1 ' - ' j -. ` -' -
}
WAYNE CURTIS is a contributing editor at y •'. -, - - -
_ 1
Preservation magazine. `�i - _ 'j
d Boulevard,and the wonderful Deco-modern instant- hit with kids.Although impec
51ST ST z t Tn. 1948 Surfcomber at 1717 Collins Avenue modernist on the outside,the hotel I
r, a dssonl- (now a Doubletree property),which benefit- flamboyantly baroque interior,one t
4,7HSr 3 auwue.= ed from a minimalist redesign in 1998. visitor might reasonably assume we
0
° Lincoln Road,which runs parallel to 17th spired by a French bordello.
e (, , Biscayne say Resod den d Sp—h az, Street, was the city's trendiest shopping "True modernism was never gob
m`narea up to the 1940's,when it teemed with work here in Miami Beach,"said Re
Fontainebleau ' furriers and tony department stores.After Robinson,a local planner and preserv:
97` Hilton
_a^# r v' x ,{` upscale retailers migrated to Bal Harbour ist who with a colleague, Teri D'A
`,4,; , -'' 51. aamur+ in the 1950's, Mr. Lapidus was asked to popularized the term MiMo three yeah
t Cy t Cyt, ..77 51 Goor-aer Rn create a pedestrian mall to bring back some "This was a middle-class American ri
iii + R' - C`P� - 3an.sr s ny of its former cachet.He obliged,and in 1959 and Joe Lunch-bucket was not gob
p +
{ r F,'1 ' ll''' 1 'O �, • ;-_ f - added zebra-striped paving and elaborately spend money to stay in the Barcelona I
a 1 ,,, + n Miami Beach saes souatM angled concrete shelters. ion,"he added,referring to the Mies va
r� '., - zerN sr
Saval. This too slipped into decay,until a round Rohe 1929 building."You had to be mo
',•;tom 7 of renovations was completed three years but at the same time you had to giv
- ll 'r �'; -t ago.Today the six blocks are again filled vacation market what it wanted."
r r 2?r, o�do s ,-,�„ with art galleries,clothing stores and res-
Pir' ,,, °POE 'sr ��'� taurants that are increasingly embracing a - IMO was the unholy
'-41-'.r,!k ma Rtt, s' modern aesthetic. //��spring.
- - -Zf ;I ,nH sr. Above all,it has people e in the evening, Architects like Mr.
o bene Y Y dos and Norman
'i `� suneomb the livel sidewalk cafe scene pearl rivals
=! o LINCOLN eo. that of Ocean Drive. - started with simple,
ri-
The Ritz-Carlton is scheduled to open next ernist boxes,then applied a layer of whi
-,w-„,,,.,� - , p rsrN sr , spring in the former DiLido Hotel,at Lin- especially in the interiors."What a r
--` - '- - , South Beach coin and Collins,designed byMr.Lapidus in
e e g P sold was a feeling of relaxed luxury
ABOVE Cafe scene on Lincoln Road,which nearly rivals that of Ocean 1951.Plans call for an interior styling that freedom from the everyday humdrum(
Drive.BELOW Winged neon sign of Publix Market on Dade Boulevard. "r”sr._; Ma Design blends Minto and 1930's moderne.The hotel ence that guests were trying to escape,'
• x` a n-atl is buffing up many of the original elements Lapidus said.
cARTHUR Q= e League - like the oddly asymmetrical porte-co- Wandering around the Fontainebte
___ _.______ _ a Ieewar 3 c a there,and the glossyblack terrazzo floors.
o = concluded that Mr.Lapidus was wrong
STH sr o 'd Atlantic Ocean The largest cluster of Minto properties least one particular: too much is,in
'' begins on Collins north of 23rd Street,where sometimes too much.The place made
-!''!'Fal.-
�� 1 _} "I` the 1950's boom most dramatically re- little woozy with its excess.
it , a > ,�+ m a shaped the profile of this barrier island.The So I opted to stay next door at the
Vic f ' ,f ,i - c ,-1_,'a o Seville(2901 Collins),Sans Souci(3101 Col- Roe,which Mr.Lapidus designed in
�,s .� ;l r - a r _ has) and Saxony (3201 Collins) hotels all The Eden Roc benefited from a super'.
td a x is,,u,.nrkr m,, feature classic Minto elements from the late million makeover in late 1999, v
Y.:.}. .{ �1-;y.S.. 't • „ ,'!/,':!--:;11.f.:'
1940's and early 1950's -like swooping stripped away the more unfortunate as!
