Miami Design Preservation League

Miami Beach to be featured at “Sustainable & Authentic Florida” conference

AmandaB — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:04:51 +0000

Miami Beach will be one of four places featured at the Sustainable & Authentic Florida Conference October 17-19 in Ann Maria Island.

Miami Beach Community Development Corporation founder Denis Russ will head the team from Miami Beach. Russ explains: “Miami Beach is the best example of what this conference is about. When Disney ran off with our family-based tourism, we went into our own recession and came out, not by doing the same thing we had been, but by recreating ourselves on the strength of authentic architecture. We reformulated tourism based upon architecture, entertainment on Ocean Drive and the chic of Lincoln Road – with what we wanted for ourselves. Every downtown in Florida launched its own renewal in large part based upon how we showed the way.”

The conference will examine “placemaking” as an organizing principle for living and attending to today’s Florida. Speakers will position Florida in terms of historic preservation, social history, folklore, natural environment, economy and urban spaces. Other communities taking a similar leadership role include the DeLand region; coastal Wakulla and Franklin counties; and coastal Manatee County.

MDPL expects to play a role in the effort to bring the 2013 conference to Miami Beach.

Sessions for this year begin October 17 with a noon lunch and end at noon on October 19. Registration is $225 – which includes all meals and local transportation. Hotel rates start at $50 per person.

For more more information, check out: www.SustainableAndAuthenticFlorida.com

SAFEGUARDS FOR MIAMI BEACH HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROPOSED

AmandaB — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:48:22 +0000

CITY COMMISSION CONSIDERATION ON WEDNESDAY

Two important proposals to safeguard historic preservation in Miami Beach will be introduced at the next City Commission meeting on Wednesday, July 18. Your help can have an impact on the outcome of this effort.

Mayor Matti Herrera Bower, a long-time champion of historic preservation, is sponsoring two amendments to the City Charter designed to make it harder to circumvent the city’s historic preservation laws. If approved by the City Commission, voters will be asked to approve the amendments this coming Election Day.

Background:

For decades, the residents of Miami Beach have fought hard to create strong historic preservation laws. Time and again, surveys of residents show historic preservation is one of the most popular of the city’s services. Numerous studies have proven the economic benefits of historic preservation to local businesses and tourism. Not only do our historic districts provide a wonderful quality of life for our residents, they are a source of civic pride, important revenue and world-wide attention.

Lately, a series of clever legal attacks and proposals have emerged that threaten our local preservation laws. Watching this erosion of Miami Beach’s historic preservation standards, Mayor Bower decided to take action.

The Proposals:

One of Mayor Bower’s proposed amendments would require a voter referendum to approve any change in the current law that diminishes the powers and duties of the Historic Preservation Board or weakens historic preservation standards. The other proposal would require voter approval for any increase in the maximum building height in historic districts.

Currently, the City Commission may change Historic Preservation laws at anytime. With the renewed increase in development in Miami Beach and so much money at stake, decisions may be made under great pressure from the powerful development industry at the expense of our community’s historic buildings.

As proposed, maneuvers to weaken historic preservation laws would need to be done in the open by voter referendum – creating a high hurdle for such change.

What You Can Do:

Supporters of historic preservation can help the City Commission understand the importance of these measures.

Attend the City Commission Meeting

When: Wednesday, July 18 at 5 PM. (The proposal has been set for a “time certain” in order to give residents the opportunity to attend).

Where: Miami Beach City Hall, City Commission Chambers, 3rd Floor.

It is important to see for yourself how these proposals are debated. Should the public be asked to speak, you are welcome to explain your support.

and…or

Write the Mayor and Commissioners

Tell the City Commissioners how you feel about the new proposals to protect historic preservation. The names and emails of the Mayor and Commissioners are as follows:

Matti Herrera Bower, Mayor, City of Miami Beach matti@miamibeachfl.gov

Jorge Exposito, Vice Mayor, City of Miami Beach jorge@miamibeachfl.gov

Michael Gongora, Commissioner, City of Miami Beach michael@miamibeachfl.gov

Jerry Libbin, Commissioner, City of Miami Beach jerry@miamibeachfl.gov

Edward Tobin, Commissioner, City of Miami Beach, ed@miamibeachfl.gov

Deede Weithorn, Commissioner, City of Miami Beach, deede@miamibeachfl.gov

Jonah Wolfson, Commissioner, City of Miami Beach jonah@miamibeachfl.gov

Follow Up:

After the meeting, MDPL will send you an email describing the Commission’s discussion and vote results so that you can stay abreast of actions taken by the City Commission.

As always, the Miami Design Preservation League appreciates the dedication and support of our friends in Miami Beach and around the world. Thank you.

