Fontainebleau Miami Beach
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach (also known as Fontainebleau Hotel) is a hotel in
Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
. Designed by
Morris Lapidus Morris Lapidus (November 25, 1902 – January 18, 2001) was an architect, primarily known for his Neo-baroque "Miami Modern" hotels constructed in the 1950s and 60s, which have since come to define that era's resort-hotel style, synonymous w ...
, the luxury hotel opened in 1954. In 2007, the Fontainebleau Hotel was ranked ninety-third in the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
list of "
America's Favorite Architecture "America's Favorite Architecture" is a list of buildings and other structures identified as the most popular works of architecture in the United States. In 2006 and 2007, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) sponsored research to identify the ...
". On April 18, 2012, the
AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...
's Florida Chapter ranked the Fontainebleau first on its list of ''Florida Architecture: 100 Years. 100 Places''. The Fontainebleau Miami Beach is located on
Collins Avenue Collins Avenue, partly co-signed State Road A1A, is a major thoroughfare in South Florida, United States. The road runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in Miami Beach, Florida, one block west. It also runs through the cities of Surfside and S ...
and is owned by the
Soffer family Soffer is a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Adi Soffer (born 1987), Israeli footballer *Ariel David Soffer (born 1965), American cardiologist *Arnon Soffer (born 1935), Israeli geographer and professor *Avi Soffer (born 1986), Israe ...
controlled
Fontainebleau Resorts Fontainebleau Resorts, LLC, is a resort-hotel company started by South Florida real estate developers Turnberry Associates and the Plant family in 2005 after their purchase of the famous Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. The two famil ...
.


History

The hotel was built by hotelier
Ben Novack Ben Novack (1907–1985) was an American hotelier who developed the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel. Biography Novack was born to a Jewish family, the son of Sadie and Hyman Novick. He had three older siblings: Miriam (born 1903), Joseph (born 1 ...
on the grounds of the former
Harvey Firestone Harvey Samuel Firestone (December 20, 1868 – February 7, 1938) was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires. Family background Firestone was born o ...
estate. Novack owned and operated the hotel until its bankruptcy in 1977. The Fontainebleau is noted for its victory in the landmark 1959
Florida District Courts of Appeal The district courts of appeal (DCAs) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Florida state court system. There are currently five DCAs: *The First District Court of Appeal is headquartered in Tallahassee *The Second District Court of Ap ...
decision, ''
Fontainebleau Hotel Corp. v. Forty-Five Twenty-Five, Inc. Fontainebleau (; ) is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the ''arrondissement ...
'' 114 So. 2d 357, in which the Fontainebleau Hotel successfully appealed an injunction by the neighboring
Eden Roc Hotel Eden may refer to: *Garden of Eden, the "garden of God" described in the Book of Genesis Places and jurisdictions Canada * Eden, Ontario * Eden High School Middle East * Eden, Lebanon, a city and former bishopric * Camp Eden, Iraq Oce ...
to prevent construction of an expansion that blocked sunlight to the Eden Roc's swimming pool. The Court rejected the Eden Roc's claim to an easement allowing sunlight, in favor of affirming the Fontainebleau's vertical property rights to build on its land. It stated that the " ancient lights" doctrine had been unanimously repudiated in the United States. In the 1970s, a suite in the hotel was used by members of the
Black Tuna Gang The Black Tuna Gang was the name given to a gang led by Robert Platshorn and Robert Meinster in Miami in the 1970s. The group never called themselves the "Black Tuna Gang", but the name was used by the media based on the solid gold medallion with ...
to run their operations. This is recounted in the 2011 documentary ''Square Grouper'', which follows the burgeoning marijuana-smuggling trade of the mid-to-late 1970s. It was at this time that large amounts of the drug were being shipped to southeastern Florida; the film alleges that more than ninety percent of the United States' illicit demand was being met through such channels. In 1978, Stephen Muss bought the Fontainebleau Hotel for $27 million,''Fool's Paradise: Players, Poseurs, and the Culture of Excess in South Beach'' By Steven Gaines
pages 100 -110
thus rescuing it from bankruptcy.
March 11, 2002
He injected an additional $100 million into the hotel for improvements and hired the Hilton company to manage it. In 2005, the Muss Organization sold the Fontainebleau to
Turnberry Associates Turnberry Associates is a real estate development and management company in the United States. The company has developed over $10 billion worth of properties during the course of its history. Current holdings in its portfolio include the Aventura ...
for $165 million. The hotel closed a large part of its property in 2006, though one building remained open to hotel guests, and the furnishings were available for sale. The expanded hotel and its new condominium buildings re-opened in November 2008. On December 22, 2008, the Fontainebleau was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.


