Barbara Baer Capitman

Barbara Capitman ( Baer; April 9, 1920 – March 29, 1990) was a Jewish American community activist and author who led the effort to preserve Miami Beach's historic art deco district and helped create the Miami Design Preservation League. A historical marker as well as a memorial honor her in Miami Beach, Florida. Barbara Baer Capitman Memorial in Lummus Park, Miami Beach, FL.

Early life Capitman was born in Chicago. Her father was a children's clothing manufacturer and her mother, artist Myrtle Bachrach Baer, was an industrial designer of cars, planes, and appliances. The family moved to Westchester County, New York when Capitman was 3 years old.

Historic preservation In 1976, Capitman and a group of historic preservationists formed the Miami Design Preservation League. They began a fight to save the long-neglected art deco buildings in Miami Beach. She lobbied politicians and developers. She and her supporters held candlelight vigils, protest marches and stood in front of bulldozers that were about to demolish buildings. Several of the buildings the group sought to preserve were torn down including the Senator and New Yorker Hotels. However, many more were saved.

In 1996, 10th Street between Washington Avenue and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach was renamed Barbara Capitman Way.

A memorial featuring a bronze bust of Capitman was dedicated in Miami Beach's Lummus Park during Art Deco Weekend on January 16, 2016. It sits in the park across from the Cardozo Hotel at 13th Street and Ocean Drive.