Tag Archives: art-deco

Dallas’ historic Fair Park has been drawing crowds for decades

As the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, Fair Park remains the only original, unaltered, pre-1950’s world’s fair site in the country. The architecture at Fair Park is distinctively Art Deco and home to over seven million visitors a year. The park hosts a slew of festivals and events year-round, including the ever popular Texas State Fair. The Music Hall, The Science Place, the Texas Star Ferris Wheel and the Cotton Bowl all call Fair Park home, in addition to several other museums, exhibit halls, performance venues and gardens. They also offer two historic walking tours of the grounds for those interested in the architecture and history of the park. Visit fairpark.org for more information.

Stiltsville Tours: Homes on water evoke old Miami

The 1920s and 30s may have been the heyday boom in Florida. The time Art Deco got famous, when Flagler’s railroad was chug-chugging and visits to Miami were about sun and fun.

It was also the time when a little place called Stiltsville on Biscayne Bay emerged. Today, there are a mere three or four “shack” homes built either on wood or reinforced concrete pilings ten feet above the shallow water. They’re situated one mile south of Key Biscayne’s Cape Florida.

There are several tour companies that make trips out to Stiltsville and recount the story of how the houses were built and the transformation of its heyday to the few that still stand.

Island Queen Cruises does their tours through History Miami. Miami historian Dr. Paul George conducts the tours. Call 305-379-5119 for reservations. www.islandqueencruises.com

Art Deco Society of Los Angeles: In Awe of Architecture

Focused on the act of preserving architecture, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles is preserving many buildings, hotels and fine pieces of art that we have come to love and know so well. Buildings such as The Sunset Tower and The Egyptian Theatre are coined as “local Art Deco treasures” found in Los Angeles that have become LA staples and places frequently visited.

This non-profit, supported by members varying from students to households, is always holding events for those looking to embrace LA Art Deco. Events such as walking tours and festivals are always being held in honor of LA art and architecture and members of the non-profit make the events calendar easy and accessible on their website.

Though we pass some of these buildings each and every day, the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles encourages people to take in their surroundings by attending events held by the organization and to visit the buildings they try so hard to preserve.

In the land of the fake, this society encourages you to embrace something real.

LA Art Deco Pic

Diverse Drama & Dance at Deco Colony Theater

Whether it’s laughing the night away at a comic’s jokePicture 4s or watching dancers soar and leap across the stage, Colony Theater is the place to catch a wealth of diverse entertainment. The calendar is packed with something for everyone with groups like Miami Lyric Opera, Miami Contemporary Dance Company and New World School of the Arts Music Department presenting world-class performances. The venue has also become a hot bed for controversial plays and shows by Latin American artists, making headlines in the past year with attention-grabbing presentations.

Watching a show here is like stepping back in time. The marquee and Colony Theater lettering are in Art Deco style and the look continues inside throughout the foyer with a multi-patterned terrazo floor, vintage chandeliers and a grand stage framed in Deco-inspired moldings. The theater may be inspired by the roaring 20s, but what’s showing inside is fresh, new and in the moment.

Delano is an Icon of Deco South Beach

Others may come and go, but the Delano is the hotel that set the tone for what has become hip and happening in the South Beach scene. That pool, ohhh that pool, sets the standard for the rest of what represents “livin’ it up” in Miami. Sitting beachfront and a stone’s throw away from Lincoln Road and its thriving nightlife, Delano is simply where it’s at.

Picture 11Inside, the place is decorated by room so that each area provides a different experience. White is by far the predominant color with guest rooms awash in the crisp, clean hue, from the luxurious penthouse to the more subdued, but still uber cool, rooms and suites. A rooftop spa offers a 360 degree view of nothing but turquoise ocean as far as the eye can see.

And of course, stay for some great nightlife and dining. After all, there’s the classic Blue Door, the hotel’s original and award-winning restaurant, along with Plat Bleu, and for cocktails and people watching (ahem, celeb spotting), there’s the elegant Rose Bar.

Belvedere Hotel

The Belvedere Hotel is an Art Deco monument, providing elegant lodging to discerning travelers since 1928. Style and exceptional service are the hotel’s hallmarks, with a tradition of warm hospitality to all guests.

The recently introduced Executive Boardroom is an ideal choice for exceptional corporate meetings.  Combined with a spacious 900 sq.ft. meeting room, The Belvedere offers flexiblility and state-of-the-art audiovisual capabilities for your meetings, intimate training sessions and private gatherings.