TRAVEL I
FUR
THIS IS
REAL!
A GENUINE
FUR CLEARANCE
HALTER FURS
OUR ENTIRE COLLECTION OF
FINE FURS REDUCED FROM
40%..60%
SOME ITEMS EVEN AT COST
All previous sales excluded.
Due to these heavy markdowns,
we cannot accept trade-ins.
Sale Ends Jan. 31, 1990
14.4 LTER
-e•t?r4t--
IN CROSSWINDS MALL
INC.
4301 Orchard Lake Rd., Corner Lone Pine & Orchard Lake Rd.
Phone (313) 626-0811
SAVE UP TO...
On All Winter Goods SSS
Boots, Slippers, Sox
and a selected group of
CHILDREN'S SHOES
4
8.1Tri
SALE ENDS
JAN- . 31, 1990
VIIIAMBMiET%
a tn o
1441)111Alt t
d7
Shoes, Boots, Slippers & Sox
SOUTHFIELD STORE ONLY
EVERGREEN PLAZA
Evergreen Rd. at 12 Mile
559-3580
HOURS:
MON.-WED. & SAT. 10-6
THUR. & FRI. 10-9
SUN. 12-5
reg
SHOES
JEWELRY APPRAISALS
At Very Reasonable Prices Call For An Appointment
VilillteittYA6
established 1919 A.. -c Li FINE JEWELERS
GEM/DIAMOND SPECIALIST
AWARDED CERTIFICATE BY GIA
IN GRADING AND EVALUATION
58
FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 1990
30400 Telegraph Road
Suite 134
Birmingham, MI 48010
(313) 642-5575
DAILY 10-5:3 0
THURS. 10-7
SAT. 10-3
South Miami Beach
Art Deco Attraction
RUTH ROVNER
Special to The Jewish News
T
he lobby of the Astor
Hotel in South Miami
Beach looks like it's
been lifted from a 1930s
movie set.
"It's like stepping into a
time machine" says a
member of our walking tour,
as we look at mint-colored
walls, terrazzo floors, zig-zag
archways and a lobby full of
the curves and edges typical
of Art Deco design of the
1930s.
Several residents of the
Astor sit on the sofa, relaxing.
All are elderly, and several of
the men wear yarmulkes and
speak in Yiddish. Soon they'll
have lunch in the dining room
just beyond, where plates of
gefilte fish are already on the
table.
To the Jewish residents who
live here, the Astor Hotel on
Washington Avenue is simp-
ly home. It's a place to enjoy
the Miami climate, live close
to synagogues and kosher
butcher shops and meet other
Jews their age.
But now their home has
become an architectural
treasure, one of the stops on
the popular walking tour of
the Art Deco district. The en-
tire South Beach area is now
a national historic district,
the first such district in the
nation that consists entirely
of 20th century buildings and
one of the largest concentra-
tions of Art Deco architecture
in the world.
Dramatic change has come
to the old Jewish neighbor-
hood of South Beach. When
Miami Beach was a resort
town, this was a Jewish
neighborhood. Then South
Beach fell into decline and
residents moved northward.
But now it's become stylish
again, a tourist attraction
and center of renovation.
Developers come here to
buy properties and refurbish
them. Students write
research papers about the
South Beach restoration.
Miami residents visit the
romantic Art Deco cafes
along the beachfront strip to
enjoy the ambiance.
Fashion photographers
come to pose their models
next to pastel buildings. And
tourists line up every
weekend to take walking
tours of the district.
For the Jewish traveler,
South Beach is especialy in-
triguing. Rich in history and
nostalgia, it's also an example
of how a neighborhood adapts
to change while retaining its
Jewish character.
Today, the old Jewish
neighborhood is one of ethnic
diversity, both Spanish and
Jewish. On Washington
Avenue, the main artery of
South Beach, the stores have
Art Deco awnings and pastel
colors, and the names on
these stores are both Cuban
and Jewish.
Spanish grocery stores are
next door to bakeries selling
challah and mandelbrot. The
New York Fish Market, King
David Deli and Butterflake
Bakery with its sign, "We are
100% Kosher," co-exist with
Cuban-cigar stores and
Spanish cafes.
On this street of palm trees,
elderly Jewish residents car-
Dramatic change
has come to the
old Jewish
neighborhood of
South Beach.
rying shopping bags walk
slowly, while Cubans stride
by briskly, talking rapid-fire
Spanish.
A three unit building on
Washington captures the
cultural mix. On one side is
Freddy's, a kosher meat
market. Next door is Mula's
photography studio. And
next to Mula's is the Pe-
king Embassy Kosher-Chi-
nese-American restaurant.
Three stores selling Judaica
items are located within two
short blocks. Torah Treasures
advertises "Yarmulkes for
Sale" and inside, the
customers are buying one yar-
mulke for 59 cents and one
dozen for $6. They also look at
Hebrew alphabet games, Yid-
dish newspapers, kiddush
cups, menorot, and Seder
plates. And if they don't find
something here, just up the
street are the American
Israeli store and the National
Hebrew Gift Center.
Several blocks south on
Washington, the stores give
way to residences. Many of
these old hotels serve elderly
Jews. The Astor, Kenmore,
Taft and David are landmarks
of the old neighborhood and
Art Deco treasures that are
also primarily Jewish
residences.
In fact, some 30 South
Beach hotels are still home to
the elderly, mainly Jews.
Richard Hoberman, leader of
the walking tour and head of
Miami Design Preservation
League, stresses that the
residents of these hotels will
1
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