The historic Helen Mar Apartment Hotel at 2421 Lake Pancoast Drive was designed by Robert E. Collins in 1936. Situated on Lake Pancoast in Miami Beach, the Art Deco building housed eighty-six apartments overlooking the lush, Helen-Mar Gardens and boasted “luxurious living” with “complete hotel service”. The following decades brought major changes to the area, and the once splendid building fell into neglect and disrepair. In 1987, following a resurgence of interest in local preservation, the building was purchased by Broadway producer and Miami native, Michael Harvey. Using a combination of his own funds and grants from the city, Harvey began a complete restoration of the building, stripping decades of paint and remedying bad repairs, rousing the Helen Mar back to her brilliant glory.
It is fitting that Mark McDonald—champion of all things vintage and beautiful—would choose the Helen Mar as his Miami home. Outfitted in an array of Mid-century and Art Deco designs, the stylish apartment featured thoughtfully preserved molding and finishes, meticulous tilework and cabinetry, all brought to life by a flood of South-Florida sunlight. Graphic works by Cuban and South American artists adorned the walls and inviting furniture designs by Modern masters like Charles and Ray Eames, Edward Wormley and Alvar Aalto furnished each room. True to his curating roots, McDonald effortlessly incorporated early Art Deco works by the likes of Jules Buoy, Walter Dorwin Teague and Warren McArthur into the brilliant interior, crafting a glamourous and exciting space, reflective of the Magic City itself.
Mark McDonald has always been at the epicenter of the world that is mid-century design, to a large extent, it is a world he created. For over forty years, Mark has pioneered whole fields of collecting, providing the scholarship and creating the market for mid-century furniture, studio jewelry, ceramics and Italian glass.
In 1983, Mark opened Fifty/50 with partners Mark Isaacson and Ralph Cutler. This groundbreaking gallery defined collectors’ taste. At the time, modern works were still largely overlooked; Mark and his partners collected and presented the rarest and most interesting pieces, often working with the makers themselves, to create compelling exhibitions accompanied by catalogs documenting the work.
In the 1990s, Mark opened Gansevoort Gallery, where he continued to curate collections and exhibitions of lasting impact. Over the years, he established relationships with artists and their estates becoming the go to authority on the designs of Art Smith, Ilonka Karasz and Leza McVey, among others. His enthusiasm for the material extended beyond the gallery floor to the back room where lucky visitors got to flip through Mark’s impressive design reference library and discuss the importance of works with him.
A connoisseur and wealth of knowledge, Mark became a resource for prominent collections across the globe—private and public alike. He inspired a generation of collectors and dealers introducing designers and their production to an audience that continues to grow. In 2002, Mark closed Gansevoort and established 330 gallery in Hudson, New York. Now, semi-retired, Marks splits his time between New York and Florida. He still collects, curates, supports, and shepherds the scholarship of mid-century design.
Warren McArthur 1885–1961
Designer Warren McArthur was born in 1885 in Chicago. His was an affluent family for whom Frank Lloyd Wright built a home in the Kenwood neighborhood in 1892. McArthur studied engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and then moved to Phoenix to work with his brother Charles selling Dodge automobiles and starting a radio station. Another older brother, Albert Chase McArthur, a Wright-trained architect, soon joined them and the trio worked to develop the Arizona Biltmore Hotel.
Warren McArthur was tasked with creating furniture for both indoor and outdoor use. His solution was to employ tubular aluminum with prominent external joints and internal steel rods for extra support. When the Arizona Biltmore closed after the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, McArthur relocated to Los Angeles and founded the Warren McArthur Corporation. He soon marketed a limited line of sleek desks, tables, chairs, and other furniture that appealed to Hollywood luminaries such as Clark Cable and Marlene Dietrich. In 1932, McArthur decided to shift operations to Rome in Upstate New York before moving again in 1936 to Bantam, Connecticut.
Throughout the 1930s, McArthur was an influential figure in New York City, setting up a showroom there, and his firm made furniture not only for celebrities, but also for Chrysler’s executive offices, Marshall Field’s hair salon, and dining cars on the Union Pacific Railroad. During World War II, the Warren McArthur Corporation crafted lightweight aluminum seats for airplanes. An unsubstantiated rumor held that McArthur's artful designs were melted down for war mobilization, but they were simply difficult to produce on a large scale given their intricate mechanics and delicate upholstery.
During the postwar era, demand plummeted and the Warren McArthur Corporation closed in 1948. McArthur passed away in 1961 and only after his death did interest in his bold innovations rekindle. In recent years, various architects, dealers, interior decorators, and famous clients have sought to acquire McArthur furniture, which is now regarded as ahead of its time. Independently, McArthur implemented tubular aluminum and steel prior to Bauhaus designers Marcel Breuer, Le Corbusier, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Auction Results Warren McArthur
