Miami Design Preservation League

When on Miami Beach, you wanna stop by here. See all the wonderful and colorful architecture? See this unique scene on Ocean Blvd. The Preservation League helps maintain and preserve it all. The building small and manageable enough to offer a great representation of what Miami Beach Architecture and Preservation is like in a museum setting without being overwhelming. Upon entering the lobby, you are in a foyer space that has a check-​in are to enter the main lobby. For a ticketed cost, you enter the lobby space and are presented with a taste of what Miami Beach Art was and is like. It’s just enough to get anf keep you interested without being long and cumbersome. Just right to pop in, look and learn and continue on. The location on Ocean Blvd. is prime and the bookstore is fantastic, with a lot of Art Deco and Retro items and gifts that you’ll enjoy having. An added plus is the outdoor calendar post, a large walled extension of the building that features the day, date and time. Something you’ll want to want up to and take a picture with. Great stuff all around and def. worth a stop in. If you’re really into it all, you can even join the Preservation League or get on their e-​mail list !

What a fun gift store to browse while in South Beach. Wish we had also had time to go in and take the art deco tour provided by the Preservation League. So many art deco items for sale and some on display.
Right next to the South Beach Thermometer-​make sure you stop in and browse.

Just made a quick stop while walking Ocean Drive. Most of the people there were interested in Art Deco tours, but I was just browsing. Other than some nice plastic pink flamingos, a few books and a bunch of whatnots and knickknacks, there really isn’t all that much to go out of your way for.
It’s clean, has a great location, and for what they have, nicely displayed.
The clerks and staff are very friendly, pleasant and informative, but as far as nifty little items, there isn’t all that much other than a few of the touristy souvenirs, but then again, I suppose that is the point of the place.
On the other hand, I must say that as a design preservation league, they have done a splendid job of preserving and keeping Miami Beach a place of historic charm, and for that, I can’t help but be a devoted fan.

Took the tour; great. Later, on checking my credit card receipt I discovered they charged me 2X what they should have. I called their office twice; no response… and I intended to just ask for a receipt for the overcharge and make it a donation. A bad image.

Great Art-​Deco walking tour. Probably one of the more dignified activities in Miami, as well. Great knowledge of the buildings and history of Art Deco. The buildings are really well maintained and beautiful.

Wonderful walking tour that leaves from here for 90 minutes. We really enjoyed exploring with our guide!

4.5 stars.
This shop is so much fun to browse it should come with a warning: «Abandon all plans for the day, ye who enter here.»
The Art Deco era just might be my favorite American retro period. Just kidding — who thinks about that kind of thing? But there is something eminently appealing to me in the surprising modernity, linear geometry, popping pastels, and homage to Egyptian and American Indian design aesthetic in Art Deco art and architecture. I find the Chrysler Building one of the most beautiful on New York’s skyline. I love those old WPA posters advertising our National Parks and the importance of eye exams. I could spend hours snapping photos of Miami’s colorful Art Deco District.
Which is what I was doing when I happened upon the Miami Design Preservation League’s Official Art Deco Gift Shop. So popped in and — to the chagrin of my walking companions — spent a good chunk of time looping around the store over and over and over again. There’s just a fun, feel-​good vibe in here as soon as you walk in. The inventory is artfully arranged and well-​organized. It literally beckons from shelves and pedestals and racks. There’s everything from vintage brooches, pocketbooks, lamps, and posters from the 20s and 30s, to coffee table books, lip balms in little owl-​shaped containers, funky kitchen gadgets, and fridge magnets. And proceeds contribute to the ongoing work of the Miami Design Preservation League which preserves and protects the history and architecture of Miami Beach’s Architectural District. A worthy cause indeed.
I ended up with a reissue copy of «The Wonder Book of Would You Believe It?», a compendium of history, astronomy, and nature from the 1930s; and a plastic snowglobe for a collection I started on my travels over 15 years ago. With its Art Deco colors and lines, it just might be my new favorite of the several hundred I own, so… good on you, MDPLOADGS. This shop is a *must visit* in Miami.

Glad I finally had a reason to check out this welcome center. We came here for the Indie Fair with all local handmade items, this alone deserved five stars, and our amazing Unilocal was there with the two lovely volunteers and Monica who bought the cutest wrapping paper, bows, and we shop local gift cards. The Unilocal table was awesome, big thanks Monica, Amber E. and Jennifer R.
When you first walk in, there are is a gift shop and brochures to grab. I did not even realize they do tours. I immediately walked into the back area where the vendor’s were set up. The rooms are a decent size, but the walls are bare, no pictures, very white walls, and stark. As a welcome center I would expect more to really give tourist a great feel about our wonderful city. The building does not impress simply due to the very bland décor.
Seriously, I am sure Britto would have donated several one of a kind prints just for this welcome center.
I enjoyed my shopping adventure and glad I finally went inside. I just hope they can spice it up to make me want to go back.

