AS Featured: Architecture in Miami
The Delano
With white on white, the Delano takes the swank of the 1940s to its stateliest heights.
One of the top hotels in Florida, the Delano is a centerpiece of Miami Beach's Art Deco District. Its architecture is sleek and restrained, with a large crown on top over the entrance.
The Ian Schrager Company renovated the hotel in 1995. The renovation architects were recognized with an Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1997.
The Breakwater Hotel
The Breakwater hotel was built in 1939 and remains one of Miami’s most iconic Art Deco buildings. The hotel was designed by Anton Skislewicz, and also represents the Streamline Moderne style that was popular during the time it was built. Towers and vertical elements were highlights of the Art Deco movement, and that is clearly showcased by The Breakwater’s sign that protrudes into the Miami night sky and burns bright with neon once the sun sets. Intense colors were also an element of Art Deco, again highlighted by the hotel’s use of yellow and blue accents against its cream base.
Miami Beach Post Office
This unique post office was designed by Howard Lovewell Cheney in 1937 and is a well-preserved example of Depression Moderne. While the design is relatively understated, look a little closer and you’ll see that the rotunda is topped by a decorative cupola, while an eagle perches just above the doorway’s large, impressive glass panel, which allows light to stream into the lobby. The inside doesn’t disappoint, either, with an impressive starburst ceiling, a central fountain and shiny brass mailboxes. The most prominent feature is a three-paneled 1941 mural painted by Charles Hardman.
The Webster Hotel
This is a 3-story commercial building in the Art Deco style built in 1937. The building has a flat with parapet roof. Windows are replacement aluminum jalacy casement. At second and third floor levels, jalacy casement windows are paired. There is a single-story, full-span open porch characterized by an integrated (under the main) roof with rectangular stuccoed posts. Recessed full-span porch across the east elevation; Multi-colored terrazzo floor design; Simple aluminum railing with porthole decoration; Elevated one step from ground level; Tripartite design, separated by columns with inverted and rounded ziggurat silhouette at top.