Quick Facts
Biography
Kenneth Treister, FAIA is an American architect, architectural historian, sculptor, photographer, author and lecturer. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and is best known for the Holocaust Memorial he built in Miami Beach, Florida.
In 1985, Treister received a commission to design, build, and sculpt a Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach. The Memorial opened on February 1990 and welcomes thousands of visitors every year.
Personal life
Kenneth Treister was born in 1930. His father, Arthur Treister, a real estate businessman, and his mother, Anita Treister moved to Miami Beach in 1939 from Flushing, Queens. After World War II, Kenneth Treister and his brother Leonard joined their father's business as Arthur Treister and Sons. He graduated from the University of Florida in 1953 with a degree in architecture. He has lived his entire life in South Florida as a resident of Miami, primarily Coconut Grove.
Works
•Mayfair Shops in the Grove, Coconut Grove, FL
•Mayfair House Hotel, Coconut Grove, FL
•Office In The Grove, Coconut Grove, FL
•Yacht Harbour Condominium, Coconut Grove, FL
•Elizabeth Virrick Park, Coconut Grove, FL
•Holocaust Memorial, Miami Beach, FL
The Kenneth Treister Collection
The Kenneth Treister Collection [1] is located in the University of Florida Digital Collection as part of its Architecture ArchivesIt includes architectural drawings, project files, correspondence, publications and writings, photographs, documentary films, and other materials spanning from the 1950s into the 21st century.
Another large collection of documents, photography, artifacts and articles about Treister's work can also be found in the Jewish Museum of Florida at Florida International University [2] where a section in the permanent exhibition Mosaic is dedicated to Treister and the Holocaust Memorial.
Non Architectural Works
More than 50 newspapers and magazines throughout the world have published Treister's articles on architecture. He also shot four documentaries: The Architecture of the Maya, The Architecture of the Eastern Island, The Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach—the later one being awarded a 1999 Telly Award.