Miami
Design Preservation League’s
Art Deco Welcome Center
1001
Ocean Drive
Miami Beach, FL 33119-0810
Phone:
(305) 672-2014
Fax: (305) 672-4319
Ground zero for ultra-chic Art Deco District
on South Beach is a tiny, cluttered curios shop on
the beach. The Miami Design Preservation League’s
Art Deco Welcome Center, located at the southwestern
corner of the Ocean Front Auditorium, just across
the street from the Breakwater and Edison hotels, is
the place to go when you want to learn about the art
and architecture of the Art Deco era that flourishes
on Miami Beach.
About 800
Art Deco-inspired buildings remain in the area of
South Beach between Sixth Street north to Dade
Boulevard and from Lenox Court east to the beach.
The league
offers a variety of tours and workshops, but the
most popular is the self-guided audio tour, which
allows participants to wander through South Beach at
their own pace. Average time to complete the tour is
60 to 75 minutes and is offered 10am to 4pm
daily. The cost is $5.
Another
popular tour is the walking tour, guided by local
preservationists and history buffs offered on
Thursdays and Saturdays. The Thursday tour begins at
6:30pm and on Saturdays, at 10:30am. Cost is
$10. Both tours start and end at the welcome center.
The
league’s big bash of the year is the Art Deco
Weekend, usually held in mid to late January along
Ocean Drive. It’s the mother of all street
festivals and a cultural extravaganza. Aspects of
the weekend’s whirl of activities include
concerts, tours, classic cars, big-band concerts and
a film and lecture series. And of course there’s a
world of food and plenty of tall, frosty beverages
to quaff. Call (305) 672-2014 for further
information.
The
Welcome Center, a great place not only as a starting
point for your Art Deco excursions, but also for Art
Deco souvenirs and other touristy paraphernalia, is
open 11am to 6pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 10pm Saturdays and 11am to 10pm on
Sundays.
