A century after its arrival, Art Deco remains the heart and soul of Miami’s architectural identity, a story of optimism and style etched into the city’s very foundation.
BY JILLIAN DARA
A hundred years ago, Miami unknowingly adopted a design style that would become fundamental to its identity. Born from Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris, Art Deco arrived in Miami Beach, bringing with it a sense of streamlined sophistication and a distinct visual language of geometric forms and clean angles. While today’s Miami is often associated with sleek, modern skyscrapers, the city’s architectural heart beats with a rhythm of a different era.
“Art Deco is iconic to Miami Beach,” says Silvia Karman Cubiñá, executive director at The Bass. Housed in a Russell Pancoast-designed building, the museum is an exquisite example of the style, from its oolite limestone construction to its signature geometric facade with fluted pilasters and stylized columns. “As much as we promote contemporary art, we very much cherish the museum’s history and origins,” Cubiñá shares.
Art Deco isn’t confined to museums, though. Across the city, historical examples house everything from local businesses to celebrated theaters, serving as a constant reminder “of the aesthetics that formed the basis for visual recognition of Miami Beach,” Cubiñá notes.
You can see the style’s influence everywhere, from the Miami Beach Post Office with its circular lobby and murals to the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU, a former synagogue with a striking copper dome and 80 stained-glass windows. The Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road, once a Paramount Pictures movie house, recently underwent a $6.5 million renovation to restore its original Art Deco grandeur, proving that the city’s commitment to preservation is as strong as its love for innovation.
This dedication to preservation is also evident in hotels like The Plymouth, The Astor, and The Lennox. These buildings have been thoughtfully transformed while ensuring their Art Deco roots continue to inspire guests. Kobi Karp, founder and principal of Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design, Inc., whose firm was commissioned for these renovations, sees the style as Miami’s “first great love story with design.”
“It gave the city its personality and helped transform Miami Beach into a global destination,” Karp says. His team painstakingly restored details like terrazzo floors and curved corner windows, and even recreated period-appropriate features such as porthole windows and lighting. Karp sees the firm’s role as “caretakers of that legacy, respecting the rhythm and proportions of these iconic façades while introducing new ideas that speak to today’s way of living.”
More than a design style, Karp believes Art Deco is a living reminder of the optimism and creativity of the 1930s, when Miami Beach was first coming into its own. This vision is shared by the Miami Design Preservation League, a non-profit dedicated to protecting and promoting the city’s architectural integrity. The group champions the preservation of more than 800 historic buildings in the Art Deco Historic District, the largest concentration of the style in the world.
“These buildings were designed to celebrate the tropical climate, the ocean breeze, and the idea of leisure, which are still central to Miami’s character today,” Karp explains.
Reflecting on the style’s centennial is an opportunity to honor the visionaries who built this foundation. Karp adds that it’s also a call to action. “It asks us to think about how we can continue to design with the same sense of optimism and innovation, creating buildings that will still inspire people a century from now.”
