The original homes and key structures of Opa-locka were drawn with the intent to have them appear as though they were ripped from the pages of the Arabian Nights, that the Hollywood sets depicting faraway lands of that era were actual homes to be lived in.
The modest homes didn’t have any special internal framework, with most having a common, cottage layout with 2-3 bedrooms. However, the exterior facade is where architect Bernhardt Muller and his associates were able to catapult Glenn Curtiss’ vision and have each design connect to the streets they were constructed on, all of which bear the names of characters from the novels. In total, Muller was responsible for nearly 100 residential, commercial, and municipal designs, with the majority having been drawn from 1926-1927. The grandest designs were for the Opa-locka Company Administration Building, the swimming pavilion, the archery club, and the Bush Apartments on Sesame Street.
To better understand the unique attributes of geometric ornamentation and style of Moorish Revival, below are the various features you’d recognize in the structures throughout Opa-locka.
Exotic Moorish-Revival Designs
About Opa-locka Chief Architect Bernhardt Emil Muller
Opa-locka’s chief architect was Bernhardt Emil Muller, A.I.A., born in Fremont, Nebraska on December 27, 1878. A student of École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Muller traveled Europe for some time before returning to America to work as a draftsman, then a designer, and then in 1914 to open his own firm in New York City.
As Muller was working in the Miami area in the early 20s designing Mediterranean-style homes, he had established a reputation that apparently garnered the attention of Glenn Curtiss who was in search of a talented architect who would bring an Arabian Nights community come to life.
It is said that select ideas and drawings for Opa-locka started to arrive in Florida out of his New York firm sometime in late 1925, likely at Curtiss’ home in Country Club Estates (now Miami Springs). There’s also an understanding that Muller himself was more interested in adopting a Tudor/English style approach to this community, a style he was more familiar with. No matter, Muller and his two associates were the perfect team to bring the vision of the Opa-locka fantasy to reality.
After Curtiss’ death in 1930, Bernhardt Muller continued working in the Northeast and was known to have done interior designing for luxury ocean liners. He died in September 1964.
According to the American Architecture Directory of 1956, some of his other work included churches and suburban houses in the New Jersey area.
Muller associate Carl Jensen, circa 1926. Courtesy of Frank Fitzgerald Bush, “A Dream of Araby,” 1976
Arabian Nights Stories & Themes For Buildings
“The Talking Bird” - Opa-locka Company Administration Building; fashioned after the palace of Emperor Kosroushah; garden design inspired by the Garden of the Princess Periezade - “Take of the Two Cadettes”
“The Stone City” - Hurt Building
“Prince Ahmad and the Peri-Banu” - Opa-locka Archery Clubhouse
“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” - Opa-locka Golf Clubhouse
“Aladdin and His Lamp” - Opa-locka Seaboard Railway Station and surrounding homes
“Khudad and His Brothers” - The First Gas Station on Opa-locka Boulevard
“Tale of Zayn Al-Asnam” - Opa-locka Bank
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter Library
Crenellated and Flared Parapets
Let’s start with the word “parapet.” According to Dictionary.com, a parapet is “a low wall or railing to protect the edge of a platform, roof, or bridge.” The other meaning is “a wall, rampart, or elevation of earth or stone to protect soldiers.” The act of “crenellation” is. “the cutting of crenels into a previously solid and straight parapet wall,” or, according to TREANORHL, “having a parapet wall in the form of a battlement with alternating openings (embrasures or crenels) and raises sections (merlons) located at the top of the wall or roof). The buildings in Opa-locka that still maintain their original crenelated parapets are of various shapes, some tiered, others rounded, and some with no crenallation but rather “flared” ends to the corners of the sides of the building or chimney.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter Library
Minarets
A less common but certainly exceptional feature is that of a minaret, a tower typically built as part of or adjacent to mosques. As is the case with Moorish Revival design, some elements denote a religious connotation or purpose. A true minaret is often used for the projection of a Muslim call to prayer. The minarets on top of the Opa-locka Company Administration Building have accessibility to the top, and during the first Arabian Nights Fantasy festival On January 8, 1927, members of the community rose to the top of the city to exclaim their enthusiasm for their town.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter Library
Domes
Arguably the most distinct and eye-catching feature of any building that still retains it. The dome is a grand feature that, in true Revival fashion, is scaled down to fit the modest structures they were designed for. The Hurt Building, Opa-locka Seaboard Railway Station, Opa-locka Company Administration Building, and one historic property in the city are the only structures that maintain their original or recreated domes. Most homes in the city’s masterplan had domes, either above the porte corche (carport), living room, or above the front door. Over time, the domes, made of a curved wood frame and stucco mesh, would meet their demise thanks to the harsh elements, resulting in extensive water damage inside the homes.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter LibraryHorseshoe Arches (Moorish Arch, Keyhole Arch)
An exceptional and distinct Moorish quality is that of the windows or door entries that have a horseshoe shape to them, some with rounded tops, others with pointed ones. Examples of these can be found at the Opa-locka Seaboard Railway Station, as well as a handful of homes throughout the community.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter Library
Voussoir
Any of the pieces, in the shape of a truncated wedge, that form an arch or vault, with the best example of this seen at the Opa-locka Company Administration Building.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter Library
Ablaq
Alternating rows of colors of stone, a statement made around the arches of the Opa-locka Company Administration Building, and previously on many residences specifically around window casements. These striped colors would fluctuate from light to dark and be a characteristic of the facade that would complement other structural features. Although ablaq usually means the colors are of different stone materials, Opa-locka buildings would be done by a stucco imprint that would later be painted.
Courtesy of the University of Miami’s Richter LibraryNew Moorish Revival Designs
It’s not just the historic properties in the city that proudly showcase Moorish revival elements, most notably domes, and crenellated parapets. As you drive around, you’ll notice newer apartment buildings, gas stations, auto shops, pawn shops, and other storefronts that have taken interest in the city’s historic and unique design approach.
