Donnelly, Jeff Interview

Permanent Link:: http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/MBVM000000/00001

Material Information

Subjects / Keywords:: Oral histories—Miami Beach (Fla.)
Genre:: Video Recordings
Spatial Coverage:: North and Central America -- United States -- Florida -- Miami-Dade -- Miami Beach
Coordinates:: 25.7802788 x -80.1303466

Summary:: Jeff Donnelly, an historian, has been a Miami Beach resident since 1986, active in civic affairs, and long-time Art Deco tour guide and activist with the Miami Design Preservation League. He explains the effect that Miami Vice had on the kinds of people drawn to the Art Deco tours. They began to see people more interested in architecture and design. Mr. Donnelly also talks about the changing demographic of the Beach. Not only did many elderly have to move but also young Hispanic families who came in the 80s. The property values are reflected in high rents. Mr. Donnelly talks about how the high value of the property also put pressure on historic preservation. He says historic designation protects property now but city ordinances can be changed in the future. He discusses the concern about the private residences built prior to the 1960s that are worthy of preservation but are being destroyed because they are not big enough for today's market. He discusses the forces at play which resulted in the style of architecture which replaced the buildings destroyed by the 1926 hurricane, including FDR's New Deal and the Industrial Art Exhibition in Paris which introduced the Art Deco style as vogue.