Van Ness Hotel

Construction date: 1930 (original)*

Current name:

Van Ness Hotel

Architect:

R.A. Preas (original structure)

Builder:

O'Neill & Orr Building Corp. (original structure)

Style:

Apartment/multi-unit complex, Art Deco.

Minimal ornamentation; Carved signage "Van Ness Hotel" at the top of the building on east and north elevations; Horizontal banding across the top; Vertical racing stripes at corners; Ziggurat roofline at building corners

Historical Summary:

The Van Ness Hotel was originally designed by architect R.A. Preas and built in 1930 by the O'Neill & Orr Building Corporation. as a 102 room hotel. In 1965, the building underwent extensive alterations to the existing building when architect Norman M. Giller Associates and the SAC Construction Company converted the 102 hotel rooms into 34 apartments. The alterations appear to have so extensive that official records list the building's construction year as 1965, with little reference to the original structure.

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:

1390_OCEAN_DR_(2).pdf

Architectural Description:

This is a 5-story, 9-bay domestic building in the Art Deco style built in 1930 (original). The building is l in plan. The foundation is reinforced concrete. Exterior walls are stucco. The building has a flat with parapet roof. Windows are replacement aluminum double-hung sashes. There is a single-story, five-bay open porch characterized by an integrated (under the main) roof. Modest five-bay long porch on the northeast corner of the building separated into two separate porched by a central wall; Railing separating the porch from the street is stuccoed columns with ornamentation (arrow pattern with a bowl on top) at the ends; Porch floor dual-colored terrazzo floor; Glass block in wall separating two sides of the porch. Primary entryway for residents is a simple, unornamented door in the porch.

* Date source: City of Miami Beach Building Department records

Description generated by RuskinARC^™.

Located in:

1390 Ocean Dr Miami Beach, Florida USA

Van Ness Hotel

Construction date: 1930 (original)*