Travel Reference
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CLASSIC TROPICAL DECO
There are some unifying themes to classical deco structures that are easy enough to spot
with a discerning eye. Perhaps most noticeable is a sense of streamlined movement, ex-
emplified by rounded walls, racing stripe details and 'eyebrows,' rounded buttresses that
provided shade and visual eye candy to passersby. Porthole windows evoke cruise liners,
while lamps and other homewares represent long-past idealizations of a space-age fu-
ture. Call it 'ray-gun chic. An intimate (some say cramped) sense of space is offset by ter-
razzo flooring, often imprinted with the fossils of sea animals, and open verandas, which
would naturally cool inhabitants in pre-air-conditioning days. The idea was to venerate
technology while seizing on the natural features of the landscape (sea breezes and
golden sunlight), adding a dash of organic aesthetic to the overall structure.
One of life's little ironies is this: deco was supposed to make its contemporary viewers
contemplate tomorrow. Today, it puts modern viewers in mind of yesterday.
Why We Love Deco Design
So what, you may ask, is the big deal about art deco? The term certainly gets thrown
around enough in Miami. Given the way this architectural style is whispered about by
hotel marketing types, you'd be forgiven for thinking art deco was the pièce de résistance,
'Well, the resort has a lovely deco facade'; 'Our boutique properties incorporate deco
porches'; 'Did you notice the deco columns in our lounge?' And so on.
But to be fair, deco has been a sort of renaissance for Miami Beach. It was art deco that
made these buildings unique, that caught the eye of Hollywood, which saw something ro-
mantically American in the optimism and innovation of a style that blends cubism, futur-
ism, modernism and, most of all, a sense of movement. Beyond that was a nod to, and
sometimes even reverence for, the elaborate embellishment of Old World decor. In art
deco, we see the link between the lavish design aesthetic of the 19th century and the
stripped-down efficiency of the 20th. Unlike a skyscraper, a deco hotel is modern yet ac-
cessible, even friendly, with its frescoed walls and shady window eyebrows.
But what's truly great about deco Miami is the example it sets. The Art Deco Historic
District of South Beach, a hot tourist destination, is a reminder to city leaders that pre-
serving historic neighborhoods is not just a matter of slavish loyalty to aesthetics, but
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