07/21/2025
1935. Henry Hohauser. 736 Ocean Drive.
With its plans completed in July 1935, the Colony Hotel has been considered the first streamlined Art Deco building on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach.
Ocean Drive was conceived as an assemblage of hotels and apartment buildings near the water that would cater to middle-class tourists.
The hotel was designed with fifty rooms, each featuring a private bathroom, a telephone, and a radio - forward-thinking amenities for the time, adding innovation and technology to the Art Deco design.
The original plans called for a fireproof basement containing recreation rooms, a card room, and locker rooms with bathing facilities. Nowadays, the basement is a cool speakeasy called "Montana's" after Tony Montana (Al Pacino) from the movie Scarface. The most famous scene of the movie was shot just next door.
The roof was a solarium for hotel guests. Some of the most notable features included the writing balcony set up off the street which served as a dedicated area where guests could engage in writing and connecting with loved ones away from the immediate bustle of the street.
The building was meant to be modern in every way. The architect incorporated another innovation: the building's neon marquee (an inverted "T" bearing the hotel's name), which was noted at the time as a "unique design."
The Colony Hotel has been considered the icon symbol of Miami Beach since the 1930s! Don't miss this Art Deco jewel during your visit to Miami Beach!
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