The Spanish-Latino style
Resulting from these Spanish and Cuban cultures, the Hispanic-Latino style is dominant in the city of Palm Beach, north of Miami. Thanks to the works of pioneers such as architects Addison Mizner and John Volke, "the city of billionaires" has distinguished itself very quickly by an architecture inspired by the Spanish Fantasy bathed in Moorish influences and Mediterranean revival.
Miami world capital of Art Deco
Miami and Art Deco were married in a devastated land. In 1926, a hurricane partially blew away the city leaving thousands of residents homeless. Miami had to be rebuilt quickly. At that time, Art Deco was in vogue around the world. It will become the visual signature of the most famous city of Florida, which appropriates it by integrating its specificities and its tropical influences such as jungle motifs and flamingos: the "Tropical Art Deco" was born. Caressed by palm trees, 800 harmonious buildings with soft colors are erected in Miami Beach in the South Beach district. Along Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue, Miami Beach Architectural District also called the Art Deco Historic District unveils its symmetrical architectural wonders with flat roofs and abstract patterns. A rich heritage from the interwar period, this district has been designated a historic site to curb the expansion of new buildings. With this futuristic architecture, symbol of modernity, Miami became a tourist destination for Americans and foreigners. Most of the Tropical Art Deco buildings are now restaurants or hotels. In addition to the dominant pastel colors, at night, the flashing neon lights highlight the geometric facades. Among the most iconic is The Carlyle with its name inscribed on pink-red neon lights. Following the rule of thirds, this rounded, white building with subtle shades of light green is divided into three parts topped by curved sunbreakers. Next to the Carlyle, the Leslie, built in 1937, enchants the visitor with its cheerful lemon yellow and pearly white façade. Finally, it is impossible to miss the blue neon lights, vertical lines and geometric patterns of the Park Central Hotel. Nicknamed "The Blue Jewel", it was designed in 1937 by Henry Hohauser, a renowned architect of the Art Deco movement. Other "Tropical Art Deco" buildings can be seen in Miami, including museums such as the Art Deco Museum and the Jewish Museum of Florida, as well as cinemas such as the Lincoln Theatre and the Tower Theater, and a research center, The Wolfsonian-Florida University.
The MiMo style
More recently, the MiMo style (Miami Modern Architecture) has reappeared in downtown Miami not far from Little Haiti. In the so-called MiMo district that stretches along Biscayne Boulevard, from 50th Street to 77th Street, it is the revival of this regional, exuberant and glamorous architecture of the 1950s and 1960s with curved buildings, cheerful colors, walkways and staircases in reaction to the austere and minimalist architecture of the post-war period. This MiMo style was encouraged by the post-war economic recovery and the building boom. The national optimism is reflected in the bright colors and innovative forms of this cheerful architecture as an ode to life returning. Cheese holes are easily spotted as are the folded paper effects and long corners of the buildings. This previously impoverished neighborhood is in the midst of rehabilitation. Investors are buying up hotels or buildings and restoring them, keeping the original MiMo style with its innovative, aesthetic and functional forms.
Contemporary architecture
Downtown is where you'll see contemporary buildings, including a large number of skyscrapers concentrated in Brickell, including the sublime Brickell City Centre, remarkable for its size and luxury, which opened in 2016. This urban oasis, an architectural and technological feat, is a "city within a city". The complex features "The Climate Ribbon," an elevated steel mesh of fabric and glass that connects the buildings and protects visitors from the elements. This canopy is actually a natural air conditioner that captures the Caribbean breezes and redistributes them inside the buildings. Further down Biscayne Bay, the Perez Art Museum, opened in 2013, is a sleek architectural masterpiece by Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron. Note the vertical gardens designed by French botanist Patrick Blanc that mimic the famous hanging gardens of Babylon. The other area where contemporary architecture is on the rise is the Miami Design District, a former gloomy suburb that has become a trendy island. The Palm Court pedestrian plaza with its huge honeycombed disco ball designed by American Bunkminster Fuller and its 50 palm trees is spectacular. And you will certainly fall under the spell of the very photogenic, arty and colorful facade of the Museum Garage (2018), a hybrid parking lot of 800 spaces with a surrealist look.
The architecture of the Keys
On the Keys archipelago, the flashy buildings of Miami seem far away. The Caribbean has put its stamp on the architectural style of the Keys in its own way. Many wooden houses with colorful fronts resemble those of the Bahamas. In Key West, the southernmost city of the North American continent, there are beautiful examples of beautifully restored Victorian houses. The old part of Key West is a real delight. The houses are typically Caribbean or built in the British colonial style of the Bahamas. A stroll down Duval Street or in the surrounding streets will allow you to discover the numerous "conch houses". Built of wood by early Bahamian immigrants, many were built on stilts to allow fresh air to circulate under the floor. Influenced by unadorned neoclassical architecture with a classical revival feel, these popular homes, typical of Key West, feature long wrap-around porches, beautiful railings, sloping roofs and sometimes cisterns to collect rainwater.
