Sketching the FONTAINEBLEAU miami
I went to Miami with one goal: to find every Lapidus-designed MiMo resort still standing, to see which ones were alive, which had been abandoned, and which were gone altogether. Hotel lobbies have always meant something to me. They’re more than just entrances. They set the tone. They’re your first impression. A space that says, “Hello, beautiful, come on in and stay awhile.”
So I headed straight for the Fontainebleau (or “Fountainblue,” depending on who you ask). Camera phone in one hand, sketchbook in the other. Ready to study every detail of a style you can only really experience in Miami.This is a kicker headline
This is Her, The FONTAINEBLEAU Miami
Miami Modern, or MiMo, is that post‑war, hyper‑tropical optimism given form, sweeping curves, breezy frames, glam flourishes, dramatic gestures. Morris Lapidus, in particular, leaned into theatrical architecture, not quiet elegance, but bold expression.
But of all the Lapidus hotels, which survive today? Some are preserved, others resurrected; some demolished or abandoned. One clear example: the Deauville Beach Resort (a MiMo‑style icon built in 1957) was imploded in November 2022 after years of neglect and controversy. Local preservationists fought hard, pointing out the “historic, architectural treasure” that was being erased. Some of those MiMo style resorts are gone. Some live on with heavy restorations. And some linger in partial ruin or threat.
Fontainebleau: Still Standing (With Some Secrets)
Thankfully, Fontainebleau is ALIVE, though ever evolving. It was designed by Lapidus and opened in 1954, reimagining what a luxury resort could be. Over the years it’s been renovated several times. In a 2002 overhaul by architect John Nichols, the original lobby was preserved, even as they added new towers and updated facilities.
The renovation removed the original pool deck and cabanas, but tried to nod toward Lapidus’s visual language in the new details. In 2008, the Fontainebleau was added to the National Register of Historic Places, cementing its status as an architectural and cultural landmark. So when I walked in, I knew I was stepping into something layered: the original visions, the renovations, the eras overlapping.
The Lobby & the “Staircase to Nowhere”
Let me tell you about that lobby.
It’s vast. It’s theatrical. And at its center that floating staircase (famously called the “stairway to nowhere”) is still there. That staircase was never meant to lead anywhere grand; it led to a coat closet / cloakroom mezzanine. But its purpose was spectacle: women would descend in full glam, display their gowns, and descend into the lobby theater of eyes.
Think about that, a coat closet in Miami. But more than that: the coat closet became the reason for the show. The gesture was the point. Lapidus’s own philosophy leaned into designing for people for delight, surprise, show.
By the time I sat and sketched, people were already gathering, watching, curious. I felt part of that same spectacle.
I drew the sweep of the staircase, the curvature of the lobby floor, the drama of the negative space beneath the stairs. The planter beneath the staircase is one of the few things that remain original in that space today.
Lobby Magic & Energy
Here’s the thing, the lobby is alive. While I sketched, strangers came over, curious, asked what I was drawing, struck up conversations. One person told me Khalid was performing that night in the hotel, a ticket supposedly costing $3,000. Somewhere in that lobby, I imagine, he was floating nearby.
The white walls of the hotel framed by tropical palms, the ocean behind, the sweeping lines inside, all of it sets a mood. The hotel says, “We are luxe. We are a relic from the past. We are Miami.” And the lobby is the first whisper of that story.
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