Westover Arms

Constructed in 1947 and designed by Albert Anis, the Westover Arms was hailed as “something novel in the line of apartment projects — a five story elevator building.” Earlier Depression-era buildings in Miami Beach were typically walk-ups limited to two or three stories. The Westover Arms heralded a new trend serving the city’s rapidly increasing year-round population after World War II, driven by the economic boom and the development of air-conditioning technology. It originally offered 36 rental apartments ranging from efficiencies to three-bedroom units. Designed in the postwar modern style, an evolution of Art Deco, it retained overall symmetry while updating decorative details such as boxed and banded windows and a zigzag eyebrow. Yellow brickwork on the front facade and window spandrels, seldom seen on Miami Beach buildings before the postwar boom, further distinguished the building. Using architect Charles Benson's design, developers Ismael Perera and Herminio Menendez carried out a complete interior and exterior restoration beginning in 2008 and concluding in 2012.

Miami Beach, Florida · United States