{"id":384393,"date":"2026-08-29T09:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T09:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384393\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T09:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T09:22:12","slug":"kenneth-treister-miami-architect-dies-at-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/384393\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenneth Treister, Miami architect, dies at 96"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kenneth<\/p>\n

Kenneth Treister, a notable Miami architect, sculptor and photographer passed away on Friday, Aug. 28. He is pictured here in 2003 in his dining room at his former home in Coconut Grove, where he designed the stained-glass ceiling, the art on the walls, the furniture, and even grew the plants.<\/p>\n

Chuck Fadely<\/p>\n

Miami architect Kenneth Treister\u2019s work was, undeniably, one of a kind.<\/p>\n

One of Miami\u2019s most notable architects, Treister was known for his unique artistic style which helped shape much of Miami\u2019s visual character, particularly in Coconut Grove, where he lived for 30 years in a home of his own design. Influenced by Barcelona legend Antoni Gaud\u00ed and American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Treister\u2019s work in Miami blended modern architecture with art, sculpture and the lush subtropical South Florida landscape.<\/p>\n

Treister died on Friday at age 96.<\/p>\n

Treister\u2019s family described him as a \u201clarger-than-life\u201d man with grand ideas and an appreciation for all of life\u2019s beauty.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was one of those kinds of people who loved life, and he loved people. He was a beautiful person,\u201d his son Charles Treister told the Miami Herald. \u201cHe treated everybody with respect and friendship. He touched a lot of people throughout his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Treister\u2019s daughter-in-law Lisa Treister described him as a true \u201cRenaissance man\u201d who possessed gifts in almost every artistic facet. In addition to being a renowned architect and designer, Treister was a trained sculptor and artist, as well as a photographer, author and lecturer.<\/p>\n

\"Kenneth Kenneth Treister, a notable Miami architect and sculptor who designed the Mayfair Hotel and the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, passed away on Friday at age 96. He is pictured here at La Boheme Fine Art Gallery in Coral Gables in 2005. Raul Rubiera Herald Staff <\/p>\n

Tresiter\u2019s artistic vision was reflected in many of his well-known works, including the Mayfair Hotel in Coconut Grove, the Office in the Grove, Elizabeth Virrick Park in Coconut Grove and the notable Gumenick Chapel at Temple Israel in Miami. Treister received early recognition for the Gumenick Chapel,<\/a> a large, luminous igloo-like structure, which opened in 1969 and was inspired by Treister\u2019s perception of God\u2019s commandment, \u201cLet there be light,\u201d according to a description of the chapel on Temple Israel\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing stopped him. If he had an idea, you couldn\u2019t say \u2018you\u2019ll never accomplish that, or you can\u2019t do that.\u2019 He wanted what he wanted, and he had big ideas,\u201d said Lisa Treister. \u201cHe thought big, he dreamt big, he had a big canvas.\u201d<\/p>\n

His greatest challenge<\/p>\n

Treister was perhaps best known as the designer and architect behind the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, a monumental work that has become one of South Florida\u2019s most recognizable places of Holocaust remembrance. The striking bronze sculpture depicts an outstretched arm reaching to the sky as hundreds of small human figures cling to it and each other with expressions of agony.<\/p>\n

\"A A view of \u2018The Sculpture of Love and Anguish,\u2019 by Kenneth Treister at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. Treister, a well-known Miami architect and sculptor died on Friday at age 96. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

The memorial, which Treister later called the \u201cgreatest challenge\u201d of his life, opened in 1990 and has since been called a masterpiece by prominent architects in the design community. Sheri Zvi, CEO of the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach, said Treister created \u201cfar more than a monument\u201d but a \u201ca place of memory, reflection, and education that has touched millions of people and will continue to do so for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Holocaust monument took Treister five years to design and sculpt, and included research in Jerusalem and work in Taiwan and Mexico City, where his sculptures were cast. The Memorial received criticism after it was built, with some residents calling \u201cgrotesque\u201d and a \u201cbrutal intrusion on the cityscape,\u201d according to the Memorial\u2019s website. Holocaust survivors and committee members later responded to the criticism by saying this was exactly the point of the sculpture.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe totality of the Holocaust cannot be created in stone and bronze … but I had to try. The rich diversity of the European culture, now lost, cannot be expressed … but I had to try. The murder of one and a half million children, whose joy turned to sorrow suddenly on September 1, 1939, when World War II broke out, cannot be sculpted … but I had to try. Six million moments of death cannot be understood … but we must all try,\u201d Treister said in an interview with the Holocaust Memorial<\/a> following the opening of the monument in 1990.<\/p>\n

