MIAMI DESIGN PRESERVATION LEAGUE INC
Preserving, promoting, and protecting the Miami Beach Art Deco District since 1976
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Daily Walking Tours
Our daily walking tours provide an introduction to the Art Deco, Mediterranean Revival, and Miami Modern (MiMo) styles found within the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District. Explore hotels, restaurants, and other commercial structures with a visit to a number of interiors.
Art Deco Museum
Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) is proud to present Miami Beach’s Art Deco Museum. The Museum allows tourists and local to better understand the architectural heritage and community culture of Miami Beach. MDPL designed the museum to be educational and informational while reflecting the fun and glamour of Miami Beach.
A visit to the museum will teach about the three major historic design styles in Miami Beach. These styles are Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco and Miami Modern (MiMo). Scale models of select buildings allow you to have a closer look at the elements of these structures. You will also learn about the development of the City Miami Beach. The Miami Beach Visual Memoirs project has recorded the personal stories of people who have been a part of Miami Beach’s story. MDPL’s history is also on display so that guests can learn more about preservation. The museum includes a resource center, a children’s area, rotating exhibits and much more.
Art Deco Welcome Center
Located on famous Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, the Art Deco Welcome Center is the ideal tourist information center for Miami Beach. Our experienced staff can help you plan your Miami Beach vacation by booking tours, adventures, and more! The beautifully renovated space is full of information, brochures, and event guides.
Art Deco Weekend
Art Deco Weekend is the Miami Design Preservation League’s (MDPL) signature event and largest educational outreach program. MDPL created the festival in 1976. It was the catalyst that saved the largest collection of Art Deco architecture concentrated in one small area in the world. Today, the Art Deco Weekend community cultural festival celebrates the best of our city’s architecture, preservation, education, history, advocacy, art, culture and entertainment.
Where we work
External reviews

Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Today, MDPL champions the legacy of its founders by influencing public policy and public actions in ways that are consistent with our original mission. That means:
- Preserving the districts and the buildings in them
- Supporting city, state and national preservation and land use policies, and proposing changes when necessary
- Preserving and protecting historical, architectural and environmental resources in other areas of the city, and supporting the residents and property owners who share our mission.
Our current programs fall into the following areas:
Art Deco Visitor Center: South Florida's highest-volume visitor center, providing assistance to over 120,000 visitors per year at our location along historic Ocean Drive
Art Deco Museum: Allows visitors and locals to understand the architectural heritage and community culture of Miami Beach
Art Deco Weekend: A celebration of all things Art Deco, Miami Beach's longest running free community cultural festival
Center for Resiliency and Sustainability: Focused on solutions to sustain historic resources and make them more resilient. We hold an annual conference each April
Daily Walking Tours: Our volunteer Tour Guides provide daily walking tours to residents and visitors from around the world. Tours include the Official Art Deco Walking Tour, Lincoln RoadTour, South Beach Scandals, Jewish, LGBT, and MiMo
Advocacy: Our ongoing advocacy focuses on preserving, promoting, and protecting historic resources in Miami Beach and surrounding areas. We recently helped secure the historic designation of major areas of North Beach, a treasure trove of Miami Modern (MiMo) architecture- the largest historic designation in Miami Beach since 1990.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We focus on the following outcomes:
Preserve and protect the historical and architectural integrity of the Miami Beach Architectural District, both of its individual buildings and of the district as a whole;
Support the historic preservation process put in place by the City of Miami Beach and the City's enforcement of the outcomes of that process in any area “where historic preservation is a concern."
Propose and support changes in the City's historic preservation process and land use policies when necessary to carry out and fulfill the mission statement;
Propose and support changes in Florida and national policy when necessary to carry out and fulfill the mission statement;
Preserve and protect historical, architectural, and environmental resources in other areas of Miami Beach, especially when designated as local historic districts by the City of Miami Beach, but including any area “where historic preservation is a concern."
Act to support residents and property owners, in current and potential historic districts, when citizens act to preserve, protect and promote the historic, architectural, cultural, social, economic, and environmental integrity of any area “where historic preservation is a concern."
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Along with government and community advocacy, MDPL has made Miami Beach synonymous with art, cultural and preservation—hardly your typical beach town. The annual Art Deco Weekend (ADW) draws over 150,000 to Ocean Drive every January. MDPL exhibits, lecture and film series, historic tours and education have become regular daily, weekly and seasonal events all year long, mainstays of the global draw Miami Beach boasts. Our Art Deco Welcome Center attracts over 120,000 annual visitors. Our Art Deco Welcome Center is considered the highest volume generating Visitor Center in greater Miami and the beaches.
The Art Deco Museum opened at the Welcome Center in 2015, highlighting the architecture and history of Miami Beach.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
A brief timeline of the history of MDPL can be found at the following link: http://www.mdpl.org/about-us/about-miami-design-preservation-league/a-brief-history/
Currently there are fourteen local historic districts in the City of Miami Beach, all that were either initiated or supported by Miami Design Preservation League's efforts. The City also has four National Register Districts. We continue to advocate for the preservation, promotion, and protection of these unique neighborhoods.
In addition to our advocacy, we invest considerable effort in educational outreach and programming throughout the year. This includes our Daily Walking Tours, Lecture Series, Museum exhibitions, Art Deco Weekend educational programs, and more.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
MIAMI DESIGN PRESERVATION LEAGUE INC
Board of directorsas of 02/22/2022
Mr. Jack Johnson
Nancy Liebman
Michael Raynes
Sandra Scidmore
John Bachay
Joe Tom Easley
Jack L Finglass
Guy Forchion
Ira Giller
Janis Good
Julie Isaacson
Tanya Katzoff Bhatt
Marc Lawrence
Sarah Leddick
Joel Levine
David McKinney
Mitch Novick
Stuart Reed
Nina Weber Worth
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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