The Miami Herald is reporting that talks are under way to pursue historic designation for the unique Bacardi Museum Building on Biscayne Boulevard near Downtown Miami (Midtown Miami). Designed in the International Style and outfitted with tropical and caribbean decorations — the site, comprised of three components, is a unique interpretation of the MIMO style (Miami Modern). 

The following is an architectural photographic gallery of the details of the Bacardi Museum site:

The Tower 

• Designed by Architect Enrique Gutierrez in 1963, this is perhaps one of the most uniquely “decorated” buildings in Downtown Miami.  It houses the museum, office space, and a top floor dining room.  The tower is built of reinforced concrete, overlayed with two huge ‘azulejos’, or ceramic tile murals done in the traditional Spanish colors of blue and white, by Francisco Brennand of Recife, Brazil.  The Bacardi tower murals are made of 28,000 hand-painted, glazed, baked, 6″ x 6″ tiles surrounded by a marble border.

The Square Cantilever Building

• In 1973, Bacardi added the fascinating square building in the west side of the plaza. The square building, raised 47 feet off the ground around a central core, features four massive walls, comprised of chunks of 1″ thick hammered glass mural tapestries, designed to withstand hurricane force winds. The architect of the building was Ignacio Carrera-Justiz of Coral Gables, FL.   Abstract modern style on all four sides, this unusual building has two floors which cantilever out 24 feet on each side of the central core.

The Plaza

• A public space elevated from the street designed to cover the underground parking garage.  The Bacardi logo is visible on the ground in black.

It is good that authorities are moving forward with the preservation of one of the most unique building site’s in Miami.  Few buildings say Miami as loudly as the Bacardi Building’s — a mix of modern and tropical that is unique to Miami.  Few buildings are able to marry architecture and “artistic decoration” as well.  Interestingly, Francisco Brennandfelt strongly that painters and architects should work together to give buildings an artistic unity. In fact, Brennand stresses the word “overlay” rather than “decorate”, to underscore his belief in the combined unity of the final work.

It is too bad that the building is surrounded by an unnatractive urban landscape and Braman Motors — the automotive  dealership, its surface lots, and parking garages really take away from the urban gestures created by the Bacardi site.  Hopefully one day the site will be surrounded by an urban fabric that is worthy of this masterpiece.

Related posts:

1. Cheers to Bacardi – Historic Designation Awarded
2. 1450 Brickell Avenue Tour
3. Churches of Overtown
4. Bringing Back the Arcade
5. Herzog & DeMeuron Building Nearing Completion in Miami Beach