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Taking a Cue from Architectural Icons

Much of what is new is old when it comes to Florida architecture today. Much of the current construction is taking its cue from iconic designs on both coasts. Here’s a snapshot of those who both in their day and now continue to define Florida design.


addison miznerAddison Mizner (1872-1933)
Newly constructed Spanish Revival mansions throughout Florida’s gated communities take their cue from Addison Mizner, Florida’s leading architect in the 1920s. Mizner is credited with single-handedly creating the look of Boca Raton, Palm Beach and Florida resort architecture. Signature details include Moorish columns, spiral staircases and curved archways. The Everglades Club, which he designed as a military hospital - the war ended before it was completed - launched his status as a designer of mansions to the social elite.?
Defining Design: The Everglades Club, El Mirasol, Villa Flora, Boca Raton Resort & Club


Jacksonville skyline
Boca Raton Resort & Club

Paul Rudolph (1918-1997)
paul rudolphContemporary “green” homes share much in common with the environmentally friendly homes and buildings of the iconic architects of the Sarasota School. Paul Rudolph was among the founders of this group. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement, the Sarasota School took its minimalist aesthetic and use of new technologies and materials and molded it to the needs of Florida’s subtropical lifestyle, incorporating patios, verandas, modular construction, raised floors and jalousies to open the home up to the breeze in the pre-air-conditioning times, connecting architecture to the environment. Many Rudolph and other Sarasota School homes can be found in Sarasota’s Lido Shores neighborhood.
Defining Design: Casa del Cielo, Umbrella House

Jacksonville skyline
Umbrella House in Sarasota


Bernardo Fort-Brescia (1951-Present)
bernando fort-brescia

Jacksonville Beach
The Atantis in Miami

The founder of the architectural firm Arquitectonica helped to redefine the Miami landscape and gave Miami Beach its vibe, adding brilliant contemporary design and color to the city’s landscape. The Atlantis on Brickell, featured in the opening of the quintessential south Florida hit TV series “Miami Vice,” opened in 1982 and put the Coconut Grove firm on the map and became a modern landmark.? One signature residential project also caused a stir. The Pink House, built in the 1970s in Miami Shores, was painted five hues of pink. The non-conformist color and the modernist horizontal lines and planes of the home’s design continue to attract attention and admiration. Arquitectonica, which opened more than three decades ago as an experimental studio, is now involved in projects in more than 40 countries around the world, with its signature style anchored in the Miami landmarks of its earliest days.?
Defining Design: Atlantis, The Pink House