Mission Statement:

Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL) is a non-profit organization devoted to preserving, protecting, and promoting the cultural, social, economic, environmental and architectural integrity of the Miami Beach Architectural Historic District and all other areas of the City of Miami Beach where historic preservation is a concern.It was originally organized by Barbara Capitman in 1976 and is the oldest Art Deco Society in the World.

MDPL provides cultural and educational programs to Dade County residents,surrounding counties, citizens of Florida and to national and international visitors and tourists. Our programs are developed for the general public and have special appeal to those interested in art, design, architecture, history, preservation, urban and community planning and development.

With the view of the architecture and design of the Art Deco District as a "Living  Hands-On Neighborhood Museum," we see our role as guardians of the District as threefold:

-to advocate preservation policies on the local and national level that
preserve architectural and cultural integrity;

-to develop special events and educational programs that provide awareness and understanding of the Art Deco District and the importance of preserving our communities and cultural heritage; and

-to provide a means for active and direct community involvement through our membership and by creating a network of partnerships with other community and cultural organizations on the local, national and international level.

A Brief History of MDPL:
Chronology of the Miami Design Preservation League and Historic Preservation in Miami Beach.

This chronology was complied and written by Dennis W. Wilhelm and edited by Andrea Gollin. Research assistance was provided by Barbara Baer Capitman Archives interns David P. Kelly, Carrie Chasteen and Jorge M. Danta working under the supervision of Dennis Wilhelm and Herb Sosa, Executive Director of MDPL. Special thanks to William Cary, Director City of Miami Beach Design, Preservation and Neighborhood Planning Division and Tom Mooney, City of Miami Beach Design and Preservation Manager for their assistance with establishing ordinance numbers and dates.