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2007-26546 Reso RESOLUTION NO. 2007-26546 A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, RECOMMENDING IN FAVOR OF LISTING THE PROPOSED NORTH SHORE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THE PROPOSED NORMANDY ISLES HISTORIC DISTRICT ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES WHEREAS, the City of Miami Beach is a member of the Certified Local Government Program administered by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources; and WHEREAS, a Certified Local Government shall review and provide recommendations on applications for listing on the National Register, which are located within the municipality; and WHEREAS, a proposal has been submitted for the creation of two new National Register Historic Districts in Miami Beach, to be known as the North Shore Historic District and the Normandy Isles Historic District; and WHERAS, the proposed North Shore Historic District is generally bounded by Collins Court and the Atlantic Ocean to the East; 73rd Street to the South; Park View Island Waterway, Hawthorne Ave. and Crespi Blvd. to the West; and 8ih Street to the North; and WHERAS, The proposed Normandy Isles Historic District is generally bounded by Biscayne Bay and a portion of 7151 Street to the South: the Normandy Shores Golf Course to the North; Indian Creek Waterway to the East: and Rue Notre Dame, north of Biarritz Drive, to the West; and WHEREAS, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, on April 10, 2007, unanimously determined that the proposed North Shore Historic District and the proposed Normandy Isles Historic District satisfy the criteria for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA that the Mayor and City Commission hereby recommend in favor of listing the proposed rth hore Historic District and the proposed Normandy Isles Historic District on the National gist of Historic Places. PASSED AND ADOPTED this 16th day of May ~rl CITYCLER~ her nd language and for execution torney ~.I____ ~ hlf7 J ted COMMISSION ITEM SUMMARY Condensed Title: A resolution in support of nomination of the North Shore Historic District and the Normandy Isles Historic District to the National Re ister of Historic Places. Ke Intended Outcome Su orted: Protect historic building stock. Issue: Should the City support the proposed National Register nominations? Item Summary/Recommendation: The National Register of Historic Places is an official national listing of buildings and places that are worthy of recognition and preservation because of their contribution to the history of the Nation, the State, or the local community. The benefits of listing on the National Register are the honor and recognition that it will bring to North Beach for its special brand of "Miami Modern", also known as "MiMo" architecture. Also, the National Register listing makes buildings eligible for financial incentives for preservation of historic buildings including the Federal 20% Investment Tax Credit, charitable contributions for historic preservation easements and the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Property Tax Abatement. The National Register does not require property owners to preserve their buildings. In fact, there are no restrictions whatsoever, unless the owner voluntarily elects to take advantage of one of the financial incentives, in which case the owner must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings. All property owners were mailed notices of a community informational meeting on March 29, 2007 and of the Historic Preservation Board public hearing on April 1 0,2007. There have been no objections other than a fear raised by a few of the property owners that the benefits of publicity and increased investment might result in higher property taxes. Financial Information: Source of Amount Account Approved Funds: 1 C:l 2 3 4 OBPI Total Financial Impact Summary: Ci Clerk's Office Le islative Trackin Joyce Meyers, Planning Department City Manager m ~ MIAMIBEACH AGENDA ITEM DATE R7C 5-!f/-o7 & MIAMI BEACH City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov COMMISSION MEMORANDUM FROM: Mayor David Dermer and Members of the City Commission Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager Q /"~ May 16, 2007 d A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, RECOMMENDING IN FAVOR OF LISTING THE PROPOSED NORTH SHORE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THE PROPOSED NORMANDY ISLES HISTORIC DISTRICT ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. TO: DATE: SUBJECT: ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDATION Adopt the resolution. ANAL YSIS The National Register of Historic Places is an official national listing of buildings and places that are worthy of recognition and preservation because of their contribution to the history of the Nation, the State, or the local community. The benefits of listing on the National Register are the honor and recognition that it will bring to North