Description

Starting in the early 1900s, there was a synthesis of Egyptian, Greek, and Mayan and Cuban art, done in pastel Caribbean or Jamaican colors.  Architecture took linear and streamlined forms, with an emphasis on the Modern Machine Age of electricity. There was the idea of boasting about having electric power, whether it existed or not, by use of fake lighthouses, radio towers, lightning bolts, and motifs that expressed motion, like fins and stripes, to show speed and activity. Art, architecture, furnishings, and commercial spaces were evolving away from “Art Noveau”, to a simpler, yet powerful design, to attract visitors.

Hotels were painted in such colors as “Jewel Pink, Coral, Sparkling Sea Turquoise, Dewy Frond Green, and Sunny Hibiscus Yellow”.

In the 1940’s, icons of the Trans-Atlantic ocean liners appeared, including port-hole windows, steel balcony railings, stained glass, bow-strake designs, and glamorous designs of style, wealth and opulence typical of transatlantic luxury travel.

We will drive along the cafes of Ocean Drive, and the shops of Collins Avenue and Lincoln Road.  See the influence of the machine age, and the construction elements brought from the transatlantic ocean liners. See why fashion designers, models, photographers, artists, and celebrities can’t resist living and playing in “South Beach”.  It’s all about… style!