Miami Modern Metropolis: Paradise and Paradox in Midcentury Architecture and Planning

Book excerpt: The two decades that followed World War II were a period of extraordinary growth in Miami. During that time architectural modernism provided a framework for the city's new urban patterns, novel building types, evolving aesthetics, and emerging environmental consciousness. The city was a virtual laboratory of modern architecture, a semitropical hothouse where modernism was probed, challenged, adapted, and ultimately expanded. Miami Modern Metropolis explores the distinctive and illuminating premises embodied in the city's growth from 1945 to 1965. Covering a range of architectural topics including hotels, retail, aerospace, and residential, Miami Modern Metropolis is both a thoroughly researched and entertaining look at one of the country's most distinctive urban confections.