The Blackstone

The Blackstone is a residential building located at 800 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, United States.

[2] Nathan Stone, a Jewish entrepreneur, was the developer but he died shortly before the hotel opened in 1929.

[4] In 1954, the African Methodist Church organized a convention to take place in Miami Beach and tasked local Black minister Edward Graham to find a hotel for the event.

[4] George Gershwin reportedly wrote portions of Porgy and Bess while reposing in the Blackstone Hotel's rooftop solarium.

[2][6] In the late 1980s it was renovated by George Perez into affordable housing, and was one of the first low income tax credit rehab projects in Miami Beach.

Blackstone Hotel in 1930. From HistoryMiami's Claude Matlack Photograph Collection. [ 1 ]