Queer South Beach History

The Art Deco Welcome Center occupies the former nineteen thirty-nine police station at one thousand one Ocean Drive. You can identify the building by its presence within the historic Tenth Street Auditorium, a structure that now anchors…

The Palace Bar and Restaurant is defined by the vibrant, rainbow-colored exterior that has marked its presence on Ocean Drive for decades. It is a long-standing LGBTQ plus establishment, originally opened by Steve Palsar in nineteen…

The Villa Casa Casuarina is defined by its ornate wrought-iron gates, which bear a prominent Medusa logo and a signature Greek key pattern in gold. Built in nineteen thirty by the Standard Oil heir Alden Freeman, the mansion was modeled…

The Twelfth Street Lifeguard Tower is distinguished by six vertical stripes painted in the colors of the traditional rainbow flag. Unlike the other colorful towers along the shoreline, which draw inspiration from the area’s Art Deco and…

The Carlyle is identifiable by its crisp vertical piers, rounded corners, and a symmetrical façade that stands along Ocean Drive. Designed by architect Richard Kiehnel of the firm Kiehnel and Elliott, this building opened in nineteen…

The Warsaw Ballroom at fourteen fifty Collins Avenue stands out for its Nautical Moderne architecture, featuring rounded corners, tower-like vertical elements, and porthole-style ornamentation that mirror the aesthetic of a classic ocean…

Twist is a two-story nightlife venue located at one thousand fifty-seven Washington Avenue in Miami Beach. It stands out on the street for its layout, which features seven separate bars and three dance floors contained within a single…