PROFILE – Deborah Desilets, Florida Architect and Author
Deborah Desilets was born in Tallahassee, Florida. She graduated with a BS in 1982 and a BA in Architecture from FAMU.
FAMU at that time was a Center for Excellence and under Dean Richard Chambers he was educating an elite class of conceptual thinkers as it was his firm belief that architectural training prepared one for critical thinking in all life endeavors. Luckily both computer skills and critical thinking would help with not just buildings but the many facetted road Desilets career would take.
From 1981-1986 Desilets interned on hospitals, medical office facilities, banks and churches with local Tallahassee architectural firms. Moving to Miami in 1987,Desilets joined the staff at Arquitectonica International where she added their computer labs, modernized production for Sawgrass Mills and the Marriot Turnpike Stations on the Florida Turnpike.
Taking a year to teach at the Design and Architecture Senior High School, Desilets went back to ARQ as their marketing director into Asia during the early 90’s and team teach with Laurinda Spear at the University of Miami (U of M) one semester. At this time she met the infamous architect, Morris Lapidus, as he was invited to critique the U of M students’ work. Working with Lapidus began at that time, and ultimately Desilets left ARQ to work with him as his last architectural associate. At this time they designed AURA restaurant on Lincoln Road, discussed renovations at the Fontainebleau, Eden Roc and the DiLido; as well as the Shellborne and the Nautilus Hotels on Miami Beach. Desilets’ first night club design Barroom and Aura restaurant opened in 1999 on Lincoln Road.
After a yearlong lecturing tour in 2000, Lapidus’ career achievements culminated with his receiving the National Design Awards 2000 American Original Award at the White House in November of that year. After Lapidus’ passing on Jan 18, 2001, Desilets continued designing nightclubs until 2010. In 2005, Desilets under the Morris Lapidus TM, began designing product line with Dennis Miller and Associates in New York. This line continues to date. Continuing the legacy of Lapidus, Desilets in 2005 released her first book, Morris Lapidus with Assouline, two other books for Assouline commemorated hotels, The Eden Roc’s 50th Anniversary and the Ritz-Carlton (DiLido). A 250+ page monographs by Rizzoli, An Architecture of Joy, reestablished the architect’s MIMO style within the profession.
In 2011, Desilets bequeathed to Syracuse University the Lapidus Archives making Syracuse Special Collections the last repository of Morris Lapidus. To date, Desilets writes about historical places, Lincoln Road and in Tallahassee, the area at Capital City Crossing at Cascades Park, the camp site and of the progenitor of all automobile tourism accommodations in Florida. Desilets arranged a gifting to Tallahassee from Starwood of the Anton Refregier Mosaics from the Americana Hotel, Bal Harbor in 2014 and continues to advocate for the MOSIACS of the EXPLORERS of the Americas as an Art in Public Places project for her hometown.
