Before There Were Sand Dunes on Ocean Drive
Stories about the Beacon

In 1937 at the time of Art Deco, when South Beach was a secluded paradise and one could see the waves breaking on shore while walking down Ocean Drive, the Beacon Hotel was built. Around 1946 Mildred & Isadore Shichtman purchased the hotel and soon after they added the 22 rooms on the wing and the courtyard to the existing main structure.

In the middle forties, South Beach looked much different from the way it does today. Harriet Einbinder the daughter of Mildred & Isadore in an interview with the Beacon Hotel noted that South Beach was a family place where entire families (mainly Northeasterners) came to Miami riding The Champion or The Silver Meteor (trains that traveled to Miami) and stayed through the season (Nov - May).

Harriet describes the first time that she stepped foot on Miami as one of her favorite memories. She observes that at merely 9 years old she was impressed with the pastel color of the buildings and the Spanish influence in the architecture, the design and décor was something new to her. For the next several years the Beacon was Harriet's way of life, she lived at the Beacon, went to school in South Beach, and sat down in the porch every night to watch the moon come up.

As a young girl Harriet remembers the beach being narrower than it is now, with no added sand or sand dunes, one could see the waves hitting the shore the stone wall. Parking was available on Ocean Drive for one nickel per hour and rooms at the Beacon were $600 dollars a season (Nov 1 - May 1) per person.

The place where the Rendezvous Restaurant now stands was a grand lobby, and the coffee shop, which opened everyday for breakfast and lunch was located directly behind. The roof solarium was located on the roof of the Beacon and it was a place were local masseuses would provide their services to the hotel's guests. At night at the hotel's lobby became the center of entertainment where guests and locals (including Harriet's parents) would gather to play poker and and pinochle games.

Harriet's favorite memory from the Beacon was the New Year's Eve party. Her parents threw a party for the guests with a live band, free drinks, and tons of entertainment. 'It was the greatest night' said Harriet, 'that would last all night and we would sit down on the porch and watch the sun come up.'

Lincoln Road and Collins Avenue were already popular then, Harriet remembers going out for lunch or dinner to Lincoln Rd. or Collins Avenue; her favorite place to eat at was Wolfie's Delicatessen. The Beacon Hotel was a family owned business where guests, owners, and employees were all treated as members of the Beacon family. Harriet notes that mostly the same employees worked at the Beacon during the time that she lived there, she even recalls some of their names, Dick Poritsky the bell hop, Evelyn the housekeeping supervisor, and Harry Schulach the night auditor among others.

Since the days of poker games at the Beacon lobby, and a beach with no sand dunes, South Beach has changed in many ways. South Beach is no longer a secluded private family vacation spot; rather, it is a trendy and chic destination, renowned for its nightlife and entertainment. Guests come and go with the average stay at two to three days. Some things however have not changed and that is the Beacon family. The friendliness of the Beacon staff begins at the top with the ownership and it flows down to every single employee. Owners and employees alike are committed to providing each guest with the highest level of service and ensuring that each guest feels 'at home' at the Beacon.

A Word of Thanks
I want to give many thanks to Harriet and Don Einbinder for helping me to recreate a piece of Beacon history and for the wonderful black and white photos that you will find on this site. All of us here at the Beacon are proud to have inherited the Beacon legacy and we will diligently work to preserve the Beacon Hotel's position as the leader in providing five diamonds boutique service on Ocean Drive.

Written By:
FritzFandiño
Sales & Marketing Manager