Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach [Paperback]

Laura Cerwinske (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1991

Born out of fantasy and speculation, designed for fun and profit, Miami Beach has been, from its inception, a city of mythical composition. Its famed Art Deco District was designated a Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and today the area is basking in a revival of interest and attention. Nevertheless, while fashion photographers and entrepreneurs, artists, developers, restaurateurs and club owners flock to the neighborhood, it is still struggling, after years of deterioration and neglect, to recreate itself out of its own forgotten glamour. Despite a new palette of confectionery colors and the renovation of numerous buildings, the Art Deco District remains in need of urban cultivation, of a reinterpretation that transcends its original resort identity. Author Laura Cerwinske introduces Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach by discussing both the area's past and its future. Throughout her comprehensive exploration of the most concentrated neighborhood of Art Deco buildings in the world, she details the style's evolution and examines its design.

Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach treats its readers to a delightful view of a unique adaption of a historic architectural style. For, while Miami Beach's Art Deco architecture derives its stylistic roots from the streamlined and electric visions of the cosmopolitan North, Tropical Deco design is much softer and more temperately seductive. These are buildings whose narrative and evocative nature is at once sophisticated, naive and filled with humor.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laura Cerwinske's commentaries on architecture, interior design, garden design and fine art appear regularly in numerous publications. Her parents met on Miami Beach, and she considers its imagery a part of her creative heritage.

David Kaminsky, also a Miami native, is a freelance architectural photographer. He spent a year photographing the Miami Beach Art Deco District.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (February 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847803457
• ISBN-13: 978-0847803453
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.5 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #733,218 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Art Deco
  • #65 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Art Nouveau

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Remembering Old Miami Beach, January 7, 2005

By 

Richard Beaubien "co-author of Discovering So... (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach (Paperback)

This book has been around for 20+ years and is mostly photographs taken in late 1970's and early 1980's. Much has changed in the ensuing 25 years. Many of the buildings have since been repainted, as in the Carlyle featured on the cover. Some, as with the graceful St Moritz, have been restored (today it looks much different, and better, then in this book's photograph). Best of all this book documents some things that are no longer there as in the wonderful photos of the Tiffany murals, the old Cinema Theatre interior. and the demolished Sands Hotel.

The book is broken up into chapters based on architectural details (Facades, Doorways, Materials, etc). The text is well written and gives one a good grounding in the Miami Beach Deco architectural style. Best of all it is filled with wonderful photographs. A great historical record of a time when the Art Deco District had just been formed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love My-amah Deco!, March 19, 2006

By 

Coach Rhoades "CR" (Boca Raton, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach (Paperback)

I found this book years ago at the Delray Beach library. It had been checked out so many times that it was in pretty ragtag shape. I decided to order my own copy just so I could gaze at deco whenever I wanted to. This book is a fantastic primer for anyone interested in Miami. Read this book and then take it with you on the Miami art deco tour; you will be that much more prepared to appreciate the tour and prepared to ask questions to your knowledgeable tour guide.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Radiant Virtual Visit, July 26, 2003

By 

Aaauger (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Deco: The Architecture and Design of Old Miami Beach (Paperback)

Open the pages of this book to feel the heat on your face and sand between your toes. You're looking at some of the most whimsical and delightful architecture in the world. Imagine approaching this country for the first time from the water and being greeted by these buildings. They are a testament to this country's creativity, humor and ability to dream into the future. And the best part is that they are so well preserved so that you can experience them in person inside and out.