Making History
Historic MiMo District Suggested on East Island, Kane Concourse

Mayor Peter G. Lynch told the SunPost the historic district “may not be appropriate.”

 
10110 W. Bay Harbor Drive was designed by Don Reiff & Associates in 1958. Photo by Thomas Delbeck.

 
1069-85 Kane Concourse was designed by the firm of Polevitsky, Johnson & Associates in 1958. Photo by Thomas Delbeck.

By Evan Berkowitz

This summer, the first architectural survey and evaluation of buildings and structures within the town of Bay Harbor Islands was completed.

In 2005 the town applied for and received a historic preservation grant from the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources, which provided some of the funds for this. The survey’s purpose was to identify and document buildings 50 years of age or older for individual eligibility in the National Register of Historic Places, or eligibility as contributors to a potential historic district.

“I have been waiting a long time for this survey. Hopefully, our town can now see how special their buildings are,” said Teri D’Amico, a member of the town’s Design Review Committee and a preservationist.

Under the leadership of architectural historian Jared Tuk of GAI Consultants of Orlando, 312 structures were photographed and recorded during the field survey, which took place March 20-25. Tuk’s report describes this “as a first in a series of steps to consider preservation planning efforts.” It is of particular importance now “as the increased rate of development threatens to erase important components of the original architectural fabric of Bay Harbor Island[s].”

According to Tuk, 83 structures in the town were identified as worthy of landmark status, most because they were representative of certain architectural styles, one of the main ones being Miami Modern, also known as “MiMo.” The multi-unit residential buildings situated on the East Island “best exemplify the modern stylistic trends associated with MiMo architecture,” the report stated. It went on to say that East Island, which contains multi-unit residential, commercial, educational and government buildings, is currently being considered for redevelopment or new building. West Island, which is mostly residential, has fewer historic properties and is less likely to attract new development.

MiMo describes a post-World War II style that dominated in the 1950s. The style borrows elements from architectural movements such as Art Deco and Bauhaus. According to the Miami-Dade Public Library Web site, asymmetry, rakish angles, cheese hole cutouts, kidney and amoeba shapes, and futuristic jet and space age forms are all typical elements of MiMo.

This style was seen as very fitting for South Florida at the time, “revealing a culture of leisure and modernism well suited as an ideal vacation destination for those with expendable income,” Tuk wrote.

“I am thrilled that the survey recognizes MiMo structures. I am very happy with their conclusions to suggest designation,” said D’Amico, who helped coin the “MiMo” phrase in the late 1990s.

However, D’Amico is worried that Tuk’s study may not have gone far enough. “The MiMo era is from 1945-1965. Therefore, a 50-year survey excluded many significant MiMo structures that within the next few years will be 50 years old.”

Tuk’s report, though, also details other architectural styles that dominate Bay Harbor Islands such as Masonry Vernacular, which was very popular in South Florida in the late 1940s. Masonry Vernacular buildings offered some protection from excessive heat, tropical storms and hurricanes. In later years, Masonry Vernacular buildings were finished with stucco, brick veneer, stone veneer and tile.

Many of the buildings on the town’s main commercial thoroughfare of Kane Concourse (96th Street) were built after 1957 and therefore were not eligible to be part of this survey. Tuk stated that most buildings in the town have been altered or added to in some degree, affecting their integrity.

Currently no Bay Harbor Islands properties are designated as historic, either locally or nationally. Being on the National Register of Historic Places can make a property eligible for federal income tax credits. Five properties were mentioned in the report for possible nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: Bay Harbor Towers, 10141-43 East Bay Harbor Drive; Bay Harbor Club, 1155 103rd St.; Citgo station, 1501 Broad Causeway; Coral Sea Towers, 10300 West Bay Harbor Drive; and the house of Bay Harbor Islands founder Shepard Broad at 9405 East Broadview Drive.

The potential Bay Harbor Islands historic district would be bounded by Indian Creek on the east, Biscayne Bay and North Miami on the west, Indian Creek Lake on the south and Biscayne Bay on the north, Tuk’s report stated.

Mayor Peter G. Lynch told the SunPost that due to his town’s small size, the historic district “may not be appropriate.” Unlike Miami Beach, which conveniently has many Art Deco style buildings grouped together in its southern quarter, his town’s historic interest properties are spread out across the municipality.

However, Lynch said he is keeping an “open mind” on the subject. Tuk was scheduled to give a presentation on the survey at the last council meeting on August 14, but council members decided to schedule a public workshop on the matter sometime in September.

Comments? E-mail letters@miamisunpost.com.