The Miami Beach Art Deco District was designated a historic district in 1979.
More precisely, the Miami Beach Architectural District was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1979. It covers much of South Beach, including a remarkable concentration of hotels, apartment buildings, and commercial structures.
The district’s architecture reflects several related styles, including Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Mediterranean Revival. Most of its notable buildings date from the 1920s through the early 1940s, when Miami Beach was developing as a resort city. The area’s preservation became urgent in the 1970s, when many older buildings faced demolition and redevelopment pressure.
A common mix-up is confusing the district’s 1979 national designation with later local preservation efforts. Activists including Barbara Baer Capitman helped bring national attention to the neighborhood, but the designation itself was the 1979 National Register listing. Today, the district is widely recognized as one of the world’s most important collections of Art Deco architecture.