Came here for the Indie Craft Fair and after passing this place a countless amount of times, this was my first time actually walking in I’ve come to appreciate Art Deco as I’ve gotten older Miami Design Preservation League is great for future generations of Miamians to learn a little about why tourist come to Miami in droves… it’s not only beautiful women, endless parties, drugs and other sordid activities The Welcome Center is full of information, brochures, and event guides but I would just come on Unilocal for all that There is a store that you can buy some over-​priced parting gifts and nice sign/​clock in which to take a picture to show off to all your friends back in Nebraska that you are indeed in «Miami Bitch»
So when you «take your talents to South Beach» and are done danicng at Mango’s pass by the Welcome Center, at the very least for the free AC

The building looks great outside but when you go in it is sort of empty with no information about the neighborhood. Also do not book Admiral plus if you plan on visiting Everglades natl park. Chubby girl selling it said it goes to national park but it does not. it goes to private property where they tour with air boats. anyhow the tour was not bad but I expected national park not someone’s piece of swamp. on the plus side the natl park does not have air boats. you can just walk there.

we took the guided tour. $ 20 for 90 minute art-​deco tour.
now, i need to preface this by saying that i love history, guided tours, architecture, and anything art deco. i should have loved this tour!
should have known we were in for it when our tour guide was 15 minutes late and then started by telling us «it’s supposed to be a 90 minute tour, but i’ve never done it in under 2 hours.»
in other words, i’ve been given 90 minutes of material, but i’m going to give you 30 extra minutes of tedious filler. ugh. should have gotten headset tour, instead.
the problem is, this *should* have been SOOO good. the information was interesting (when we could hear it — PLEASE buy headset microphones!), but the volunteer who was bringing us around didn’t have a microphone (come on!) and he insisted on going off on unrelated tangents and personal opinions, starting to speak before the whole group could catch-​up and was, to say the least, unengaging.
and the standing around, looking at nothing! ugh!
tell us what to look at first, then fill in the historical nitty-​gritty.

I’m sure the name Welcome Center is misleading for a lot of the negative reviews.
I had just had the thrill of taking my HUGE-​ASS margarita to-​go and I thought I’d stop in here for some culture at 8pm at night.
And to my surprise, it’s pretty awesome place. It operates more of a shop, filled with a diverse array of things attributed to Miami’s history and other random things.
We talked to the fabulous employee who wanted to take a sip of our drink… (I don’t share drinks with strangers). I might have bartered for a discount though, a lot of the things will be pricey but some of them are worth it.
A place to breeze on by while you are in the hood for sure.

Not sure what’s up with the negative reviews, but I did like this place a lot.
Thought it was pretty cool. They had a bunch of retro knick-​knacks and things for sale. Definitely THE place in Miami Beach to buy souvenirs if you have friends or family into that kind of thing. Otherwise, given that it is a tourist destination, you’re stuck with those cheapo cheesy souvenirs.
Anyway, I must note that I didn’t actually buy anything here. Not because the stuff wasn’t cool because I did like some of the stuff but it’s more because a lot of the stuff I did like was out of my price range and I didn’t feel like carrying my stuff around all day. I also didn’t go on the walking tour, lol I think I’m too Asian to pay $ 15 for a audio tape to tell me things I already learned in my art history classes back in college.
Still, it was a great place to browse and get out of the sun!

I’m not really sure at what this Welcome Center had to offer. A lover of architecture, and especially the Art Deco era, I was really excited to see what was here.
It just looked like a store filled with knick-​knacks and posters, and an area where I think someone is supposed to sit and answer questions about tours.
I found MORE information in my Fodor’s book that there are $ 15 self guided audio tours and $ 20 for guided 90 minute walking tours. Since no one was there, we could probably do just fine by looking up the buildings on our phones.
As we were leaving I noticed a woman approaching the desk, and by that time we just figured we could go out on our own.

Bonne adresse pour acheter autre chose que des tee shirt «I was in Miami Bitch»… Affiches art-​deco, cadeaux souvenirs originaux et belles cartes postales pour ce magasin dos à la mer.

Great little tourist information center right on Ocean Drive and 10^th Street. Info on tours, hotels, restaurants and all things Miami is available. The staff was helpful and informed… not a group of pushy sales people. It’s operated by the Miami Design Preservation League — the local historic preservation group that also offers tours of the Art Deco District and other parts of Miami.

One of the best tours I’ve ever been on — I wanted it to last hours longer. Jack was our guide, and I happened to go on an evening tour versus a morning tour. I’m not sure if there is a huge difference, though he said the daytime tour allows you into some buildings that are closed later in the day. If possible I would try to get a tour with him; I loved how he referenced examples from all over the country (and the globe) — it made me want to book some more flights.
This tour focuses on three architectural styles in Miami Beach: Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern. There were interesting examples of each, though the Art Deco hotels seem to be the standouts.
The Preservation League seems to have a good working relationship with quite a few of the hotels, as we were easily able to stop in and plop down in the lobbies as the guide ran through the history of the interiors. We visited the Essex and the Hotel Victor, which were quite different but equally interesting. A brief stop at the Wolfsonian Museum left me wanting more.
I am not incredibly familiar with architectural styles, but this tour had me thinking about changing careers. Seriously, go.

Four stars for walking tour only. Walking tours are a great way to get to know a city, and if you get a good guide, you learn all sorts of insider gossip and trivia. That was certainly the case on my walk, where I really got the inside scoop on good bars, friendly bars, not so friendly bars… and great insight on some very interesting art deco facts. I do love art deco and architecture in general, so I would say some interest in the subject will help you enjoy the tour more.
The tour was chok-​o-​bloc full of information on the art deco movement, Miami history, artists and other figures, preservation, development, all told in a no-​holds-​bared style with a great sense of humor. You will appreciate so much more about this fascinating city by doing this tour.
On the downside, the bookstore staff was not that friendly, and surprisingly, did not have self-​guided tour maps or any other free takeaway information – many guide books suggested they did.