Beacon Hotel

Henry O. Nelson
1936
720 Ocean Drive





The typical Art Deco hotel has a tripartite facade with a vertical emphasis, sometimes with horizontal details countering the upward movement. The hotel aptly fulfills the definition. The central bay, however, is almost baroque as it is thrust forward in small steps; even the top rises in stair steps. The boundary between the central and side bays is filled with abstract patterns--skewed diamonds and circles, and the top has semicircles and angular patterns. The only countering horizontal movement is in the relief stripes in the spandrels. Unlike many Art Deco hotels in Miami, this one has no eyebrows above the windows to shade the sun. The fenestration seems a bit awkward with paired windows on the side bays and widely spaced windows in the center.


Click here to return to index of art historical sites.

Click here to return to index of artists and architects.

Click here to return to chronological index.

Click here to see the home page of Bluffton University.


© 2006 Mary Ann Sullivan. I have photographed (on site), scanned, and manipulated all the images on these pages. Please feel free to use them for personal or educational purposes. They are not available for commercial purposes.