place

National Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida)

1939 establishments in FloridaArt Deco architecture in FloridaBuildings and structures completed in 1939Commons category link is locally definedHistoric Hotels of America
Hotels in Miami Beach, Florida
National Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida LCCN2017711401
National Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida LCCN2017711401

The National Hotel (also known as The National Hotel or National Hotel Miami Beach) is an Art Deco-style hotel on Collins Avenue in the South Beach area of Miami Beach, Florida. It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.It was designed by American architect Roy France, who is credited for creating Miami Beach's skyline, having designed many of its hotels, in Art Deco and in Postwar Modern styles. His philosophy regarding the National Hotel and others was: "Let in the air and sun. That's what people come to Florida for."Originally built in 1939, it was fully renovated in 2014. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel "closed for nearly a year to redo the 116 rooms and suites in the Historic Tower and 36 Cabana units".Shayne Benowitz of the Daily Telegraph gave the hotel an 8 out of 10 rating, saying: The National Hotel is one of Miami’s legacy oceanfront Art Deco hotels on Collins Avenue, with an iconic 205-foot-long swimming pool, vintage travel-themed rooms and original mosaic tile murals by Jazz Age artist Tamara de Lempicka. The front is its Art Deco tower. Behind, the Mareva 1939 restaurant looks out onto the long narrow "infinity" pool running away towards the beach, sided by cabanas, pool-side tables, and a lower section of the hotel extending. Then there is a rectangular, nearly square, leisure pool, then the tiki bars and lounge areas, then scrub and trees with the Miami Beach Boardwalk, then the beach. The tower has sized the same as when originally built; the lower section of the hotel has larger rooms.Nonguests can use the two pools for a fee ($45 in 2022).Benowitz writes: There are some limitations that come with restoring a historic hotel in a city where preservation is paramount. For this reason, rooms are snug and windows are small because they retain their original blueprint. The National makes the most of this in updated furnishings with rich cherry polished wood headboards, desks, chairs and cocktail tables. Polished chrome is used for bedside lamps and overhead fans, adding to the clean, vintage appeal. Bathrooms are also rather tight, yet modern and clean with a trough sink, white subway tiles and a bathtub-shower combo. The upgraded cabana rooms are more spacious and luxurious. In 2021, Armin Rosen of Tablet asserted that there was a "new diaspora", partly coming to Miami Beach, of "disgruntled New Yorkers, fleeing the city’s draconian COVID restrictions and pessimistic politics." He cited the National Hotel's hosting of "swanky" parties as one indicator of Miami Beach reopening up, in advance of New York City, in April and May.A 2021 tribute gala to Josephine Baker at the National Hotel sold out. Miami declared November 28, 2021 to be "Josephine Baker Day", in honor of the American-French singer, who had performed in Miami Beach, and the tribute event was held at the National. In 1950/1951, it is said, she made history by refusing to perform at the Copa City Club unless the Miami Beach club was open to blacks. At this time Jim Crow segregation rules were in effect. The club denied her demand, but eventually relented, and on January 10, 1951, she "became the first known entertainer to perform at a prominent Miami Beach club before an integrated audience." The Montreal Gazette states in 2022 that the National "recently wrapped up renovations to its guest rooms and has adopted an adults-only policy" which, at this hotel, requires guests to be 21 or older.In 2022 Architectural Digest called the National an "architectural gem", and one of "eight iconic buildings throughout the city that have been renovated to showcase their historic value through a 21st-century lens." It mentioned the full restoration of the hotel in 2021 and that: [The] adults-only Art Deco hotel launched its most recent restaurant, Marea 1939, named for the historic year in which the hotel was built. The indoor-outdoor dining spaces at Marea 1939 offer a garden, pool, and ocean views, anchored with U-shaped banquettes in classic Miami style. The bar 1939 overlooks The National's grand Art Deco lobby.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article National Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

National Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida)
Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Website Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: National Hotel (Miami Beach, Florida)Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 25.7919 ° E -80.1294 °
placeShow on map

Address

National

Collins Avenue 1677
33139 Miami Beach
Florida, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Website
nationalhotel.com

linkVisit website

National Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida LCCN2017711401
National Hotel, Miami Beach, Florida LCCN2017711401
Share experience

Nearby Places

Greystone Miami Beach
Greystone Miami Beach

Greystone Miami Beach, in Miami Beach, Florida, is an Art Deco-style hotel built in 1939. It has also been known as the Greystone Hotel or as The Greystone. It was "designed by renowned architect Henry Hohauser, who was given the title of “Great Floridian” by Florida's Department of State in 1993 for his major contribution to the distinct Art Deco architectural scene present throughout the region." It is located in Miami Beach's Art Deco district, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a contributing building in the Miami Beach Architectural District.In the 1979 nomination of that district, the Greystone was characterised as being Decorative Moderne in style. The nomination noted that "the Greystone Hotel is in beautiful condition. On the west side of Collins Avenue, it is most noticeable, located on the corner of 19th Street. The main entrance features a pair of round windows etched with tropical scenes. The almost square facade is divided into thirds, with the central section ornamented with vertical stripes and a stepped, three-stage parapet. The horizontal flanking portions of the facade are decorated with bands of 'tattersall check' between the ribbon windows at the curved corners. It is the detail of this building, the round windows, the flagstaffs on the parapet, and the incised squares in the stucco, that make this building so charming."It was a member of the Historic Hotels of America in 2020, but is no longer a member in 2022.It was under renovation in 2019.In 2022 Architectural Digest termed the hotel an "architectural gem", "one of architect Henry Hohauser's iconic hotels", and one of "eight iconic buildings throughout the city that have been renovated to showcase their historic value through a 21st-century lens." It noted the reopening of the hotel as "Hotel Greystone" in September 2021, and stated that Holly Muhl of Bowenholly, "who led the interior design, said, 'Our goal was to create something stylish and comfortable that evokes the dynamic layers of Miami Beach. The building offers so many opportunities for a sophisticated audience depending on your mood, and we wanted every space to give guests a welcome and authentic sense of place.' Its signature restaurant, Sérêvène, serves up fare using Japanese ingredients and French techniques; its neighboring Greystone Jazz Bar presents a sing-along piano bar by candlelight."In 2021, partners who owned the hotel were in litigation with each other; a lawsuit was dismissed in January 2022 however.