Wright Way Florida: Wright Meets Art Deco
February 19-23, 2010
Daily Itinerary (subject to change)
Friday, February 19: Coral Gables
Check into the world famous Coral Gables Biltmore Hotel, a National Historic Landmark and architectural masterpiece from the 1920s. Tour Coral Gables on the City's trolleys and see for yourself why it is known as "The City Beautiful." Explore the recently completed home of the Coral Gables Museum, a restored Works Progress Administration era police and fire station with a beautiful gallery addition. After your tour, enjoy the boutique shops of downtown Coral Gables or shopping at the Village of Merrick Park. Return to the Biltmore for an opening dinner with fellow travelers.
Saturday, February 20: Miami Beach
Begin the day in Miami with an introduction to its Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern styles found within the city’s architectural historic districts. Visit Freedom Tower, one of the oldest skyscrapers in the southeastern United States. Enjoy lunch on Lincoln Road in South Miami Beach before returning to Miami’s historic Art Deco district to visit the Wolfsonian Museum. After touring the museum’s extensive collection of art and design, explore Miami on your own.
Sunday, February 21: Flagler and Bok Tower Gardens
Travel to Palm Beach to visit Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s 1902 home and Florida’s first museum, the Flagler. Explore the museum’s changing exhibit gallery featuring exhibits on Florida history and America’s Gilded Age then enjoy a Gilded Age-style lunch and tea in the Pavilion Café. Travel north to Lakeland, stopping at landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.’s Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark and considered to be one his greatest achievements.
Monday, February 22: Florida Southern
In Lakeland, visit Florida Southern College, home to the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world. Built over a twenty year time span (1938-1958), the campus eventually included 12 buildings constructed from the following basic materials: steel for strength, sand because it was native to Florida, and glass to bring God’s outdoors into man's indoors. In 1948, Architectural Forum said of Wright’s work at Florida Southern College: "When building is completed, the U.S. will have at least one example of the cultural value of organic buildings well suited to time, purpose, and place." Named to the World Monument Fund’s 100 most endangered sites in the world, the buildings are currently being restored.
Tuesday, February 23
Return to Miami and tour the grand Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, exploring James Deering's magnificent Italian Renaissance-style villa on Biscayne Bay, After the tour, explore the lush gardens on your own before a closing group lunch at the Vizcaya Café.
