The City of Miami Beach celebrates the recent completion of its historical 10th Street Auditorium and Beach Patrol headquarters. These historic facilities, originally constructed in 1953 and 1939 respectively, were recently restored to modern-day use while honoring their MiMo architectural style and nautical Art Deco theme. The grand facilities will be unveiled on Saturday, October 24, 2009, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 1001 Ocean Drive (10 Street and Ocean Drive).
This family event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will take place between the breezeway between the two facilities. Following the ceremony, guests will be invited inside for an exhibition of rare photos chronicling the restoration process, and history of the 10th Street Auditorium, Miami Design and Preservation League (MDPL), and Beach Patrol headquarters. Throughout the event, guests can take part in free guided walking tours led by MDPL on Ocean Drive and the history of the two facilities. The Miami Jazz Project will perform and create an ambiance of eclectic sounds of Latin Jazz on the outdoor lawn area, while fun filled activities for children will be provided on the facilities’ south lawn.
“By preserving and protecting our historic structures, we retain a tangible connection to our past and create inspiration for the development of future capital projects in our city,” said Miami Beach City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez.
The City embarked on reconstructing and renovating the 10th Street Auditorium / Beach Patrol headquarter structures into two distinct facilities. This $6.7 million project began construction in August of 2008. The 15,000 sq. ft, state-of-the-art 10 Street Auditorium accommodates the Art Deco Welcome Center, a two-story exhibition space hall, a retail gift store, and administrative offices, vital support facilities for ocean rescue operations, and renovated public restrooms. A breezeway was constructed between the two buildings in order to re-establish the historic north-south pedestrian connection within Lummus Park.
The event is being sponsored by MCM Corporation and Costco Wholesale.
This project is supported by the Building Better Communities Bond Program and the Mayor & Board of County Commissioners of Miami-Dade County. For more information on upcoming Miami Beach capital improvement projects, please visit http://www.miamibeachfl.gov or call 305.673.7071.