MAY CONTAIN NUTS
HOME

Search Shorpy

SEARCH TIP: Click the tags above a photo to find more of same:
Mandatory field.

Search results -- 30 results per page


The Fontainebleau: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view. Morris Lapidus, architect." ... show was taped at the Miami Beach Auditorium, not the Fontainebleau. -tterrace] 1954 and two '53s The middle one I ... the very first stage of construction on the site of the Fontainebleau, but you didn't identify the large building in the background. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2013 - 2:46pm -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view. Morris Lapidus, architect." Photo by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Their clienteleThe two Cadillacs has to say something about them.
This is what it looks like these days.View Larger Map
GoldfingerThat's the hotel James Bond used the telescope to see Auric Goldfinger's cards from Goldfinger's penthouse suite, and where the woman covered in gold died. Also where Jerry Lewis' movie "The Bellboy" was filmed and where the Jackie Gleason variety show (with the June Taylor Dancers) was broadcast live.
[Gleason's show was taped at the Miami Beach Auditorium, not the Fontainebleau. -tterrace]
1954 and two '53sThe middle one I believe is a convertible.
True architecture!What could be more cool and appropriate for Miami Beach than a building that looks a lot like a backyard air conditioner evaporator!
They could have built next door one that looks like an ice cream cone...
ANGdoes anyone know what that means on the end of those logs on the beach?
What is it?It's interesting to see the very first stage of construction on the site of the Fontainebleau, but you didn't identify the large building in the background.
Firestone EstateThe Fontainebleau was built on the Firestone Estate, Harbel Villa, on Millionaire's Row. It was named for Harvey Firestone (think tires) & wife Idabelle.  Architect Lapidus designed the curved hotel around the mansion, which was later torn down.
[The hotel was most certainly not designed "around the mansion," which was razed in January 1954, before construction on the Fontainebleau began. - Dave]
edit: My bad for trying to retell the story from memory. No doubt the plan never included the mansion, but, as a kid, I distinctly remember seeing the hotel being built around it, as seen in this photo from Miami Archives:
http://miamiarchives.blogspot.com/2012/07/from-millionaires-row-to-hotel...
Harvey Firestone spent his winters on the estate from 1924 until his death there in 1938. During that time, Firestone, who never lost his common man senses, went to "work" almost every day to the large Firestone Tire Store at Flagler Street and 12th Avenue in Miami where he sold tires to awestruck motorists.    
Can Someone Explain This To MeI am just an amature amateur photographer, but I have been waiting for someone else to pose this question, or make this comment.  So, here goes. why did the professional leave all of that foreground trash in this great photo, and not crop it out? Thanks.
[Because he knew that it would be cropped out when printed, either photographically or in printed materials, such as in a brochure, portfolio, etc. Even without the trash, that large empty area would not have been included. Keeping it off the negative would have required moving closer, cutting into either the building or the breathing room around it. -tterrace]
Flying WoodHas anyone taken lumber inventory at the Palm Beach Air National Guard lately?
Re: Can Someone Explain This To MeThank goodness for all of the extra area in these photographs. Some of the best discussions on Shorpy have come from spotting something in the fore/background.
Eden Roc lawyers paying a visitMaybe that explains the Caddies.  Fontainbleu won a landmark judicial decision in the 50s allowing it to block the neighboring hotel's sunlight.
(The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)

American Splendor: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view of lobby. Morris Lapidus, ... in his song "The Streets of Miami". "I'm going to the Fontainebleau / Pardner, it's mod'ner." Opulent Extravaganza If you ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/22/2014 - 10:05am -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. General view of lobby. Morris Lapidus, architect." Gottscho-Schleisner photo. View full size.
The Streets of MiamiI'm guessing this is the same place that Allan Sherman mentioned in his song "The Streets of Miami". "I'm going to the Fontainebleau / Pardner, it's mod'ner."
Opulent ExtravaganzaIf you thinks the lobby was something, take a gander at the building itself. A midcentury postcard is attached.
Tres classyAll those Roman statues and busts make me want to drink tea with my pinky sticking straight out.
And the title of the architect's autobiography is"Too Much Is Never Enough," by Morris Lapidus (1996). This is a sly reference to the motto attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, "Less is more" (even though he never actually said that, in English or in German). 
GoalLapidus always tried to make ordinary visitors feel extraordinary.  He wanted the guests to feel like a Cary Grant or a Grace Kelly while they were in this hotel.  To transport them to someplace 'special' and well removed from their normal lives. 
Clearly a Staged PhotoNo ashtrays. (Well, maybe one -- see if you can find it).
Best of both worldsThis lobby manages to be elegant and sophisticated yet tacky and cheesy.  I like it and I don't.
(The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)

Cabanarama: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Roof view of pool, cabanas and garden. Morris ... Beach! One of the best sequences from the movie shows the Fontainebleau Hotel. Attention! -- you in the pool! the pool is ... for Sean Connery and Gert Frobe, neither of them got Fontainebleau vacations; all their scenes were filmed at Pinewood Studios in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2013 - 10:22pm -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Roof view of pool, cabanas and garden. Morris Lapidus, architect." The valet will be happy to park your Cadillac. Large-format acetate negative by Samuel H. Gottscho. View full size.
Long time no seeLOVE.LOVE. the diving structure.  Too bad they don't do many of these anymore due to liability.  That would have been a ball!  I am too old now probably but just the right age to remember them!!!
Bellhop!The squids are in the garden again.
Diving platformWow.....now THAT's a platform.
As a kid we would have lived all day on that thing.
Parents would have to drag us off it at the end of the day.
Goldfinger slept here. Welcome to Miami Beach! One of the best sequences from the movie shows the Fontainebleau Hotel.

