OPA LOCKA

Opa Locka's planners drew inspiration from Southern Spain to Persia, piecing together an assortment of allusions to Islamic architecture with unashamed whimsy. The city is a highly romanticized interpretation of an exotic cultural milieu popularized by Hollywood films and archaeological discoveries of its time. In this fabled vision, two worlds collide and merge: a world of the imagination, of fancy palaces and North African bazaars, and an early 20th-century frenzied capitalist world. The resulting architectural fantasy is more of a theatrical interpretation than a faithful representation of a specific period style.

The city planners anticipated the needs of diverse classes of inhabitants and visitors through its design and functions. It offered practical amenities for residents such as an elementary school, a bank, and an industrial district to work in, while tourists, wealthy inhabitants, and local visitors could enjoy swimming at the Bathing Pavilion and playing at an extensive golf course. In many ways, this design anticipated the self-contained world of resorts like Disneyland, whose centerpiece is also a fabled palace from which the park's sections radiate.