South Florida Neighborhoods Where You Can Find Older Homes

If you’re looking to buy a home pre-construction, or one that has been built within the past few years, you have many choices in South Florida. In the past several decades, the area has grown rapidly with new housing communities springing up with regularity.

But some homebuyers aren’t looking for the type of cookie-cutter home you’ll find in a new community. Rather, they want to purchase an older home, possibly in a historic district, with the type of architectural details and charm that’s difficult to find in modern houses. Here are some of the neighborhoods in South Florida where you might find them.

Coral Gables

As a city with 11 properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s no surprise that Coral Gables has its fair share of older homes, many of which were built during the 1920s when developer George Merrick’s vision heavily influenced the city’s design. The city is known for its Mediterranean architecture from that time period, which blended elements used in Spanish, Moorish, French, Arabian, and Italian architecture.  

Coconut Grove

While these homes have not been deemed historic landmarks, there are about 50 houses in west Coconut Grove that some claim should be protected due to their Bahamian and American Southern heritage, per the Miami Herald. These “shotgun” houses feature a narrow rectangular shape, and they’re typically no more than 12 feet wide. They usually have three to five rooms in a row with no hallway. It was the most popular style of house in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War (1861–65) through the 1920s. Alternate names include "shotgun shack," "shotgun hut," or "shotgun cottage.” These houses can also be found in New Orleans, Key West, Ybor City, Tampa, and parts of Texas.

Miami Beach

When people think about Miami Beach, especially South Beach, the thriving party scene and picture-perfect beaches often come to mind. But it’s also known for its Art Deco architecture. Four of the local Miami Beach Historic Districts (Espanola Way, Collins/Washington Avenues, Museum, and Flamingo Park) make up the National Register Art Deco District.

Miami Beach also has an ordinance that protects homes deemed historic by the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board. The ordinance also dictates design guidelines for both rehabilitation and new construction projects, and zoning rules to ensure roofline continuity in the streetscape. While these rules protect home exteriors, many homes feature interiors that preserve original architecture.

North Beach

While North Beach may not come with the same cache as South Beach, some of the homes there as historically significant—so much so that city officials recently approved creating two new local historic districts that protect more than 200 architecturally significant buildings, per the Miami Herald. Like neighborhoods to its south, North Beach has postwar architecture known as Miami Modern, or MiMo for short. The local districts include Harding Avenue from 73rd to 87th Street, a section from Harding to Dickens Avenue between 73rd and 75th streets, and buildings on Bay Drive, Marseilles Drive, and South Shore Drive on the eastern edge of Normandy Isle. Creating the districts protects the facades of those buildings.

Key West

As a community that was once home to historic figures, such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, it’s no surprise that Key West has its fair share of history, including many historic homes. Most are located within the section of the city referred to as “Old Town,” and they’re an important part of the charm and culture that Key West is known for.

West Palm Beach

In the Old Northwood Historic District in West Palm Beach, you’ll find homes with architecture reflecting the historical development era of the mid-1920s made famous by Addison Mizner. Architecture found in this neighborhood includes Mission Style, which features houses that are either balloon frame or structural clay tile construction with a stucco finish, and Mediterranean Revival, which is similar to Mission Style but has more ornamentation such as wrought iron balconies. Frame Vernacular homes are rectangular and have features such as steep pyramidal roof lines and roof overhangs with exposed rafter tails. Mid-Century Vernacular houses are built of brick or concrete block and have attached one-car garages or carports.