The Blackstone

Miami Beach, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

The Blackstone, a 13-story residential building located at 800 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, was designed by architect B. Kingston Hall and completed in 1929 as a Mediterranean Revival hotel. Featuring a mission tile roof with exposed rafters and a distinctive clock that concealed the building's elevator machinery, it was Miami Beach's tallest building upon completion and held that distinction for seven years. Developed by Jewish entrepreneur Nathan Stone, the hotel became notable for its progressive policies, reportedly being the first Miami Beach hotel to solicit Jewish clients and the first to accommodate African-Americans—a commitment tested when the Stone family faced threats and boycotts after hosting an African Methodist Church convention in 1954. The building's cultural cachet was enhanced by George Gershwin, who reportedly composed portions of *Porgy and Bess* in its rooftop solarium. Converted to a retirement home in the 1950s and later to affordable housing through low-income tax credit rehabilitation in the late 1980s, the building continues to serve residential purposes today.