Henry Hohauser : Miami beach moderne 1935-1948

The work of Henry Hohauser on Miami Beach, which dates from 1935 to 1958, expresses the spirit, energy, and optimism of a tropical resort city. The majority of his designs were built during the latter years of the Great Depression and look to the future, disregarding the Spanish Colonial Revival Style prevalent in the 1920's in favor of modernistic vocabularies.The work Hohauser produced between 1935 and 1948 reflects a large design vocabulary learned during his years in New York, when he studied various built expressions and publications. Hohauser used this diverse architectural language to express the needs of Miami Beach, a young and booming resort city. The hotels and apartment buildings which he designed were visited primarily by semi-retired, middle-class tourists who stayed by the week or month. Miami Beach was thought of as an exotic Garden of Eden, the site of the Fountain of Youth, a place of sun, sea, health, and relaxation. During the years of the Great Depression, tourists visited Miami Beach to make a vacation dream become reality. Hohauser, in designing over 300 structures in the young city, created a large portion of the backdrop for this vacation drama.