Beach for its special brand of "Miami Modern", also known as "MiMo" architecture. Also, the National Register listing makes buildings eligible for financial incentives for preservation of historic buildings including the Federal 20% Investment Tax Credit, charitable contributions for historic preservation easements and the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Property Tax Abatement. The National Register does not require property owners to preserve their buildings. In fact, there are no restrictions whatsoever, unless the owner voluntarily elects to take advantage of one of the financial incentives, in which case the owner must comply with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings. The idea for this nomination originated with the North Beach Strategic Plan (2001), which recommended "encouraging the rehabilitation of existing properties in order to improve the quality of residential neighborhoods" and "to protect neighborhood scale and character while permitting compatible new development". In subsequent community meetings, the Planning Department presented three options for achieving these objectives: local historic district designation, neighborhood conservation district designation and National Register of Historic Places. The consensus of residents and property owners was that the National Register is the best option because it offers financial incentives for rehabilitation, but it does not impose controls on demolition and alterations. On October 13, 2004, the Mayor and City Commission accepted a report from the joint meeting of the Land Use and Development Committee and the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee containing a motion, approved 4-0, to "direct the Administration to proceed with the analysis and process of designating National Register Districts within the proposed boundaries [in North Beach]." North Beach National Register of Historic Places Nominations May 16, 2007 Page 2 of 6 Subsequently, the City applied for and received a matching grant in the amount of $18,000 from the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources. The grant funds were used to hire a consultant, Allen T. Shulman Architect, to assist with the research and to write the nomination reports. The Planning department staff provided in-kind services. The Planning Department hosted a community informational meeting on Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 6:30 PM at the North Shore Youth Center. All property owners within the proposed districts and a 37S-ft radius around the districts were notified by mail, as well as by newspaper advertisements. A total of 33 citizens attended the meeting, and many more called the Planning Department with questions about the effect of the proposed nomination. The only objection raised by a few of the property owners was a fear that the benefits of publicity and increased investment might result in higher property taxes. The Historic Preservation Board held a public hearing on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 and unanimously adopted resolutions urging the City Commission and the Florida National Register Review Board to approve the application for listing the North Shore Historic District and the Normandy Isles Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. National Reaister Nomination Process The completed nomination reports have been forwarded to the state for evaluation by professional staff of the Bureau of Historic Preservation. The steps in the nomination process are: 1. A courtesy informational meeting for property owners held on March 29,2007. 2. The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, acting in its role as a Certified Local Government, held a public hearing on Tuesday, April 1 0, 2007 and unanimously adopted resolutions urging the City Commission and the Florida National Register Review Board to approve the application for listing the North Shore Historic District and the Normandy Isles Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. 3. The chief elected local official (Mayor Dermer) is required to transmit the HPB recommendation, along with his own recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). 4. If either or both the Historic Preservation Board and the chief local elected official recommend that the districts are eligible for nomination, the SHPO will schedule a meeting of the Florida National Register Review Board. The SHPO will mail a letter to each affected property owner concerning the proposed nomination, providing an opportunity for written comments and/or to submit a notarized letter of objection. 5. The proposal, along with all public comments, will be submitted for consideration and recommendation by the Florida National Register Review Board which is charged with reviewing all nomination proposals to the National Register of Historic Places from the State of Florida. 