(1 -v - ., `.r :,,,i= city,studded with pink dots for notable Art balconies and powerful horizontals. of intervening"improvements”-sui
I , .1+7 Pk.--
L , Deco buildings, and red dots for MiMo, Yet these pale compared with the Fon- the thick coat of glossy white paint tha
U ,# along with brief descriptions of each. It tainebleau and Eden Roc,the pair of side- been slapped on the Brazilian rose•
Hr -;, -f A is useful for seeing the buildings by foot, by-side resorts designed by Mr. Lapidus columns.
{# o p r by car or by using the Collins Avenue that remain the Olympus and Parnassus of The resort's handsome bar now occi
bus. MiMo. much of the soaring space off the 1(
-w The map is especially handy because, The Fontainebleau is certainly the best creating a cathedral of swank.In its
i` .t 4 a(f'. unlike the city's Deco district,there is no known. The famous main building, con- incarnation (Morris Lapidus was tar
A „ f �; kx distinct MiMo district. Modern buildings strutted in 1959,arcs in a quarter circle and tially involved in the renovation),the I
p '^"( - - tend to be scattered around Miami Beach- embraces lushly landscaped gardens,pools is awash in contemporary colors-like
'- a! r like the quirky 1962 Publix Market with an and t},weird but amusing octopus-shaped
.�` p _ _ _ elabo"trate winged neon sign over on Dade water slide,which is brand new and an�, Continued on Page 10
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By JENNIFER MOSES -T who told us that he uses the computer only for backup, checked into the Brazilian Court hotel in Palm
--- ' •' preferring to keep track of guests the reliable way,by Beach on theSept.b 1."It was eerie,"he said."I has
a checking them off a chart at the front desk.He recom- dinner at the bar because the dining room was
HE truth is,ever since my college boyfriend ) mended dinner at a place called Seven Fish. empty.It was just the bartender and me.There
moved, albeit temporarily, to Key West .'- �,, Housed in a blink-and-you-miss-it former luncheon- was expectation in the air,like you feel if you're
some 20 years ago to do something fantasti-West �; elle,Seven Fish has a chic interior with a number of the first person to arrive at a party.Except this
cally 20groovy—write a novel,I think—I've small square tables and a metal-topped bar.The food is party didn't happen."Mr.Jayne went back:to
wanted to see the place for myself.But that g '* delicious—we started with a seriously good roasted red the hotel recently."It was.almost normal fpr
didn't mean I was going to be excited about the prospect ` pepper and goat cheese salad,and then moved on to the this time of year,"he said.
of a weekend visit when I finally got the chance to go last ° t fresh fish that is the restaurant's claim to fame.Stuart Last year more than half of Florida's 71.5
month.After all,I've always been a nervous flier;now, ,�, r~ rye,°"^ had grilled mahi-mahi with dried peppercorn sauce over million visitors arrived by air,the sector that
imagining the worst,I was so anxious that I could feel !� - J,3;, roasted red potatoes,and I had a yellowtail snapper has suffered most since Sept.11."People are
hair follicles tingling in my scalp,like thousands of tiny ;_- sauteed in a Thai curry cream sauce. still driving here,"said Tom Flanigan,a spokps-
electrical shocks.I was sure that,even if I survived the Our waitress told me that Key West had just
man for Visit Florida,the official tourism ma[
trip,I couldn't possibly enjoy it. "-•f-'-: suffered a couple of anthrax.hoaxes.But they didn't kering corporation for the state. Because:96
But couple of anxiety.pills,a hands-on blessing r seem to deter the crowds of tourists,who were thronging percent of its tourists come by air,said William
from my rabbi,and the combined assurances of all my s i'.', .. - the main drag,Duval Street.Its bars and restaurants D.Talbert HI,president of,the the
neighbors later,my husband,Stuart,and I found our- _moi were packed,couples of all sexual orientations and Convention and Visitors Bureau,the Miami area
selves in the southernmost city in the continental United , }�" many accents strolled hand in.hand,and Stuartbe an is more vulnerable than most other parts of the
States,prepared to be charmed.Indeed,Key West is so ir, y' r" _°' - what turned out to be a 98-hour obsessional search for
