If you think that beautiful, historic buildings in Miami Beach are confined to Ocean Drive, Collins Avenue and residential neighborhoods, then take a drive or a walk down Washington Avenue. Standing out among the hip modern storefronts sits Miami Beach’s original City Hall at 1130 Washington Avenue.
More than 80 years old, Miami Beach’s historic City Hall with its wide arches and beautiful Mediterranean-revival architecture is still in one piece thanks to a $7.4 million restoration and renovation project that began in January 2006. The reopening of the historically significant City Hall will be celebrated on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, reception and tour.
One of the major goals of the project, in addition to providing hurricane protection for the building, was to undertake major structural repairs to the building’s exterior columns, beams, and walls as well as to eliminate water infiltration around windows and doors, and faulty stucco. Restoration workers were careful to maintain the original look and charm of the structure. On the inside: Every support system for this building was upgraded to current building and safety codes including the elevators. The lobby was also restored to its original décor.
“We learn from the past, we value the past, and we bring it forward with us. And it becomes part of our future,” said William Cary, assistant director, Miami Beach’s planning department. “This project demonstrates the City’s exceptional commitment to the public benefits of historic preservation.”
The Dade Heritage Trust, Miami-Dade’s largest nonprofit historic preservation organization, which played a major role in supporting Miami Beach’s request for a million dollars for the restoration work, recently awarded the City the 2008 Preservation Award for its work with City Hall.
“We love to recognize a great public building. And Miami Beach’s City Hall is a gem,” said Becky Roper Matkov, executive director of the Dade Heritage Trust, which has been working to preserve Miami-Dade’s historic buildings for 35 years. “When you have a city like Miami Beach which recognizes and appreciates its old buildings, government leaders who do the right thing, it enriches the entire community.”
Other funding for the renovation project came from Miami-Dade County General Obligation Bond program and the City of Miami Beach. As part of the project budget, $55,500.00 was given to the Miami Beach Art in Public Places fund.
The nine-story landmark building, designed by Martin Luther Hampton in 1927, is a reminder of the eclectic architecture of Miami Beach in the 1920s and 1930s. Built in the wake of the deadly hurricane of 1926, which damaged almost every building in Miami and Miami Beach, the City Hall building became a major symbol of Miami Beach’s determination to prevail in the wake of the storm.
Located in the National Register Historic District, City Hall was locally designated as an individual historic structure in 1983. The building was designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures in 1999.
The historic building housed municipal government offices from 1928 to 1977. In 1993, the historic structure was substantially restored and renovated for adaptive reuse as a mixed-use facility containing municipal court space, private offices, and retail and public areas. In 2000, the lobby was historically restored and the building was modified to comply with the latest ADA requirements.
Soon, several Miami Beach government offices, Miami-Dade County court, and the Miami Design Preservation League are scheduled to make the building their home.
