The Lapidus Legacy: Master of MiMo Architecture

How the post-modern work of Miami Modernist architect Morris Lapidus made its mark in Coral Gables

Phineas Paist, Denman Fink, Walter de Garmo — these iconic names are synonymous with Coral Gables’ brand of Mediterranean architecture. But Morris Lapidus, the King of MiMo whose groundbreaking designs transformed Miami Beach’s resort industry? Believe it or not, this Beaux Arts-trained architect, who shocked critics with his over-the-top, opulent style, designed four buildings in the reserved and tasteful City Beautiful.

The first building Lapidus designed in Coral Gables was Temple Judea. A Reform Temple, it was the first Jewish temple to be built in the city. It was completed in 1966 and designated a Local Historic Landmark by the City of Coral Gables in 2013. 

According to Deborah Desilets, one of Lapidus’ collaborators, the Jewish community was very proud of Lapidus, a Ukrainian Jew, so he was a natural choice to design the building. There was also a connection through the president of Temple Judea, Joseph Krefetz, recalls Lenore Kipper, the widow of the congregation’s rabbi at the time. Krefetz was from New York City, where Lapidus’s architectural firm started before opening offices in Miami Beach. 

When Lapidus was hired as Temple Judea’s architect, he was best known for his theatrical designs in resort hotels, most notably the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc. The unorthodox designs of these Miami Beach jaw-droppers were meant to evoke awe and wonder, two emotions compatible with the new religious center. 

“Through the thousands of years that the Jewish people have built their temples of worship… the basic emotional impact was something that architects and designers were always striving to achieve through the use of brick, mortar, wood, and stone,” said Lapidus. “I wanted to create a feeling of light and welcome to the religious, social and educational facilities which make Temple Judea a complete center of activity for the entire congregation.” 

Rabbi Kipper rejected the original drawings, however, claiming they looked “too much like a motel.” Lapidus quickly submitted new plans for the structure; this was typical of the way he worked, in collaboration with input from his clients. In fact, one of the most distinctive features of Temple Judea — entrance arches — was inspired by Rabbi Kipper’s vision of a modern synagogue.

“A synagogue, not a temple, should represent three main ideas,” he said at the time. “It should be a House of Worship, a House of Study, and a House of Assembly.” The result: three compressed arches, the signature feature of Temple Judea, which are used in their logo today. 

According to Lenore Kipper, Lapidus wanted Temple Judea to be “a good neighbor” and, as such, designed to complement the modern architecture on the University of Miami campus, located across US-1. Despite several renovations (the first done by Lapidus himself), the building still retains the distinguishing characteristics of MiMo style and is an excellent example of post-modern architecture in Coral Gables. 

Two years later, in 1968, Lapidus designed his second building in Coral Gables, the headquarters for the Junior Chamber International. Located across from the Youth Center at 440 University Drive, it was described by one Coral Gables resident attending a zoning hearing as resembling “a spaceship that landed in the middle of Coral Gables.” 

One reason the building looked out of place amid the Gables’ Mediterranean Revival architecture is that it was not supposed to be here. Lapidus’ architectural firm won an international competition to design the J.C.I. Headquarters for a site on Miami Beach. When that site became unavailable, a group from Coral Gables — including Mayor C.L. “Jerry” Dressel, Coral Gables Commissioner Philbrick, and a number of Jaycee members — traveled to the J.C.I.’s annual meeting in Toronto to pitch the idea of making the City Beautiful its new home. 

While the J.C.I. Headquarters (called its Secretariat) did indeed move to Coral Gables, the original design remained, with some revisions. Soon after it was permitted for construction, a request to add two additional floors was approved, allowing construction of the five-story building standing today. The J.C.I. Secretariat was completed and officially dedicated, with several dignitaries in attendance, in June of 1969. 

Desiliets takes issue with the comparison of the building to a spaceship, describing it instead as a “jazzed up palace.” “He’s having fun with the rhythm,” she adds, about the impressive building, describing it as “a real jewel” where rectangular shapes are repeated throughout. 

In 2001, J.C.I Headquarters decided to “return to its roots,” sold the building, and moved its headquarters to St. Louis, Missouri. The building was rezoned from nonprofit to commercial use, and now houses a variety of corporate offices. It was designated a Historic Landmark by the city in 2006. Shortly afterwards, the interior of the building was redone by designer Jeff Howard, in a style that was an homage to Lapidus. 

