Miami Center (Miami, Florida)

 building, stone

The east-facing offices in this building had a burst of popularity one year when the Miss Universe contestants were housed next door at the Intercontinental, and kept their tans fresh at the pool below. By the way, Miss Universe 1999 was a naked chicken chaser.


Rumor has it that the sheets of travertine with which this building is clad were numbered and kept in order when they were quarried, cut and shipped, so that they could be installed likewise, and the facade would retain the original stone's layered pattern, flowing across the faces. The architect arrived to find that the construction crew, in preparation for the stone work, had opened all of the stones and thrown out the numbered containers. You can see the result - there is no 'flow' ...