Ocean Drive
Miami
Ocean Drive is the seafront street of South Beach, in Miami Beach. Between 5th Street and 14th Place it faces Lummus Park and the beach, with a row of Art Deco hotels.
A city born on the sand
In the early 1900s Miami Beach was a strip of sand and scrub. The city was founded in 1915. Along Ocean Drive runs the seaside park, with its palm trees and its beach.
The style of the 1930s
In the 1930s Miami Beach filled up with Art Deco hotels. They were low, colorful and full of curves. Here the style was called "Tropical Deco", with light colors and flowers in relief. Many older hotels are in the Mediterranean style instead.
Saved from the bulldozers
In the 1970s many buildings were run-down and some people wanted to tear them down. In 1976 Barbara Capitman and her friends founded the Miami Design Preservation League. In 1979 the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today a stretch of 10th Street bears Barbara Capitman's name.
A park for everyone
Lummus Park has a playground, paths for walking and cycling and an outdoor fitness area. At number 1001 stands the Art Deco visitor center.
