Before & After: South Beach

Before and after images in and around South Beach that illustrate the incremental transformation of Florida's most popular urban destination.

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Looking west on Lincoln Road in 1927. Lincoln Road grew to become Miami Beach’s commercial epicenter during the first half of the 20th century. During the 1950s, Miami Beach architect Morris Lapidus was hired to redesign Lincoln Road. As a result, Lincoln Road became one of the nation’s first pedestrian malls. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

Today, Lincoln Road remains a popular pedestrian friendly mall in the heart of the city.

Lincoln Road in June 1967. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

Looking east from a similar location on Lincoln Road in March 2019.

Designed by famed theater architect Thomas W. Lamb in association with Robert E. Collins, the Lincoln Theatre opened on Lincoln Road in 1936. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

Since its original early 1980s closure, the 713 seat theater has been acquired and restored.

A 1980s view of the Waves, Revere and Victor hotels on a pre-gentrified Ocean Drive. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida.

In 1993, Gianni Versace demolished the Revere to expand the pool and gardens of the Versace Mansion.

The former Waves has been restored into a boutique hotel, dining and entertainment establishment.

A vintage postcard of the Netherland Hotel in 1941 on the right. Courtesy of the State Archives of Florida. On the left, the Netherland in 2019.

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