Treister, Kenneth Interview

Material Information

Title:: Treister, Kenneth Interview
Added title page title:: Kenneth Treister interview: Miami Beach Visual Memoir
Creator:: Miami Design Preservation League
Close-Up Productions ( Producer )
Publisher:: Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority (MBVCA)
Publication Date:: 2021-07-22
Language:: English
Physical Description:: 01:05:07

Subjects / Keywords:: Oral histories -- Miami Beach (Fla.)
Holocaust Memorial (Miami Beach, Fla.)
Holocaust survivors
Treister, Kenneth
Genre:: Video recordings
Spatial Coverage:: Florida--Miami Beach
Coordinates:: 25.7803 x -80.1305

Scope and Content:: Kenneth Treister recalls his childhood and how Miami Beach developed over time. Since he was young, he had an interest in art and liked to combine that with his love for architecture. After the Holocaust, none of the survivors wanted to relive that moment and didn't speak of it. A small group in Miami Beach wanted to create a memorial to the Holocaust survivors to honor them and approached Treister to be the creator. He went to a foundry in Mexico City to build the memorial for about three years. He wanted to make the memorial a strong statement and included 130 figures holding each other and screaming to escape. Treister also wanted to show the beauty of Jewish culture and added a reflection pool with water lilies. ( English )
Biographical:: Filmed in his home in Winter Haven, FL July 22, 2021. Kenneth Treister is an American architect, architectural historian, sculptor, photographer, authorand lecturer. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is best known for the Holocaust Memorial he built in Miami Beach, Florida. In this interview Treister talks about coming to Miami Beach and growing up there in the 1930s and 40s. He talks about creating the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial which took 5 years to complete.