state.And the slowdown couldn't have come at a
:charming that it's almost obnoxious,particularly since �y :77"' ' the perfect Hawaiian shirt.Thee red one with the blue worse time for the city; which is halfway
none of its charm is forced or self-conscious.You can F g�. flowers on it?The orange one with the peacocks?The through a four-year building expansion that will
walk or bicycle everywhere,without worrying about i ' `� green one with the surfers? add 8,500 roms iii 97 new hotels.being mugged,and strangers are nice to you. Just as crowded was the island's annual Goombay "Last year we had an 80 percent occupancyAnd it's really pretty: the Old Town historic s ; street festival,devoted to celebrating Caribbean culture rate,"said Mr.Talbert."We led the nation."Ijut
trio,with narrow street after narrow street of toric dis-an '` :�# .with food,music and lots of beer,in a neighborhood seven weeks after the attacks,with flights into
houses—gingerbread cottages,simple shotguns and ' + �'� known as Bahama Village. Miami cut by 15 percent,hotel occupancy to
Classic revival mansions with double verandas,widow's -.',-,-,,,t,4: For some reason I woke up the next morning greater Miami was still only at 50 percent,down
r from 65 or 70
walks,scrollwork,overhanging eaves,balconies,lou- it starving—and this time weowere directed toward percent in a normal year,accord-
starving shutters and white picket fences. All this Is a k,. _y Pepe's Cafe,famous for its Thanksgiving dinner,which ing to Stuart Blumberg,president of the Greater
surrounded by poinciana,frangipani,orchids,.mahog- a'' -" t of a ,e.. is served every Thursday night.Pepe's,which opened in Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association.
any, sapodilla and Spanish lime trees. (New Town, 1909,is one of the oldest restaurants in the Florida Keys, In Orlando,about 60 percent of the tourists:
beyond Eisenhower Drive,dates from the(New J and we were very happy wolfing down eggs and bagels arrive by plane,and that area has not been
"I can't believe this is America,"the 19 kept say-
down
under an arbor on the brick patio,while at the next table, affected as badly as Miami."We're probably
ing,to which I added:"I can't believe this is Florida." two scantily-clad couples had started celebrating the down 20 percent from this time last year,"Said
You see,Florida and I aren't on the same wavelength. The pool and gardens at the Eden House weekend with a round of beer.Stuart and I had a serious Richard Hotel a Maladecki,president of the Central
The beaches,the sunshine,the beautiful people,the Hotel,where the author Stayed. tourist agenda ahead of us,and therefore couldn't afford Florida and Lodging Association,which
fancy cars—who needs them?But Key West,the size of - -- to drink,at least not until lunch. includes businesses in the Orlando area.
Central Park,and closer to Havana than to Miami, Thus we cruised on foot over to the Historic Seaport
Florida's theme.parks,zoos,aquariums and
en-headed automobile I saw parked on Fleming Street, p other attractions also are suffering."Overall,
seems to be devoted to a different principle entirely, and the town's many art galleries,filled with everything a couple of blocks west.Nearby,I was tempted to(but in attendance roe ed by40
though what that principle is,I couldn't tell you. the end decided against)takingupd percent from at-
thoughfrom Cuban folk art to voluptuousglass sculptures and B ) Phe really,
knee-P Pimmediately after the attacks,with some at-
Moreseer, I couldn't quite figure out what else sun-drenched primitives of street life. boarding or jet-skiing.We admired the really,really, tractions down byaspercent.By
people who live in Key West do.I mean,other than sell T- seriouslybigthe much as 90ooperating
ithe
Happily Key yachts;ourselves
discussedt place called a second wed-
shir[s.Even so,it only took me moments to see whythe PP Y for those of us who don't live in Westend of October industry was operating 20
ding ceawithony for opromise of a place Chapel by
and therefore aren't laid-back,the island seems devotedpercent lower than last year,"said Donna Rosa,
town has long been a mecca for all kinds of people who goalmaking the Sea,lott[h its prome stress-freeproduts weddings,eye
to the of all comers welcome,with accom- president of the Florida Attractions Association.