6. Upon the favorable recommendation of the Review Board, a formal nomination will be prepared for the submission by the State Historic Preservation Officer to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C. 7. The Keeper of the National Register and his staff undertake the final review and make the final decision whether or not to list the district. If more than 50% of the property owners in a district object to the nomination, the district will not be listed, but the district may be submitted to the Keeper of the National Register for a formal determination of eligibility for listing. 8. The owners are then notified in writing as to the final decision. North Beach National Register of Historic Places Nominations May 16, 2007 Page 30f6 North Shore Historic District Summary Description The proposed North Shore Historic District of Miami Beach comprises one of the city's most intact and coherent concentrations of the Greater Miami area's characteristic brand of mid-20th century resort architecture. The district boundaries generally span from Harding Avenue and Ocean Terrace to the Tatum Waterway, and from 73rd Street to 87th Terrace at the City's northern limit. Within this roughly 61 block area are 631 buildings, 520 of which are contributing buildings and 111 of which are non-contributing. The contributing buildings, constructed between 1935 and 1963, are mainly examples of small tourist hotels and apartment buildings, with varied commercial structures clustered along Collins Avenue between 73rd and 75th Streets. A smaller number of single family dwellings, religious, educational and public buildings are scattered throughout the neighborhood. North Shore was founded on the pragmatic planning of the engineer's grid and its development as a coherent district owes much to the repetition of similar building types and styles within a compact space. North Shore, was largely built up after World War II, and its development was solidly calibrated to the garden-oriented planning, architectural vocabulary and representational motifs of mid-century America. Its mostly flat-roofed buildings, faced in field stone, slump brick, patterned stucco and perforated concrete screens, punctuated by idiosyncratic pylon forms, projecting concrete fins and decorative modern metal-works, and wrapped around intimate garden patios, convey an architectural sensibility characteristic ofthe middleclass, tropical resort that flourished in the North Beach area. This style has recently become known as "Miami Modernism" (MiMO). The North Shore Historic District is significant under National Register Criteria A and C at the local level in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Architecture. This is due to the distinctive layout of the residential and commercial neighborhood, which has been adapted to its artificial island setting and for the variety of its architectural styles that reflect the revival styles and modern movements in the decade immediately prior to World War II and the impact of a more dynamic modernism in architecture in the post-war era. The properties are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places within the following historic contexts: Depression Era and Wartime Development (1930-1945) and Post-World War II Boom (1946- 1963). The latter context includes buildings less than 50 years old that are eligible for listing under Criteria Consideration G because they are an integral part of a historic district. As the district urbanized, it developed an architectural character calibrated to its resort identity, its modest means and its speculative planning. The earliest buildings, which were modest cottages, bungalow courts and tourist lodgings, generally combined features of the vernacular, Mediterranean Revival and Art Deco styles. Beginning in the late 1930's, the district was more intensively developed with modern garden apartment building types that sponsored a corresponding urban culture in both the civic and commercial realm. Adapted to both the narrow lot structure of the city and local environment conditions with patios, surrounding gardens, porches, loggias, flat roofs with broad overhanging eaves and exterior staircases and catwalks, these small garden apartment buildings, hotels and motels also illustrate a rich variety of popular architectural themes, including Art Deco, Moderne, Post-War Modern and Classical Revival. These new types, multiplied in large numbers, produce a densely built environment where low- scale buildings allow landscaping to moderate the urban frontages. The district's compact commercial main street, as well as its conspicuous churches and synagogues, are the more perceptible. The scale of architecture in the district is largely consistent; a product of the fact that so much of the area was constructed in a short period of time by a relatively small group of architects whose prodigious production literally gave shape to the district. The architects acclaimed for the construction of South Beach, only 50 blocks to the south, are hardly present here, in spite of close proximity of construction