Ocean Drive Art Deco Historic District

The Ocean Drive Art Deco Historic District is the heart of the Miami Beach Architectural District at 1001 Ocean Dr in South Beach. The district covers roughly one square mile and has about 800 buildings, most built between the 1920s and early 1940s in Art Deco, Streamline Moderne and Mediterranean Revival styles. Many were designed by architects such as Henry Hohauser, L. Murray Dixon and Albert Anis, who adapted the style to the tropical climate with pastel colors, rounded corners, porthole windows, neon signs and decorative friezes of flamingos and palm trees. The buildings reflect the building boom in Miami Beach after the 1926 hurricane and during the Great Depression, when hotels were built to attract northern tourists. By the 1970s the area had declined, and many structures were threatened with demolition. A preservation campaign led by Barbara Baer Capitman and the Miami Design Preservation League, founded in 1976, saved the district, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. This helped spark the redevelopment of South Beach. Notable buildings along Ocean Drive include the Colony Hotel, the Carlyle, the Park Central and the Breakwater, each of which retains its facade features. The Art Deco Welcome Center at 1001 Ocean Drive provides exhibits, maps and a gift shop, and offers guided walking tours led by trained guides. The Welcome Center also tells the story of the preservation movement. Visitors can walk the area freely at any time, with Ocean Drive busiest in the evenings with restaurants and music. Morning light is best for photographing the buildings, and side streets such as Collins and Washington Avenues reward a longer walk with quieter blocks of well-kept hotels and apartment buildings. Visitors are advised to confirm current opening hours, admission prices and any guided-tour schedules directly with the venue before traveling, since these details change seasonally and with special events in Miami, Florida.