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The Hotel Architecture of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach

Aug 3, 2022 | Architecture, Featured Professional, Featured Projects, Hospitality

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The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel is the creme de la creme in hotel architecture. It was initially built in 1954 by an architect named Morris Lapidus. The hotel architectural style is Miami Modern Architecture (MiMo).

The hotel’s interior design and part of the hotel’s architecture is the famously known— “Staircase to Nowhere,” which leads to a small cloakroom. Even today, that staircase is well preserved and renovated to retain its original integrity.

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 2008. On June 24, 2010, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

We can agree that the Fontainebleau Miami Beach is a prime fixture in Miami Beach. It seems to get better with age. It has been described as “Vegas meets art deco.” You’d expect to meet the who’s who of the party scene of that era. The Fontainebleau Miami has retained its vibe, according to many reviews.

We believe that keeping the original vibe is, in part, the strong consideration given to the detail of the hotel’s architecture. The details are the hotel’s DNA and carry many characteristics that make it what it is. Upon its completion in 1954, the total cost was $16 million; today, in our economy, the amount would add up to approximately $143 million, not including inflation.

Part of the vibe that currently exists at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach is due to the thrill and excitement of the big stars it attracted back in its heyday. Celebrities like Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Judy Garland, and Elvis Presley came by. Ironically, these celebrities would still fill a room today if alive!

Although the hotel architecture reflects that past era, what stands out is the Fontainebleau’s soul and the history it carries. Physicists say that energy doesn’t die; it just changes form. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel is a fine example; just walk into the past and feel it.

Photo Credit: Ingenio Virtual

 

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