Historians Visit “Big Blue.” Mid-Century Modern Architecture. Vero Beach, FL.

 

Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant.  An example of Mid-Century Modern architecture. (Free Bing image courtesy of insidevero.com)

 “Mid–Century Modern denotes a style of design that was popularized from the 1930s through the 1960s. Characterized by a contemporary, seemingly futuristic aesthetic and an emphasis on function, the Mid–Century Modern movement influenced many types of design.  Nov 5, 2017 / www, google.com

Building siding – Mid-Century Modern

On Friday afternoon, January 17, 2020, Mr. Robert Bolton, Vero Beach Director of Water and Sewer, hosted five members of the Indian River County Historical Society, including Ruth Stanbridge, President and Official Historian for Indian River County.  It was a private tour for the historians to evaluate the historical significance of the building and its contents; and the asset it brings to Vero Beach.

The views from the Plant are superior.

View to the North East

17th Street Bridge with canal along Big Blue property for docking boats.

These views were from the second floor.

Can you image the views from the roof top, way up where the second exhaust pipe begins?  The views we show above this photo were taken from the second floor – not the rooftop – they were taken from the door shown with the outside stairs.

 Main floor looking from Control Room.

Massive framework looking East

Looking West – to Indian River Boulevard

Control Room.  Imagine children playing with the knobs.

One girl wanted to know what the “thing” (phone) was at the lower left (above).

 

Retro Flooring in Control Room

Terrazzo tile on office floors. “Terrazzo tile is one of the most versatile tiling options available in the industry. Made by mixing marble, granite, quartz, or glass chips into a cement binder, terrazzo is attractive and one of the toughest products available when it comes to tiling materials.

Terrazzo is an excellent tiling choice for a number of reasons. The first is its looks. Because it is made by embedding marble, granite, quartz or glass chips in a cement binder, it retains many of the aesthetic qualities of the non-cement additive. Often it achieves a look equally as stunning as pure stone or ceramic tiles at a fraction of the price. Secondly, because terrazzo tile is manufactured by mixing different elements together, you can choose almost any design or color for your tile project that you can dream of, including abstract decorative designs, official seals, and floor maps just to name a few. The sky is the limit.

On a more practical level, terrazzo is also one of the most durable tiling materials on the market – much more so than its stone and ceramic competitors. Once sealed properly it is impervious to water and stain damage, it doesn’t chip like other tile materials can, and can be used on both interior and exterior applications. And if the surface gets worn down over the years, it can be re-finished and polished to look like new again.”

homeadvisor.com

More tile in stairwell

Tile on Main Floor

Files and cabinets

 

Modern Art

A stool

CEO office view

Vintage photograph

Vero Beach Municipal Power Plant

 

Photographs taken and tour organized by Vero Communiqué.