In popular culture

The Fontainbleau is a prominent feature in contemporary culture, appearing in numerous movies and television shows, musical lyrics, and nationally televised sporting and other events, including:


21st century

*In 2019, the Fontainebleau appears in the third season of the Amazon series ''
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' is an American period comedy-drama television series, created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, that premiered on March 17, 2017, on Amazon Prime Video. Set in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it stars Rachel Brosnahan as ...
'' in a scene in which Midge Maisel (played by
Rachel Brosnahan Rachel Elizabeth Brosnahan (born July 12, 1990) is an American actress. She stars as aspiring stand-up comedian Miriam "Midge" Maisel in the Amazon Prime Video period comedy series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel'' (2017–present), for which she w ...
) and Susie Myerson (played by
Alex Borstein Alexandrea Borstein (born February 15, 1971) is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer. Borstein voices Lois Griffin on the animated comedy television series '' Family Guy'' (1999–present), and won a Primetime Emmy Award for the rol ...
) stay at the resort while on tour with Shy Baldwin. In one scene, Midge is shown descending the grand staircase in the ornate lobby. *Also in 2019, the Fontainebleau, billed as the Riviera Grand Hotel, was the setting for the pilot of the ''
Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America. Grand Hotel may refer to: Hotels Africa * Grande Hotel Beir ...
'' TV series pilot. After the pilot was filmed and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
picked up a full order of episodes, the cast and crew headed to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where a mini-replica of the Fontainebleau was constructed. The exterior shots shown throughout the season are actually the real Fontainebleau. *The Fontainebleau appears in the Season 4 episode of ''
The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...
'' titled " Calling All Cars", which first aired on November 24, 2002.


1990s

*The Fontainebleau is featured in the 1992 film '' The Bodyguard'' starring
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...
. Also in 1992, the hotel appears in final scene of ''
The Specialist ''The Specialist'' is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger. It is loosely based on "The Specialist" series of novels by John Shirley. ...
'', an action film starring
Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
and
Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
.


1980s

*The Fontainebleau is one of the primary settings for the 1988 comedy sequel '' Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach'' with the film's characters staying there during the movie and many of the film's scenes filmed there. *The Fontainebleau acts as the unmentioned location for a widely popular scene in 1983's '' Scarface'' where Manny, played by
Steven Bauer Steven Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson; December 2, 1956) is a Cuban-born American actor. Bauer began his career on PBS, portraying Joe Peña, the son of Cuban immigrants on '' ¿Qué Pasa, USA?'' (1977–1980) and is perhaps most ...
, gets slapped in the face after trying to win over a girl by sticking out his tongue to her.


1970s

*On January 29, 1977, boxer
Roberto Durán Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, as wel ...
retained his WBA world Lightweight title with a 13th-round knockout over Vilomar Fernandez in a bout that was televised live by
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
from the hotel. *The Fontainebleau is the title subject of a song written by
Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
and performed by the Stills-Young Band on their 1976 album ''
Long May You Run ''Long May You Run'' is a studio album credited to the Stills–Young Band, a collaboration between Stephen Stills and Neil Young, released in 1976 on Reprise Records. It peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold in the Unite ...
'', which was recorded at the hotel.


