Beau Rivage Hotel

Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL

Year built: 1959

The Bal Harbour hotel boom was in full swing by the 1950’s.  Pristine white sandy beaches drew developers from all over the country.  Jack Mintzer hired famed Art Deco Architect Melvin Grossman to design an epic ocean front resort.  In Miami Beach, Mel Grossman had designed the Seville Hotel in 1955, the Deauville in 1957, and the Doral Beach Hotel, and later the original Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas and many others.  The 300-room Beau Rivage, which in French means beautiful sea shore, had all the luxuries you could imagine including an upscale lobby full of shops and restaurants, a cabana club, a 9-hole mini golf course, and a bar and night club where the stars of the day came to Miami Beach to perform.  The hotel was a success.  But on September 10, 1960, The Beau Rivage faced a high water mark for the Mintzer family fortune.  Hurricane Donna was the strongest hurricane since 1935, reaching Category 4 with storm winds over 175 miles per hour and resulted in over 200 deaths and over 5,200 homes destroyed.  The Beau Rivage was swamped by ferocious ocean waves and Jack Mintzer’s financial losses were devastating.