dates. Indeed, L. Murray Dixon (3 buildings), North Beach National Register of Historic Places Nominations May 16, 2007 Page 4 of 6 Henry Hohauser (6 buildings), Anton Skislewicz (1 building) and Victor Nellenbogen (7 buildings) left a relatively small imprint. Younger architects like Gerard Pitt (49 buildings), Gilbert Fein (38 buildings), Harry O. Nelson (25 buildings), Nathan A. Seiderman (25 buildings), Leonard Glasser (24 buildings), and Donald G. Smith (17 buildings) dominated the new construction, while other like Frank Wyatt Woods, Joseph DeBrita, and Manfred Ungaro were also quite influential. Together, these architects defined a new direction of mid-century modern design in Miami Beach. Their buildings, conditioned to the environmental forces of a hot and humid climate as well as to the need to distinguish buildings within a competitive environment, led to a daring and unexpected expression of modern themes. While the vast majority of the proposed district can be characterized as Postwar Modern, this style nonetheless demonstrates a high degree of continuity with earlier architectural trends, including vernacular, Mediterranean and Moderne style buildings. Normandv Isles Historic District Summary Description The proposed Normandy Isles Historic District, located on two islands in the northwest area of Miami Beach, comprises one of the city's most progressively planned areas and is largely colonized by small commercial structures and apartment buildings that collectively form one of the region's most coherent built expressions of mid-20th century resort architecture. Its boundaries span from Indian Creek on the east, to Biscayne Bay on the south, to Rue Versailles and Rue Notre Dame on the west, and to the Normandy Shores Golf Course on the north. Within this roughly 14 block area are 252 buildings and one object, 222 of which are contributing and 31 of which are non-contributing. Constructed between 1925 and 1963, the contributing buildings represent a variety of styles including Mediterranean Revival, Classical Revival, Masonry Vernacular, Minimal Traditional, Art Deco and Moderne; however the vast majority of the buildings are of the Postwar Modern style with distinct local adaptations that have become recognized as "Miami Modernism" (MiMo). The proposed Normandy Isles Historic District is significant under National Register criterion A and C at the local level in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Architecture. This is due to the distinctive layout of the residential and commercial neighborhood, which reflects principles of the City Beautiful and Garden City movements and for the variety of its architectural styles that reflect the revival styles and modern movements in the decade immediately prior to World War II and the impact of a more dynamic modernism in architecture in the post-war era. The properties are eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places within the following historic contexts: Early Development of the North Beach Area (1919- 1929), Depression Era and Wartime Development (1930-1945) and Post-World War II Boom (1946-1963). The latter context includes buildings less than 50 years old that are eligible for listing under Criteria Consideration G. The planning of Normandy Isle is an exception to the engineer's grid that characterizes most of North Beach. Henri Levy's Normandy Beach Properties Corporation began development of the Normandy Isles in 1926. The site comprised 450 acres on two natural mangrove islands in Biscayne Bay, directly west of Levy's Normandy Beach South subdivision. Nominally themed French (undoubtedly an homage to Levy's homeland), the Isle of Normandy was particularly distinguished by its generous infrastructure and comprehensive planning. The island's Oceanside (1926) and Trouville (1926) subdivisions, both completed prior to the real estate bust of the same year, were designed by D.E. Rossetter, an engineer noted as 'a master city builder' who was formerly associated with Carl G. Fisher Properties. The picturesque, gracefully curving and tree-lined parkways, ample waterfront lots and a golf course were combined with esplanades and a civic monument in a central place that functioned as a town center. Bay Drive, which encircled Normandy Island, was a 70-foot "whiteway" boulevard (referring to a roadway lighted with the White Way lighting system, not a neon-lit thoroughfare in the style of the "Great North Beach National Register of Historic Places Nominations May 16, 2007 Page 5 of 6 White Way": Broadway). In a strategy reminiscent of Carl Fisher and perhaps inspired by Schultze & Weaver's contemporary but un-built Villa Biscayne cooperative apartment building project on North Bay Road, a large site at the southeast corner of the island, on the axis of Brest Esplanade, was set aside for the development of a grand hotel. Levy also conceived and promoted the Isle of Normandy as an element of the proposed Everglades Avenue Causeway linking North Beach to mainland Miami's