OCEAN DRIVE, Art Deco District

The abundance of buildings that have stood the test of time is thanks to the Miami Design Preservation League, founded in the late 1970s by art patron, Barbara Baer Capitman, and her son, John Capitman, to protect the architectural treasures of the city. Mother and son were looking for a project to honor the United States’ Bicentennial, and – along with designers Leonard Horowitz and Lillian Barber – they identified a concentration of 1930s buildings in South Miami Beach that they felt could be a district dedicated to architecture.

Before you begin exploring these fabulous, pastel-colored buildings you should pay a visit to the Art Deco Welcome Center, where you can find information and browse the delightful souvenir shop; this charming building was once the beach patrol headquarters.

As you head southward, you’ll come to the Breakwater Hotel, with a vertical sign in the center that lights up in an intense blue color after dark.

At Waldorf Towers Hotel, with its orange and white façade, I suggest you take a peek in the entrance and admire the spectacular flooring and fixed lighting....