Mid-Century Modern, Florida Edition
Miami, with and without vice, as well as some more sights in its vicinity
This is, of course, a follow-up to the last posting on…“old Florida”:
Miami (Vice)
So, the above postcard was mailed in summer 1987, which means we’re travelling a wee bit back in time now…to a sadly undated time in the 1970s, I guess, below:
Above, another fantastic view of a part of Miami from 1977 (and I am now humming the theme from “Miami Vice” for whatever reason).
Sea Isles of Florida
Above, an aerial view of Key Biscayne, mailed in 1964; below, the Sea Isles Hotel (which I hope fits ok-ish with the theme here), mailed in 1965.
One of the more curious themes is this—the “New Versailles”, according to its reverse, “the most popular resort hotel in Miami Beach”—in 1955
(It is currently under renovation and poised for reopening in 2026, says its website.)
Some of the resorts and condos have been inspected (😱) in the last few years and closed down for repairs. The managing boards were not doing the upkeep because people didn’t want to pay for it. Those same people have been levied anywhere from $40,000 each for a small condo to hundreds of thousands for the swankier places in order to pay for long-overdue maintenance and upgrades. Retired people going back to work to pay the levy in order to keep their homes.
I’m not surprised that a hotel of that age and size is undergoing major changes. Can you imagine how many storms that place has seen?