Attention! -- you in the pool!the pool is for effect only !
Where were you when the fountain blew ?I never could figure it out. They built a fabulous hotel, gave it an elegant French name, then must have asked Jerry Lewis how to pronounce it.
[Exactly right. "FON-tin blow" if you're from France; "fountain-blew" if you're Jerry. - Dave]
I can just seeAuric Goldfinger cheating at Canasta poolside, and I can imagine James Bond thwarting it all...
Goldfinger trickeryUnfortunately for Sean Connery and Gert Frobe, neither of them got Fontainebleau vacations; all their scenes were filmed at Pinewood Studios in England. Those in which they appear to be at the hotel were accomplished by means of matching studio sets, rear-projection or traveling matte effects shots and, in one case, a body double for Frobe. Speaking of Frobe - or rather speaking for Frobe - English actor Michael Collins dubbed all of his dialog, as Frobe's accent proved incomprehensible. Frobe is heard in the German-language version, however, having re-dubbed himself.
That VideoI also shows that the original building, in the posted photo, was destined to expand and was really only about half finished in 1955.  Haven't been there in a while, hope much of the original flambounce has remained.  Lapidus always wanted his hotel designs to help you escape into a fantasy world, as far removed from your everyday life as possible.
[flambounce (flam' bounce), n., a spectacular dive from a swimming pool platform at a resort hotel, esp. in Florida. Origin: Shorpy, 2013. -tterrace]
HA!  Fantasy worlds call for fantasy words.
Planned before pop-ups, possiblyI see at least four hose sprinklers just like the couple I use in my lowly Baltimore yard. Either this joint was created before pop-up watering nozzles were invented or, judging by that puny, laughably underscale fountain, the budget had no room for such flambounciness.  Say, what's with my "watering nozzles" becoming a hotlink to a commercial site? Same thing happens with my own photography site.
[Your computer has picked up some malware; those links appear only to you. -tterrace]
(tterrace, thank you for the note.)
(The Gallery, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)

Ocean Spray: 1964
... Hotel representing the Art Deco old guard and the curvy Fontainebleau the new. Medium format slide snatched from the jaws of eBay and ... full size. A Bond moment? Down the street at the Fontainebleau in 1964, wasn't James Bond keeping an eye on Auric Goldfinger and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/15/2015 - 12:32pm -

1964. "Collins Avenue, Miami Beach." With the Ocean Spray Hotel representing the Art Deco old guard and the curvy Fontainebleau the new. Medium format slide snatched from the jaws of eBay and scanned by Shorpy. View full size.
A Bond moment?Down the street at the Fontainebleau in 1964, wasn't James Bond keeping an eye on Auric Goldfinger and enjoying a romp with Jill Masterson?  Although I think I read somewhere that they didn't actually shoot those scenes on location.
[Correct. The scenes with the principals were shot on soundstages at Pinewood Studios in England and edited together with footage shot at the hotel. -tterrace]
Never mind the buildingsI'm more interested in what happened to the trunk lid on the car parked at the curb.
[There's no trunk - it's a 1960 Ford station wagon with the tailgate lowered and the liftgate - the upper part with the window - not raised, but slightly ajar. -tterrace]
AAHHH, my neck of the woods.Thankfully, a great job has been done saving the Art Deco heritage of Miami Beach.  So many of the "old guard" buildings have been saved and are better than new. Even the lobby furniture in these old beauties is proper period design. This structure and many others by the architect Martin Hampton are on the National Register of Historic Places. This hotel is not in the "hot" South Beach part of town.

The Streets of MiamiI've never been to the area (though I did have a change-over at the Miami airport once). Upon seeing this, my first thought was the old Allan Sherman spoof, "Streets of Miami", sung to the tune of "Streets of Laredo"...
https://youtu.be/-cjAqvQBotM
As I wandered out on the streets of Miami,
I said to mine self, 'Dis is some fency town!"
I called up mine partner and said "Hello Sammy,"
Go pack up your satchel and mosey on down.
I got me a bunk in the old Roney Plaza,
With breakfast and dinner included of course.
I caught forty winks on mine private piazza,
Then I rented a Pinto from Hertz Rent-a-Horse...
You're Right JerryIn February 1956 I went to South Beach (although it wasn't called that then) and stayed at a hotel called the Peter Miller. It may still be there for all I know. As a young 20-something waiting to be drafted, I had a memorable vacation. However, the Fontainebleau could not be seen from there.
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Found Photos, Miami)

