Ufficio postale di Miami Beach
Miami
The Miami Beach Post Office is a 1937–1938 building on Washington Avenue. It is a fine example of the modern architecture of the 1930s.
A city full of visitors
Around 1936 Miami Beach was recovering sooner than many other American cities. New roads, inexpensive hotels and mild winters brought crowds of visitors. So the Chamber of Commerce asked for a real post office, with a building of its own.
The architect
Howard Lovewell Cheney worked in the federal government's office of architects. In the same years he was also designing an airport in the nation's capital. He liked a clean, modern style with few decorations.
Tower, porch and dome
The building has three parts. In the center is a round, two-story tower with the dome. On the sides are a wing with a porch on Washington Avenue and a wing on 13th Street. Mail was sorted in that wing. The building follows the street grid toward the bay and still faces Washington Avenue.
The round hall
Inside, the hall is tall and round, with a cone-shaped ceiling. Under the dome is a small round fountain. Light comes in through a tall wall of glass blocks above the doors. Out front, a small garden welcomes those who climb the long staircase of red marble.