The Art Deco Welcome Center Recommends The South Beach Food Tour

AmandaB — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 18:02:51 +0000

Blog post by Tiffany Oharriz, concierge at MDPL’s Art Deco Welcome Center

Yum! Ok I know not the usual introduction but the thought of this food tour has my mouth absolutely salivating already. I had the opportunity to take this lunch tour and snag some delicious pictures and figured who better to share them with, but you all. And I have to admit I’m definitely planning on taking the dinner tour and The Little Havana Food Tour (available only on Saturdays) sometime in the near future.

These delicious tours are available Wednesday – Saturday for lunch or Thursday – Saturday for dinner at a flat rate of $59.00. I was so excited to be given the opportunity to take this tour but I never expected it to be as awesome as it is. It was astonishingly full after the end of the second tasting, and that’s a big shocker since I’m a foodie to the core. The tour started off at David’s Café and I have to admit I’ve never really been a fan of the place but Mirka, our tour guide totally washed that away by serving us what David’s Café calls a slider (basically a steak sandwich) with Fried Plantains “mariquitas” and it was delish; she followed that restaurant with a little intro into the Art Deco buildings stopping by The Art Deco Welcome Center where I work, to explain the importance of the MDPL and how the Art Deco buildings were saved.

Our next stop was Bice Cafe at the Hotel Victor and oh man was that great. The chef actually came out to introduce the meal and explain how it was made… I was so full I could barely move, but that was definitely not the end of our food stops. As we continued walking along the way we made it to a small little bakery called Charlotte’s and got a taste of Argentina and before we knew it we were indulging our taste buds with Cevechery’s Peruvian Papa Rellenas and Italian Gelato! If I had to recommend a food tour this would definitely be on the top of my list.

So if you’re looking for a taste of great food, stop by The Art Deco Welcome Center and buy your tickets now! I guarantee you’ll love it. I know I did!

FIU Student Re-Survey Six Art Deco Buildings

AmandaB — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 16:12:50 +0000

This spring semester two students (Aileen Garrido and Kristen Argalas) and two professors (Sandra Suarez and Elizabeth Cardona) from Florida International University’s Architecture School have been hard at work creating a template to survey the Art Deco Historic District.

They completed their work and presented their findings at a Re-Survey Committee meeting in May. Their research was highly detailed and included Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings for six buildings.

Due to the depth of their research they were only able to complete a full study on 6 properties. However the committee learned a lot from their study and has plans to move forward with a broader survey soon.

Historic Preservation Board to Consider Demolition of 1001 Lincoln Road

AmandaB — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:21:57 +0000

At its June meeting, the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board will consider a new application to demolish 1001 Lincoln Road. Previously, the owners proposed to build a new Apple store on the site. That proposal never materialized. Now, over a year later, a new application has been submitted with a new building proposed to house the GAP and as yet unnamed tenant.

MDPL will present the following statement in opposition to the new proposal at the June 12th meeting:

“The Miami Design Preservation League has consistently opposed the demolition of buildings listed as contributing the City’s historic districts. In some situations, contributing buildings have been demolished because they were determined to be unsafe structures; in other cases contributing buildings have been demolished when they were not the primary structures on the property and their demolition contributed to the restoration and renovation of the principal building on that property.

MDPL opposes the total demolition of the property at 1001 Lincoln Road because the building is a contributing structure. The building is occupied and has not been declared unsafe. MDPL’s position is that a viable contributing building should not be demolished.

In many cases, MDPL has supported the partial demolition of an historic property when that demolition contributed to the restoration and renovation of the contributing building. MDPL is prepared to consider a proposal for the restoration and renovation of this property, including compatible new construction, which does not involve the total demolition of the contributing structure.

The 1001 Lincoln Road building is part of the Lincoln Road Mall ensemble of buildings. The Lincoln Road Mall was re-imagined by Morris Lapidus in 1960. His designs solidified the street into a single entity. The 1001 Lincoln Road building remains today as it was in 1960 when it became part of that larger vision. The strength of Lincoln Road’s historic status comes from the quantity of historic buildings not any one building.

The applicant has not requested the re-classification of the property at 1001 Lincoln. MDPL believes that the property is a contributing structure and is correctly listed. MDPL would oppose any application for reclassification since the property clearly provides a unique opportunity to study the progression of architectural styles in the district, specifically in context with buildings to the south, and the transition from revivalist to modern styles. The building’s distinction derives from its unusual provenance and its adherence to the ideal of ’good neighbor’ design which characterize these historic ensembles, and from its place within the context of the Miami Beach Architectural District as a record of the development of 20th century design in the United States.