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Virginia Keyâs iconic structures, including the Ralph Middleton Munroe
Miami Marine Stadium (itâs official name) are featured in the new AIA
Guide,
Miami Architecture (University
of Florida Press, $29.95).
The guide imagines the area as a tropical playground - with the Marine
Stadium as the centerpiece of a ânecklace of public amenitiesâ in the
Biscayne Bay corridor.
The playground begins with the Rickenbacker Causeway itself -- in
reality a linear park -- which was designed to include areas for
fishing, bathing and boat launching along the way. Today, the scenic
road is also a major attraction for bicyclists and pedestrians who
enjoy the scenic views.
The Rickenbacker was designed by landscape architect WIlliam Lyman
Phillips, the preeminent architect of the 1930s and 40s. Phillipsâ
commissions included some of our most beautiful parks and gardens,
including Crandon and Virginia Key Beach Parks, Matheson Hammock, and
Fairchild Tropical Garden.
Miami Seaquariumâs 1950s vintage look may strike some as quaint today,
but when it was completed it was considered âa technological feat of
marine architecture and showmanship,â according to the guidebook. The
55-acre site design is based on Worldâs Fair models before World War
II, which is reinforced by the later addition of Buckminster Fullerâs
geodesic Golden Dome.
Other guidebook entries include the
University of Miami Rosensteil
School and NOAA Building, National Marine Fisheries Service Center.
Miami Architecture was
co-written by Miami architect Allan T. Shulman, landscpae architect and
planner Randall C. Robinson, Jr. , co-author of
MiMo: Miami Modern Revealed and
James F. Donnelly, former chair of the City of Miami Beach Historic
Preservation Board.
The precursor to the guide was the Miami Architecture Project, a
community-based group that organized local forums on architecture and
community revitalization.
There will be book signing and discussion beginning at 7:30 p.m.,
Thurs., June 10, 2010 at the Wolfsonian-FIU Museum, 1001 Washington
Ave., Miami Beach.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120804544604561&ref=mf
Resources:
University of Florida Press
http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=DONNES08
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