The Wolfsonian - A Warehouse Full of Design

A stop on Miami Beach: Art Deco District Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This fortress-like building began in 1927 as the Washington Storage Company, a Mediterranean Revival warehouse where wealthy winter residents stored their furniture and valuables, safe from the summer heat and hurricanes. Its builders meant it to stand up to the elements, which explains the thick, nearly windowless walls. The ornate entrance on Washington Avenue is the building's one flourish.

One of the customers was the Wolfson family. Mitchell Wolfson Jr., known as Micky, stored his growing collection of design objects here until it filled about 90 percent of the space, so in 1986 he bought the whole building. A renovation turned the warehouse into a museum and research center, and it is now part of Florida International University.

The collection covers roughly 1850 to 1950, from furniture and industrial design to posters and propaganda, exploring how design shaped modern life. It is a fitting final stop after the streets you have just walked. Check the website for hours and admission. The Welcome Center is two blocks east on 10th Street.

Getting here: Walk south on Washington Avenue three blocks to 10th Street; the Wolfsonian is the massive building on the corner.

Did you know?: The warehouse's tall ground floor let trucks drive right inside to unload into what was Miami Beach's first freight elevator.

Photo op: From across Washington Avenue, frame the ornate entrance and the tall, blank walls rising above it.

More on Wikipedia: Wolfsonian-FIU · Florida International University · Mitchell Wolfson Jr.

The Wolfsonian - A Warehouse Full of Design

Stops on this tour