Audio Guide: Miami's Art Deco Architecture Tour (Self Guided), Miami

The South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida has long been associated with Art Deco architecture, distinguished for its eye-catching bright pastels. Pops of color combined with the style’s notable geometric lines, sleek curves, chrome accents, window “eyebrows” and fountains abound in the area, but even more so in the historic Miami Beach Architectural District.

More popularly known as Miami Art Deco District, this part of town holds the largest collection of historical Art Deco buildings in the world (numbered in 960), constructed predominantly between the Great Depression and the early 1940s, and covering a range of styles, such as “Streamline”, “Tropical” and “Med-deco”. Nearly a century on, the aesthetics of the 1920s and 1930s are still just as vibrant and easy to spot in Miami Beach, making it one of the most distinctive cityscapes in the United States.

As you stroll the streets of the neighborhood, you can't help marveling at the prominent Art Deco buildings, such as the Clevelander South Beach, presently well known for its party vibe and DJs by the pool, and the stunning Villa Casa Casuarin, formerly known as the Versace Mansion (home of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace), but now a stately hotel with 10 guest suites.

Further down Ocean Drive you are greeted with a variety of more boutique hotels like The Tides, The Cardozo, The Carlyle, all reflecting the influences of Art Deco.

Two of the most prolific Art Deco-era architects, Henry Hohauser and L. Murray Dixon, left their distinctive marks in the area. At Hohauser's Essex House Hotel you can look up to admire its neon-lit spire and curved “eyebrow” windows. L. Murray Dixon’s works include the Hotel of South Beach, the Marlin Hotel and others.

If you want to learn more about Art Deco style and its role in Miami’s history in a fun way and explore the astounding historical structures, you can do so on the self-guided walking tour offered by GPSmyCity.