History
Harmon Villa was originally built in 1926. It was part of the art deco building boom that helped Miami Beach flourish in the 1920s and 1930s.
The great boom of the 1920’s would see enormous growth, while during the Depression; new groups from the northeast would build many small hotels along lower Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive. This building boom helped bring the area out of the Depression and forty years later that area of Miami Beach would become the famous Art Deco District, known the world over as “South Beach” or “SoBe.”
In the United States, Art Deco was a product of new ideas and movements and found its inspirations in many distinct early 20th Century European design styles such as Cubism, French Art Deco, German Bauhaus and Expressionism, Dutch de Stijl and Amsterdam School, Vienna Secession and others.
Miami Beach architects used local imagery to create what we now call Tropical Deco. These buildings feature relief ornamentation featuring whimsical flora, fauna and ocean-liner motifs to reinforce the image of Miami Beach as a seaside resort.
The Historic Preservation Board of Miami beach declared Harmon Villa a Historic building status due to its rich history and architectural design significance in the community. Its history captures this remarkable growth of Miami Beach from a seaside area to residential community.
In 2009 under the visionary creation of new ownership, Harmon Villa began a major construction restoration project to restore its beauty and original architecture. Construction completed in March 2011 in what is now known as Villa Italia Hotel.
Villa Italia Hotel features a private Villa which happens to be 1 of only 2 Villas in all of Miami Beach. The Villa at Villa Italia Hotel provides guests a home away from home experience with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, dining room, living room, kitchen and private terrace.