The two other buildings by Lapidus in the Gables were designed in the ‘70s for the University of Miami campus. The first was Gusman Concert Hall. 

The funds to build Gusman Concert Hall were donated by Maurice Gusman, a wealthy South Florida financier. While he’d been a patron of the University of Miami for more than two decades, according to his granddaughter, Jackie Gusman Thayer, the reason he donated the funds was personal. “He was good friends with President Stanford and wanted to do something nice as a gift to the University of Miami,” she explained.

Pre-Adrienne Arsht, the Gusman Concert Hall was the first in the Greater Miami area specifically designed for musical performances. At the press conference where Gusman announced his $1 million donation, Stanford praised the donation, noting that for years the UM music school had “no adequate place to perform” the more than fifty concerts given each year. Concertgoers were frequently turned away for lack of seating. 

Gusman gave the job to Lapidus, having previously worked with him in converting the Olympia Theatre in Downtown Miami into the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts. Lapidus then hired Cyril M. Harris — named an “acoustic virtuoso” by Time magazine — as the acoustics consultant. The new concert hall would seat 600 people with state-of-the-art sound and recording equipment. 

The project ran $1.5 million over budget and took more than two years longer than originally planned. Gusman kicked in the $1 million shortfall and an anonymous donor financed the Hall’s $118,000 recording system. Gusman Concert Hall opened on January 31, 1975, with a series of dedicatory concerts performed that weekend, including one commissioned by President Stanford and composed by William F. Lee III, the Dean of the School of Music. “I am told this is the best concert hall anywhere in the country. What makes it so special is that we have our own ingenious architect, Morris Lapidus,” said Gusman at the time. 

The last structure Lapidus designed in Coral Gables was a four-story addition to the Meyer Law Library, also on the UM campus. The addition was needed to create space for more volumes of books, faculty offices, classrooms, and seminar rooms. The other goal was to create a library that would create a more inviting study atmosphere for the school’s 1,100 law students.

The new structure cost $1.6 million to build, and was made possible, in part, by a $600,000 gift by the late Baron de Hirsch Meyer, a UM trustee and law school benefactor for whom the library is named. It was supposed to be completed by August 1975, but this target proved elusive. The completion was delayed by design changes, an iron worker’s strike, and various building issues. Law School Dean Soia Mentschikoff, who met weekly with Lapidus and the construction firm, pushed to get the library completed in time for Christmas recess, thus allowing law students a place to study for upcoming exams. 

Law students, their spouses, library staff, and professors spent evenings and weekends moving books into the new library to help meet the deadline. The Meyer Law Library officially opened on December 17, 1975, with a dedication ceremony at Gusman Hall attended by over 400 people. While the champagne reception was originally to be a private party held in the new library, Dean Mentschicoff changed the plan to include all law students, many of whom had helped make the opening possible. 

According to the Miami Herald: “With the completion of this addition, the Law School is closer to being the ‘tower of excellence’ envisioned by the Dean and President Stanford.” With its opening, it became the largest law library in the Southeast and third largest in the country.

The architecture of the Law Library is rather stripped down in comparison to Lapidus’ typically embellished style. But the reading room, with its large open windows and tall egg crate ceilings, is a stunning focal point. According to UM Law Librarian Bill Latham, this area is a major selling point for potential law students touring the campus. 

Desilets recalls walking onto campus with Lapidus in preparation for a lecture he was scheduled to give in 2001. “It’s still a handsome building,” he remarked, as they walked past the UM law library. 

Lapidus died shortly afterwards at 98 years old, leaving his legacy as Master of MiMo intact in numerous buildings throughout the world. Here in the Gables, he joins the list of iconic architects who have left their unique imprint. Known as the “Architect of Joy,” his focus in designing buildings was to engage the human element with the philosophy that people come first. “We spend 90 percent of our time in buildings,” he once said. “Architecture matters.”

A special thanks to those who contributed to this article, either with interviews, source material or vital information: Georgina A. Angones, Joe Greenberg, Zeke Guilford, Ricardo Herran, Lenore Kipper, Bill Latham, Robin Schard, Dona Spain, Jackie Gusman Thayer, and especially Deborah Desilets.

Photos By Rodolfo Benitez