growing northern districts, as well as to Hialeah Park Racetrack, which lay directly to the west. The Miami Beach City Council endorsed the causeway project in December 1925, making it possible to proceed with preliminary work. Initial plans were prepared by an engineer named Lassiter and submitted to the U.S. Corp of Engineers for approval as Miami's third causeway (after the Collins Causeway and County Causeway). The Everglades Avenue Causeway was dependent for a large part of its length on the divided parkway system called North and South Everglades Concourses (later renamed 71 sl Street and Normandy Drive) that bisected the Isle of Normandy. The two roads met at Vendome Plaza, whose triangular layout formed the commercial and civic center for the area. At the center of Vendome Plaza was the Vendome Fountain, a centerpiece of the island's civic arts program. The Normandy Isles would emerge, like Coral Gables, Miami Shores, Miami Springs, Opa Locka, and other Miami garden city suburbs, as a decorous laboratory of "City Beautiful" era planning and modern community development. Although conceived, planned and themed by developer Henri Levy in the 1920's, and initially developed in the 1920's and 30's, the islands were largely urbanized in the postwar period. Comprehensively zoned, the island yielded well-defined areas of commercial development ('unrestricted'), apartment and hotel districts ('semi-restricted'), and neighborhoods of homesites ('restricted'). Within each sub-district, the scale and expression of buildings is largely consistent; a product of the fact that so much of the area was constructed in a compact period of time by a relatively small group of architects whose prodigious production literally gave shape to the district. The development of coherent districts of modest apartment-hotels and commercial buildings is particularly notable. Largely one and two-story garden-oriented residential buildings are tightly woven together along the curving streets of the islands, allowing the development of a sense of community within each building as well as along the streets. The commercial district, organized around the Vendome Plaza and fountain, is particularly good urban space. In total, the Normandy Isles approximates a fully developed garden city. Largely built in the postwar period, the vast majority of the proposed district can be characterized as modern. The architectural vocabulary of its myriad small buildings reflects an unusual assemblage of mid-century themes. Young architects like Gilbert M. Fein, Frank Wyatt Woods and Gerard Pitt dominated the new construction, while other more established architects like Joseph DeBrita, Leonard Glasser, Harry O. Nelson, and Manfred Ungaro were also quite influential. Together, these architects defined a new direction of mid-century modern design in Miami Beach. The mostly flat-roofed buildings, faced in field stone, slump brick, patterned stucco and perforated concrete screens, punctuated by idiosyncratic pylon forms, projecting concrete fins and decorative modern metal-works, often wrapped around intimate garden patios, convey a consistent architectural sensibility characteristic of the North Beach area of Miami Beach. It nonetheless demonstrates a high degree of continuity with earlier architectural trends, including vernacular, Mediterranean and Moderne style buildings. The architects acclaimed for the construction of South Beach, only 50 blocks to the south, are still present here. Indeed, significant buildings by L. Murray Dixon, Henry Hohauser, Igor Polevitzky, Albert Anis, Victor H. Nellenbogen and B. Robert Swartburg left a small but notable footprint. For good measure, these earlier styles remain interspersed among its mid-century modern structures. North Beach National Register of Historic Places Nominations May 16, 2007 Page 6 of 6 CONCLUSION The proposed North Shore Historic District and the Normandy Isles Historic District are significant under National Register criterion A and C at the local level in the areas of Community Planning and Development and Architecture. Therefore, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Commission support the nomination of the North Shore Architectural District and the Normandy Isles Architectural District to the National Register of Historic Places. Attachments JMGITH/JGG/JAM T:\AGENDA\2007\may0907\Regular\National Register district memo.doc NORTH SHORE ARCHITECTURAL DISTRICT MIAMI BEACH, FL LEGEND North Shore Architectural District o ( ) D North Shore Architectural District Boundary o Contributing Buildings h ....... - Q.) :::3 ....... -. C) ~ 0 ~ ..... C) 0 :E CD ~ Q.) :::3 L 0 4 ~. 9? Q. "'",1' ,--.--" NORMANDY ISLES ARCHITECTURAL DISTRICT MIAMI BEACH, FL Golf Course .... -:. ";: '" -:. S r.,.. o Biscayne Bay o LEGEND Nonnandy Isles Architectural District o 0 o o o CJ Normandy Isles Architectural District Boundary ~ Contributing Buildings . Normandy Fountain at Vendome Plaza o o Jl 1,000 ~~et V{ 1A GORCE etR ~~~G . 0:\ ,0 250 500 o o