Dodge Noir: 1948
... Very well known for his hotel designs (most famously, the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach) where he tried to transform the guest experience ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2013 - 8:43am -

March 24, 1948. "L Motors, business at 175th Street and Broadway, New York City. General view. Morris Lapidus, client." Need a new car? Go straight to L. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
I wishI could have taken this. It's beautiful.
Morris LapidusVery well known for his hotel designs (most famously, the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach) where he tried to transform the guest experience into an extravaganza. He wanted people to always remember their visit and did all he could to make it visually memorable. This car dealership is flamboyant to the nth degree. Beautiful.
Still ThereToday it's a "Bravo Super Market."
Bravo? I think not.Via Google Streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/UhLBC
Not much to look at nowadays. This is progress?
[Edited to add: Sorry, I thought I uploaded this pic with my post:]
Two ThingsCould that car in the showroom window possibly be on a turntable? And what's that leaning out of the driver's window? A kid? A mannequin?
Keepin' it realRegarding the inquiry by "The Inventor" about the object in the driver's seat, I think it is probably a prop to inspire spectators to imagine themselves in the car.  The convertible in the far right window appears to be full of passengers and/or dogs (but I know for sure they are not giant hamsters).
TowniesThe 175th St & Broadway neighborhood is the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. At he time this picture was taken it was was a multi ethnic enclave. Heavily Jewish, with a high proportion of German refugees that arrived both before and after WW2. Some of the more well known people that grew up there were former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the stage and film Producer/Director Mike Nichols and "The Fonz", Actor/Director Henry Winkler.
"The Nighthawks"That photo reminds me very much of the Edward Hopper painting.
A sign of changing transportation times (sort of)The streetcar tracks shown on Broadway were no longer in use at the time of the photo, the streetcar lines having been discontinued about nine months earlier.  It would be tempting to say that the expansion of private auto ownership as exemplified by the cars in the window was the reason for the abolition of the streetcars, which would be true in most parts of the country, but in New York the switch to buses was the main reason.
WhatsaWhat's a "Plymouth".
What's a two-phase traffic light.
Statements of yesteryore, not questions. Ahhh. Sigh.
A Shadow of its Former Glory - 2009R&S Strauss Discount Auto: http://bit.ly/Xq1ssy
(The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)

Foot Traffic: 1942
... Morris Lapidus Morris Lapidus also designed the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach - once the most glamorous of Miami Beach's ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2013 - 11:42am -

January 21, 1942. "Mangel's, 130 E. Flagler Street, Miami, Florida. Exterior, night. Ross-Frankel Inc., client; Morris Lapidus, architect." Note the ghost pedestrians. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Busy feetLooks like at least four different pairs of shoes out front (three women, one man), and one of the wearers (in dark coat and hat) went closer for a better look and stood still for a while.
Not as stellar todayView Larger Map
If onlyI could beam myself up into that picture! That store window is fabulous!
We NeedTo talk to whomever thought an awning was just what they needed.  Amazing how it just destroys the simplicity of the original design.  
NeonThe glow framing the large second-story window comes from the store name mounted vertically in neon lights.
Morris LapidusMorris Lapidus also designed the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach - once the most glamorous of Miami Beach's hotels - which opened in 1954 (and recently re-opened in 2008 after extensive restorations). 
(The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami, Stores & Markets)

Ahead of the Curve: 1955
March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Over pool to hotel. Morris Lapidus, client." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/04/2013 - 2:18pm -

March 30, 1955. "Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach. Over pool to hotel. Morris Lapidus, client." The luxe hostelry's first "season" after its opening. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
In My DreamsOh, to make a reservation at this beautiful hotel. After checking rates for a humble Ocean Front Junior Suite with Balcony, three days would come to only ... $2,000.06
Wow. In my dreams!  
'The Architecture of Joy'... Architect Morris Lapidus cared not a wit for style, trend or artistic dictum. He simply piled together everything he thought people would enjoy!
(The Gallery, Florida, Gottscho-Schleisner, Miami)

Surfside '64
1964. "Miami Beach from Indian Creek." The Fontainebleau Hotel at left. Medium format color transparency, photographer ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2015 - 5:56pm -

1964. "Miami Beach from Indian Creek." The Fontainebleau Hotel at left. Medium format color transparency, photographer unknown. View full size.
Olds, Pontiac, Chevy, oh my!Seems Miami Beach prefers GM vehicles.
I see a couple Ramblers and a lot of Falcons and a few other Fords, but the majority seem to be GM product.
Goldfinger?This looks an awful lot like the Miami Beach location that kicks off GOLDFINGER (1964) or very close to it.
[There's a reason for that. -tterrace]
(The Gallery, Kodachromes, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Florida, Found Photos, Miami)
Syndicate content  Shorpy.com is a vintage photography site featuring thousands of high-definition images. The site is named after Shorpy Higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. Contact us | Privacy policy | Accessibility Statement | Site © 2024 Shorpy Inc.