\"Kenneth Kenneth Treister at the Yom Hashoah Commemoration at Temple Emanu-El on Miami Beach in 1997. Patrick Farrell Herald Staff <\/p>\n

A lifelong member of Temple Israel, Treister was proud of his Jewish heritage, his son Charles Treister said. Even after he retired, he poured his heart into projects that gave back to the Jewish community, such as the renovation of Temple Emanu-El in Miami Beach. He also spent some of his career in the 1960s building affordable housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loved helping people, and that\u2019s why he devoted a big part of this career to building public housing, public parks, and the last part of his career, to giving beauty to the Jewish community,\u201d said Charles.<\/p>\n

As someone who loved Miami \u2014 his home for most of his life \u2014 Treister told the Miami Herald in 2017 that he often tried to reflect the environment and tradition of Miami in his design.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost architects today build objects. They\u2019re one-dimensional,\u201d he said in an interview from his home in Winter Haven in Central Florida in 2017. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve done in all my career is integrate art and architecture and landscape, and the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Renowned Renowned Miami architect and sculptor Kenneth Treister, creator of the world-famous Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach, died on Friday at age 96. Here Treister is pictured at the construction site of one of his project, the Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options Children’s Village, in 2002. Family was everything<\/p>\n

Born in New York in 1930, Treister moved with his family to Miami Beach when he was just an infant. He spent his childhood in Miami Beach, studied music at the University of Miami, then transferred to the University of Florida where he graduated in 1953 with a degree in architecture. UF holds a collection of his architectural drawings, writings and photographs spanning eight decades. Treister was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects by his peers, and won the gold medal in 2013 from the organization\u2019s Florida chapter.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was quite an accomplished guy, even until the end,\u201d Lisa Treister said. \u201cStill making us laugh with his card tricks and jokes, and beating my husband at chess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Treister also has a smart sense of humor, often performing magic and card tricks for anyone who would come over to his home. He was a lifelong Miami Hurricanes fan and even attended the first Orange Bowl game in 1935 as a child, his son said.<\/p>\n

\"Kenneth Kenneth Treister, a notable architect and sculptor who designed the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, passed away on Friday, August 28, 2026. Potthast Studios <\/p>\n

Treister was married to his late wife Helyne for 67 years until her death in 2021. Treister was happiest when he was with his family, who his son describes as \u201ceverything\u201d to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom was everything. They had an incredible marriage. He loved his children. He loved his grandchildren. He was lucky to have great grandchildren, and he had a wonderful family … and that made him the happiest,\u201d Charles Treister told the Herald.<\/p>\n

Treister is survived by his two sons, Charles and Eliot; their wives, Lisa and Michele, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.<\/p>\n

A funeral service will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 30 at Temple Beth Sholom, 4144 Chase Ave., Miami Beach, followed by a burial at Graceland Cemetery North, 4420 SW Eighth St., Miami. Donations can be made in his memory to the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach.<\/p>\n

\"A A view of \u2018The Sculpture of Love and Anguish,\u2019 by Kenneth Treister at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, in Miami Beach, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n

This story was produced with financial support<\/a> from Trish and Dan Bell and donors in South Florida\u2019s Jewish and Muslim communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza and the Mohsin and Fauzia Jaffer Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Lauren Costantino<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Lauren Costantino is a religion reporter for the Miami Herald funded with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald retains editorial control of all work. Since joining the Herald in 2021, Lauren has worked as an audience engagement producer, reaching new audiences through social media, podcasts and community-focused projects. She lives in Miami Beach with her cocker spaniel, Oliver.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kenneth Treister, a notable Miami architect, sculptor and photographer passed away on Friday, Aug. 28. He is pictured…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-384393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}