SLS South Beach Hotel vs Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club


Comparing the SLS South Beach Hotel and the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club is interesting because they both stand in Miami, FL, and were completed in the same year, but they were designed by different architects.
This offers a unique glimpse at how rival designers approached projects in the same city during the same era.
Height & Size
These two towers present an interesting contrast in their proportions. The SLS South Beach Hotel rises higher at 203ft (62m), while the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club reaches 0ft (m). However, the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club accommodates more floors with 14 levels above ground, compared to 12 floors in the SLS South Beach Hotel.
This suggests different approaches to interior space design. The SLS South Beach Hotel has an average floor-to-floor height of approximately 5.2m, while the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club has more compact floors averaging around 0m each. The taller building's more generous floor heights might indicate grander interior spaces, higher ceilings, or different programmatic requirements.
These different proportions likely reflect the specific needs each building was designed to serve, whether driven by zoning regulations, client requirements, or the intended use of the spaces within. The contrast shows how architects can achieve different spatial experiences even when working with similar overall building scales.
Architectural Style
Both the SLS South Beach Hotel and the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Art Deco style.
Both buildings were completed when the Art Deco style was already past its peak. This makes them feel like late echoes of the movement, more reflective of continuity or nostalgia than of cutting-edge design at the time.
Uses
Both the SLS South Beach Hotel and the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club were designed to serve as hotel towers, and that has remained their main use since their completion, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.
Both towers incorporate hotels as part of their program. The SLS South Beach Hotel features a 4-star hotel with 142 rooms, while the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club includes a 4-star hotel with 357 rooms. For more details, see the official website of the SLS South Beach Hotel. You can also visit the official website of the Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club.
Structure & Facade
These two towers illustrate the many possible ways to combine structure and enclosure in skyscraper design.
SLS South Beach Hotel | Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club | |
---|---|---|
L.Murray Dixon | Architect | Roy F. France |
1940 | Year Completed | 1940 |
Art Deco | Architectural Style | Art Deco |
Hotel | Current Use | Hotel |
12 | Floors Above Ground | 14 |
Stucco | Main Facade Material | Stucco |
FL | State | FL |
Miami | City | Miami |
1701 Collins Avenue | Address | 3925 Collins Avenue |