Chaille Block is one of Miami’s important historical and architectural resources located in Downtown Miami. The Chaille Block with its projecting arcades, canopies, and open balconies, provides a unique record of commercial design in Miami. Comprised of five masonry vernacular buildings constructed during the first decades of the twentieth century, it is the only intact downtown commercial streetscape dating from the 1910s.
The Chaille Block project has won various awards including the Award of Excellence by the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
|
|
|
Historic Vizcaya Art Museum, Villa Vizcaya, has been described as "Miami's most exquisite architectural treasure". Transported from the Northern Italian countryside by industrialist James Deering, and reconstructed between 1914 and 1916 on Biscayne Bay as his home, Vizcaya was the inspiration for a generation of great architecture in South Florida. The stone and stucco building was filled with marvelous art, furniture, tapestries, rugs, clocks and china from around the world. Vizcaya was purchased by Dade County in 1952 and is now a museum and public garden. However the proximity to Biscayne Bay caused sever deterioration of the structure and many of the art objects. The restoration began in 1978 with a complete engineering study and report on the structure and building systems. The restoration of Vizcaya was the single largest effort of its kind in the State of Florida in which an existing historical structure had been upgraded to meet current codes and requirements, while maintaining the original design integrity. This eleven-year, labor-intensive project was completed during 1978 to 1989.
|
|
