Igor B. Polevitzky

Igor B. Polevitzky was an American architect, most recognized for his contribution to the architectural styling of Miami Beach and the development of the tropical modern home in Florida.

Polevitzky was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1912. In 1922, his father was shot and killed while on duty at a power plant that he partially owned. Polevitzky and his mother fled to Finland, where they immigrated to the United States later that year.

Polevitzky graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with honors and moved to Miami in 1934 where he works until the mid-sixties. Polevitzky began his architectural career with the “Tropotype” series of houses. These can be characterized as raised cottages with wrapping balconies. These houses promoted outdoor living and created a new type of regional modernism.

Polevitzky designed the Birdcage House, as featured in "Time" magazine. The Birdcage House is a modest one-story box with a shed roof and screened patio that serves as an extension to the living space. Polevitzky died in Colorado in 1978.