Hotel Imperial

Construction date: documented 1939*

Current name:

Imperial Hotel

Architect:

L. Murray Dixon

Builder:

J.O. Blumenthal

Style:

Ocean drive hotel, Art Deco.

Symmetrical tripartite primary facade; Stepped ziggurat parapet roofline; Horizontal banding at cornice and corner windows; Continuous wrap-around eyebrows rounded at corners; Multi-colored terrazzo floor designs in the interior and on the porch; Slight use of glass block; Two mirroring fine bass relief "fountain" carvings in narrow rectangles that extend from the second floor level to just below the roofline ornament the central bay; Three masonry portholes at apex of ziggurat roofline (center bay); Bow fluted spandrels in center bay above, below and in-between second and third floor level windows; Porch railing design alternates between curved balustrade and solid wall with portholes

Open to the public:

Yes.

Status of Historic Designation:

Designated at National level : Miami Beach Architectural District, 1979
Designated at Local level : Ocean Drive/Collins Avenue District, 1986

Area(s) of Significance:

Architecture
Community Planning and Development

Associated Files:

650_OCEAN_DR.pdf

Architectural Description:

This is a 3-story, 3-bay domestic building in the Art Deco style built in 1939. The building is rectangular in plan. The structural system is concrete block stucco. The foundation is spread footing. Exterior walls are stucco. The building has a flat with parapet roof. Windows are replacement aluminum jalacy casement. At the second and third floor levels on the primary facade, two adjoining casement windows in each bay. There is a single-story, full-span open porch characterized by an integrated (under the main) roof with fluted stuccoed posts. Porch is particularly distinguishable for it's highly ornamented terrazzo floor designs and highly ornamented balustrade that includes curvilinear design and portholes. Glass double-doors framed in dark wood; Directly centered on east elevation; Primary entryway is particularly grand because of the unique terrazzo floor designs on either side of the door that are quite unlike the designs of many other buildings.

* Date source: Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser

Description generated by RuskinARC^™.

Located in:

650 Ocean Dr Miami Beach, Florida USA

Hotel Imperial

Construction date: documented 1939*