A home designed by late architect Morris Lapidus, who the New York Times claimed was responsible for “South Florida’s gaudiest, glitziest and most glamorous hotels,” is now for sale.
Located at 4595 N. Michigan Ave. in Miami Beach, the home was completed in 1954 by Lapidus, who is best known for his Neo-baroque “Miami Modern” hotels that would later define the area’s Gold Coast, including the Fontainebleau, Americana and Eden Roc.
Though his innovations in design have become staples of modern American architecture, Lapidus’ work was largely reviled by critics and colleagues and wasn’t fully embraced until later in his career.
“Mr. Lapidus’s style was mockingly called Miami Beach French,” wrote the Times in his obituary. “And critics scorned the ‘obscene panache’ with which he created what they called his palaces of kitsch, many of which have been razed or remodeled. But as Miami Beach underwent a renaissance, becoming a trendy place for the jet set, the critical winds blew in his direction.”
Before his death in 2001 from heart failure at the age of 98, Lapidus designed more than 1,200 buildings, including 250 hotels worldwide. (He completed multiple projects in New York City for President Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump.)
Known for his theatrical and often “attention-getting techniques,” like sweeping curves and backlit floating ceilings, Lapidus’ homes were similar in style to his hotels. This particular Lapidus estate is no different.
The single-story mid-century modern gem features 4,052 square feet of living space, a pool, and five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The current asking price is $4.5 million, and the listing agent is Elyse Rosenberg of Coldwell Banker Realty.
A version of this story first appeared in our sibling publication Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
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