"Modernism At Risk" Exhibit Now Available in PDF.

In case you missed the World Monuments Fund's traveling exhibit, "Modernism at Risk," or if you need more time to study the excellent information supplied on its multiple panels, you can view it in a 64-page PDF document. It is available by clicking here.

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DOCOMOMO/US Florida Team Works To Get Miami Beach's Lincoln Road pedestrian mall on the National Register of Historic Places

Lincoln Road is arguably one of America’s most unique urban areas.  Its combination of space-age design, setting, and high-end stores and cafes, make it the place to see and be seen in South Beach.  It's past is that of a boulevard that saw radical swings in popularity and retail patronage since its construction in 1914.  Today's Lincoln Road Pedestrian Mall tells the story of an urban design concept that saved the commercial main street – a story DOCOMOMO/US Florida believes is worth preserving. 

Completed in December of 1960, only seven  blocks of the original concept were configured to Lapidus’s fantastic vision—a modernistic pedestrian mall with thin shell concrete follies, fountains, pools, tropical landscaping, and its signature black-and-white striped pavement.  Lincoln Road pedestrian mall was at the forefront in urban design and it remains the second-oldest and most intact pedestrian mall in the United States.  (A slightly older iteration in Kalamazoo, Michigan has been substantially altered and abbreviated since its 1959 inception.)  A 1990s redevelopment, done in consultation with Lapidus, brought new vitality to the district, while respecting the original concept and design. 

(To see an interesting Miami Herald article dating from the opening of Lincoln Road pedestrian mall, please click here.)

The board of directors of DOCOMOMO/US Florida wanted to celebrate and honor the Lincoln Road Mall on its 50th birthday.  It also wanted to do something consistent with its mission of documenting and conserving the Modern movement. With an immediate need for someone or some entity to prepare the Lincoln Road’s nomination to the National Register, DOCOMOMO/US Florida’s board and members stepped in to fill the void.  The DOCOMOMO team, led by preservation planner Laura Lavernia; landscape architect Patricia Watkins; and DOCOMOMO/US Florida President Richard Shieldhouse, completed Lincoln Road’s will complete the nomination in early 2010, providing sufficient time for review and subsequent approval by agencies in both the City of Miami Beach and the State of Florida.

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DOCOMOMO/US Florida Founder Flees Florida

Our beloved founder and president, Enrique Madia, has moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina to pursue new work opportunities. We are extremely grateful to Enrique for his hard work and dedication to our Chapter and to the cause of preserving Florida's best Modern architecture.

Enrique deserves credit for his role in preserving such monuments as the Miami Marine Stadium and the Bacardi Building.

With the benefit of modern communications, Enrique will remain involved and active with DOCOMOMO/US Florida.

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Demolition Threat for Ft. Lauderdale's Weidling House

The Weidling House at 716 Bryan Place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is perhaps the earliest example of a modern residential structure in Fort Lauderdale.  Designed by J.M. Peterman and built in 1939, the influences of Art Deco and the Bauhaus are strikingly evident in this riverfront structure.  The current owner of the house, Charles Jordan, is a general contractor who is intent on saving the house.  He had begun work on the house when the real estate lending market collapsed.  Neighborscomplained that the house, now on temporary blocks to lift it above the minimum flood elevation, is an eyesore.  Further, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Unsafe Structures Board has issued a demolition order, which has been temporarily blocked by the same city’s Historic Preservation Board.  However; the demolition order has prevented Jordan from applying for additional financing needed for the project and has placed the house on the path to destruction.  The matter will go before the City’s newly elected Commission on Tuesday, April 7th.  Local preservationists and architects are urging those who appreciate the value of this local icon of modernism to send letters to the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission.

The house was designed by Fort Lauderdale’s first architect, J.M. Peterman, for C.P. Weidling, one of the city’s pioneer residents and co-founder of the city’s first law firm in 1911.    It is recognized as the only example of “nautical deco” in the city and is considered to be a major “contributing structure” within the Sailboat Bend Historic District.

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Miami's Bacardi Building in Jeopardy

As the Miami Herald notes (see here), later this year Bacardi USA will vacate its Biscayne Boulevard headquarters and move to Coral Gables. The fate of the present complex remains uncertain. Without question, it deserves preservation and DOCOMOMO/US Florida will be active.

Among the finest examples of blending art with architecture is the home of Bacardi USA, Inc. in Miami, Florida...(for more, please click here.)

The Miami Historic and Preservation Board met on April 7, 2009, regarding a historic designation for this iconic group of buildings. The Board postponed a vote on its fate until May 5, 2009, at 3:00 p.m. (Read Herald item here.)

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Miami Marine Stadium Voted Landmark Status

Miami's Preservation Board voted unanimously to provide a historic designation to this landmark. This will protect this important building from demolition, although it does not guarantee its restoration.

The Friends of Miami Marine Stadium deserve hearty congratulations for their successful efforts. Read the Miami Herald article here.

More on the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium is available here.

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Manus House, Palm Beach Florida

The 48-year-old Manus house is the last remaining Alfred Browning Parker design standing in the extremely affluent seaside community. Its current owner, Peter Cohen, wants to tear down the structure and replace it with a British Colonial-style McMansion.

Palm Beach Town Council members cleared the way for owners of the last house standing on the island by modern architect Alfred Browning Parker to tear the house down, voting 3-to-2 to overturn two town board's actions to keep the house standing.

The Town's Architectural Review Commission failed to give Peter Cohen a fair review of his plans to build a British Colonial house at 144 Wells Road. rejected the design of Cohen's planned replacement for the Manus House, indicating the landmark structure could only be replaced by a landmark. This was subsequently overruled by the Town Council.

To view a thoughtful letter from the architect to Palm Beach Mayor Jack McDonald, click here.

To view a slide show of photographs of this spectacular house, courtesy of Jane Manus, please click here.

More information on Parker can be found by clicking here.

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Shelbourne Hotel (1940), Igor Polevitzky and Thomas Triplett Russell.

The 1968 Gulf-Life Tower in Jacksonville was designed by Welton Becket and Associates with local assistance From Kemp, Bunch & Jackson. When built, it was the talles precast building in the world and remains the tallest precast, post-tensined structure.