1960s

*The Fontainebleau is featured in the 1964
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film '' Goldfinger'',in the sweeping aerial shot that follows the opening credits and accompanies composer John Barry's big-band track "Into Miami". It is the hotel where Jill Masterson (played by
Shirley Eaton Shirley Jean Eaton (born 12 January 1937) is an English actress, author and singer. Eaton appeared regularly in British films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and gained her highest profile for her iconic appearance as Bond Girl Jill Masterson in ...
) is murdered by the villainous
Oddjob Oddjob (often written as "Odd Job") is a fictional character in the espionage novels and films featuring James Bond. He is a henchman to the villain Auric Goldfinger in the 1959 James Bond novel '' Goldfinger'' and its 1964 film adaptation, mak ...
(played by
Harold Sakata , better known as Harold Sakata, was an American Olympic weightlifter, professional wrestler, and film actor of Japanese descent. He won a silver medal for the United States at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London in weightlifting, and later b ...
). *The hotel is repeatedly mentioned by
Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...
in his 1962 comedy song, " The Streets of Miami". *The Fontainebleau is depicted in the 1960–1962 television series ''
Surfside 6 ''Surfside 6'' is an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recycled ...
'' about two detectives living and working aboard a houseboat moored directly across the street from the hotel. Supporting character Cha Cha O'Brien was an entertainer who worked at The Boom Boom Room in the hotel. Only establishing shots of the hotel were used; the series was filmed entirely at
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
. *In March 1960,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
videotaped an
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
television special at the hotel, '' The Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis'', as part of his regular Timex-sponsored series to welcome back
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
following his two-year military service in West Germany. Broadcast on May 12, 1960, Nielsen reported a 41.5% rating and 67.7% share, with an audience at 50 million, making it the top-rated show of the year and Sinatra's top-rated television appearance of his 21-year career (1960–1981). *The hotel was the setting for
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
's 1960 comedy film, ''
The Bellboy ''The Bellboy'' is a 1960 American comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on July 20, 1960 by Paramount Pictures and marked Lewis's directorial debut. Plot In a prologue sequence, fictitious execut ...
''.


1950s

*The swimming pool is shown in the 1959 film ''
A Hole in the Head ''A Hole in the Head'' (1959) is a DeLuxe Color comedy film, shown in CinemaScope, directed by Frank Capra, featuring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker, Keenan Wynn, Carolyn Jones, Thelma Ritter, Dub Taylor, Ruby Dandridge, ...
''. Tony Manetta (played by
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
) attends a party there for businessman and friend Jerry Marks (played by
Keenan Wynn Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn (July 27, 1916 – October 14, 1986) was an American character actor. His expressive face was his stock-in-trade; and though he rarely carried the lead role, he had prominent billing in mos ...
). Miami Mayor
Robert King High Robert King High (April 9, 1924 – August 30, 1967) was an attorney and politician, a reform mayor of Miami, Florida, serving for over a decade from January 1957 until his death in August 1967. From eastern Tennessee, High moved to Florida afte ...
had a cameo during the gala scene.


Renovations

Fontainebleau's grand re-opening on November 18, 2008 marked the end of a two-year, $1 billion transformation. Special care was taken to preserve many of the original design elements, including the "Staircase to Nowhere" (formally called the "floating staircase"). The hotel's elaborate re-opening celebrations included hosting the annual
Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...
fashion show. Restaurants and nightclubs in the complex include: * Stripsteak by Michael Mina (formerly named FB Steakhouse and originally named "Gotham Steak") * Scarpetta (Italian) * Hakkasan (Cantonese) * La Côte (bi-level poolside bar and grille) * Blade Sushi * Vida (Pan American) * Fresh (Snacks & Gelato) * SFX Entertainment LIV Nightclub, a.k.a. '54 (formerly Tropigala Lounge and, before that, the LaRonde Room) * Bleau Bar * Glow Bar * Michael Mina Pizza & Burger (formerly Arkadia) * Chez Bon Bon (pastries and chocolates; formerly named Solo)


Pronunciation

The local pronunciation of the hotel's name is the
Anglicize Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influenc ...
d "fountain blue" rather than the normal French pronunciation of the word.


References


External links


Fontainebleau Resort - Miami Beach website
{{Authority control Hotels in Miami Beach, Florida Hotels established in 1954 Hotel buildings completed in 1954 National Register of Historic Places in Miami-Dade County, Florida Miami Modern architecture Modernist architecture in Florida Morris Lapidus buildings 1954 establishments in Florida