in might feel more comfortable in jeans and flip-flops than modations to suit different size credit ratings.At Eden Aloe;
lboo;anda fof fancy skin-care Duval Street, Key Wehere su-t Many ofd hhue rsa and attractions ns are own ststaffs.o '
ee Wills iams Brothe s-abeople ike,for or the example,
hand,and House, a 90-room Deco-style stucco and wood hotel, art s�searchnforythet perfect urned oHawaiian shirt w continued reduced Disney World Resort as reducedd
our ponyms cabdriver, Robert (originally from Stuart and I had a small but clean and comfortable room without resolution. Walt has the
( B Y with a queen bed,large TV,and a modern bathroom between
32 of its 40,000 hourly orae Its 7, to
Rhode Island)on the other,who told us,"Once you live with a large shower head. Which annoyed me,because I had my eye on my and 36 hours from 40 hours.Its 7,900
in Key West,you just can't live anywhere else," Outside,in the well-tended,brilliantly green garden, own version of a tacky shirt—this one was tight,beaded full-time salaried employees have been given
Laid-back, yes, but it's also got its own funky, there is water running in five different waterfalls hidden and Stuartsxyin an vetoed tSo I was nea of a huff way— the option of goinga .to a four-day pe cy t.wTheh week,
anything-goes energy evident in,for example,the chick- under the stairs and amid the lush foliage,as well as a but twe took atour it.the I was in a bit of a later,thus her of pe form ncesiof Dyne Disney's popu.ar"Beau-
heated -
swimming pol and a.Jacuzzi where guests didn'en wellya preaoHemingwas Home gra thus barn Cher Beas" livhow popular JENNIFER MOSES,who lives in Baton Rouge,La., seemed to be drinking beer round the clock.The day we didn't really appreciate the loveliness of the graceful tyre and the Beast" live show has. also been
writes frequently about the South. - were there,Eden House also came equipped reduced."Attendance back,"
q ppedwith Roger, Continued on Following Page dropped,but it is slowly I
#;::7;;''..*,. ..,FLA '7.-o i a _ -... �..._..-,.¢ . .. . _..e�� _ Disneyrsp spokesman.
and said Bob Jimenez,8
, a ti freest": ,.a '�'�Fa- Hotels'have also had to lay off staff merit
i • '� - s ..... _ hers."Our members'payrolls are down by aiji
_ estimated 22
r 59 ' percent overall,"said Mr.Waits oi'
�*., ria ane 'yy �" .'„ � i the Florida Hotel and Motel Association.
v1. s t _ ,.� ',�•x„ Despite the drop in visitors,no major Flor-
'�" m g
% 4, ida hotels or resorts have been forced to close.
CUBA ` "I would be very surprised if we saw that degree
Caribbean Sea o vies
oo ,,,,, Iri- ,r of crisis,at least for the rest of the year,'said
( -`e '� _ Scott Berman,a partner with Pricewaterhouse-
Mutoav s(! d '.s em �3 gi Blots '- - Coopers Hospitality and Leisure Consulting
sounae. �F 4th: , _ LCCBED --.... - Group in Miami
Met Fisher EENE sr. Key West .N ,+ i `� - BA�5 "However,the four months beginning with
Maritime museum °a �- 7 December,when resort operators here tract'-
° N sT $- a "� \! e [tonally bring m more than half of their revenue,
ma EPtO EMiNG sr � # will be critical,"he continued "Looking at that
Harry S.t n v� 0` _ - , ' period,bookings are holding.What's a bit con
Lille While House x i sy-.. - _ 1 corning is that the reservation pickup hasn't
c OLD TOWN _. 1 - '` ,Y n m �{ been at the some pace as in previous years.
O o'er ASE. ROC R f f -atter/ Y� t � _.- There are pockets of weakness,particularly tri
1a° off, �q j . e s / ' the Towee encouragks just e bookings, many re and after shot Is are
s ate Hat ary siieor
Hemingway / -Y,a, ^d i flie cutting rates."There is a fair amount of(fi4-
d Nome v. Imili#t",•••
1. E ' counting taking place,and there are deals out
- The N C York'-rues �;��j _ f - y there that weren'ravailable last year.I've seen
-.) _ everything from 5 percent to 30 percent off the
'ya, ",r '`' '� published rate,"said Mr.Berman.
The Parrothead Festival along
1 Even if they have maintained their rates,
Duval Street in Key West, t ; ' ` -:c, Florida hotels are using incentives to entice
home elan Cr.the(;nntnh�., s 16'� "~ guests.Nearly 100 hnrels in the nrtaed„area:...5 el
.