MiMo at MOCA
5600 Collins Avenue Architect Melvin Grossman 1967 Photo by Robin Hill (c)
On wednesday night at MOCA in North Miami, I was invited by curator and educator Edwin Stirman to give a lecture on MiMo (MIami MOdern) Architecture, along with my friend and co-founder of the MiMo movement, Teri D’Amico. MOCA was designed by the late and great Charles Gwathmey, whom I had the good fortune to meet when he was in Miami a couple of years ago. MOCA has become a very respected and dynamic Arts institution under the directorship of Bonnie Clearwater and it was an honor to give a lecture for the ‘Time for Design’ series. Included in the slide show was my Architectural photo of Melvin Grossman’s 1967 building at 5600 Collins avenue in Miami Beach which was originally called Seacoast Towers West and developed by Stephen Muss. Melvin Grossman was originally working for MiMo master, Morris Lapidus, but then went out on his own and designed other MiMo classics such as the International Inn in 1956, King Cole in 1960 and the Seville Hotel in 1957. Down the center of the 5600 building are a series of motifs that echo Eeero Saarinen’s famous arch in St.Louis giving the building a somewhat optimistic and dynamic feel. I took my cue from Architectural Photography hero Ezra Stoller in this photo and shot it in black and white, whilst also choosing the time of day carefully so as to show the building in full sunlight.