The Making of Miami Beach: Classical Ideals and the Emergence of Modernism

About this event

An ICAA Architectural Walking Tour

Led by architect, author, and professor Allan Shulman, this intimate walking tour explores Miami Beach at a pivotal moment in its architectural development, when classical ideals and traditions of civic monumentality encountered Art Deco and an emerging modernist vocabulary. Through a curated selection of civic, cultural, and resort architecture, Allan will trace how these influences shaped the distinctive identity of Miami Beach, examining the evolution of its architectural language from classical references and monumental forms to the exuberance of Art Deco and the emergence of modernism. Buildings along the route will include Miami Beach City Hall, the Miami Beach Post Office, The Betsy, the Albion Hotel, and The Bass, among others. The approximately two-hour walk will offer a deeper understanding of the ideas, buildings, and urban context that contributed to the making of Miami Beach.

Starting Location : The Bass Museum | 2100 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Allan Shulman FAIA, LEED AP | Founding Principal

Allan is an architect, author, editor, curator, and Professor at the University of Miami School of Architecture whose research focuses on modernism, tropicality, and urbanism. His published works include Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art and Identity; Miami Modern Metropolis: Paradise and Paradox in Midcentury Architecture and Planning; The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker in Florida; and, as co-author, The Making of Miami Beach: 1933–1942: The Architecture of Lawrence Murray Dixon and Miami Architecture: An AIA Guide. As an extension of his research, Allan founded Shulman + Associates in 1996, developing a body of work focused on the relationship between preservation, innovation, urbanism, and tropical architecture. He was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows in 2008 and has received the AIA Miami Silver Medal for Design and the AIA Florida Gold Medal.

From ICAA Florida Chapter