The birth of Tropical Deco
The dark ages and the threat of the bulldozer
The pastel revolution of Barbara and Leonard
Pop culture to the rescue
How to read a South Beach building
Which South Beach hotel was the very first to be painted in Leonard Horowitz's pastel palette in 1980?
Which industrial designer created the iconic pastel color palette that saved South Beach?
andy Horowitz created a revolutionary pastel color palette inspired by the natural elements of the Florida coast.
What color-blocking technique did Horowitz use to make flat stucco details look three-dimensional?
What was the original color scheme of most South Beach Art Deco hotels when they were built in the 1930s?
andy The Pastel Revolution
Paint it pastel, paint it pastel, Tropical colors saved these Art Deco hotels!
andy The painting of the Friedman Hotel in 1980 proved to the world that pastel colors could transform a neighborhood.
What natural Florida element inspired the peach and lavender colors in the South Beach palette?
Under what name is the Friedman Hotel, the first pastel-painted building, known today?
Original colors: The original 1930s Art Deco buildings were actually painted white or light beige, not the famous pastels we see today.
How did the local community initially react when the first pastel-painted hotel was unveiled in 1980?
A soft, pale shade of a color. In 1980, Leonard Horowitz introduced a tropical pastel palette to revitalize Miami Beach's decaying Art Deco buildings.