South Beach: America's Riviera, Miami Beach, Florida - Softcover

Wisser, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1559702680 ISBN 13: 9781559702683

Publisher: Bulfinch Pr, 1995

Synopsis

Features 132 full-color photographs capturing the flamboyant and elegant Art Deco architecture of Miami's South Beach, as well as the resort's exotic, Dionysian nightlife. The 35,000-word text also details the origin and evolution of the neighborhood's signature Tropical Deco style, the history of town including the behind-the-scenes reality of the sometimes cut-throat nightlife industry and the battle of the historic preservationists who saved South Beach from the wrecking ball, plus the urban planning secrets of the neighborhood's enduring success as a real estate venture and an architectural wonderland.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Perched on the sun-kissed southernmost tip of Old Miami Beach, South Beach oozes visual appeal. This book focuses on the architecture (some 600 wondrous Art Deco buildings survive), the history, and the people who make the scene: supermodels, drag queens, real estate developers, movie stars, artists, entrepreneurs, "club kittens," photographers, politicians, and gangsters. Also in the spotlight are the resourceful historic preservationists who fought to save this timelessly elegant urban village from the developers and politicians who wanted to demolish it. South Beach tells two success stories: that of the architects who created the neighborhood's fabulous Tropical Deco style in the 1930s and '40s, and that of the activists, artists and business people who saved a cultural treasure -- this historic neighborhood -- from the wrecking balls of the 1980s and '90s, ushering the city into an era of worldwide fame and financial success, proving that "Preservation Pays." Beautifully illustrated, deeply reported, and highly informative, this definitive book on South Beach glows with the excitement of one of the most beautiful, dynamic and sexy cities of our time.

About the Author:

1. Bill Wisser's photographs have appeared leading publications around the world, including Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Forbes, German and Spanish Vogue, and Casa Vogue Brasil. In a wide-ranging career, he has also written for many media outlets including CBS News, The Far Eastern Economic Review, Barron's and the New York Daily News. He has won several awards for in-depth and investigative reporting. He has lived and worked in South Beach since 1992.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bulfinch Pr
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 1559702680
• ISBN 13: 9781559702683
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 127