Mar 5, 1930 Death date:Aug 28, 2026
Kenneth Treister, Miami architect, artist, sculptor, and photographer whose work helped shape the community’s visual character, died August 28 at age 96. A longtime resident of Coconut Grove, Florida, he lived in Winter Haven, Florida, for the past 20 years.
Born in 1930, Kenneth was the second son of Anita and Arthur Treister and spent his childhood in Miami Beach from the age of six months. He studied architecture at the University of Florida and graduated in 1953. He proudly served his country as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Kenneth was perhaps best known for the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, a monumental work that has become one of South Florida’s most significant places of remembrance. He was the architect and sculptor of the Memorial.
Other notable Miami-area works he designed include the Gumenick Chapel at Temple Israel, Mayfair Shops in Coconut Grove, the Mayfair House Hotel & Garden, Office in the Grove, Yacht Harbour Condominium, Elizabeth Virrick Park, and projects for several local synagogues. He also designed numerous public housing projects, residences, commercial buildings, schools, religious spaces, and public projects in South Florida and abroad.
He spent his life studying and chronicling architecture around the world, traveling to more than 80 countries, then writing books, giving lectures, and producing television documentaries. He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and won the Gold Medal from both the Florida AIA as well as the Miami chapter.
Kenneth was married to Helyne Bressler for 67 years, until her death in 2021. They supported the Greater Miami Jewish Federation; the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach; and the University of Florida, particularly the Judaica Suite at the Smathers Libraries. The university holds his archives. They were lifelong members of Temple Israel of Greater Miami and, more recently, of Temple Beth Shalom in Winter Haven.
Kenneth is survived by two sons, Charles and Eliot; their wives, Lisa and Michele; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. A third son, Alan, predeceased him.
The funeral service will be held Sunday, August 30 at 1 p.m. at Temple Beth Sholom, Miami Beach, followed by burial at Graceland Cemetery North, 4420 SW 8th St., Miami. Donations can be made in his memory to the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach. https://holocaustmemorialmiamibeach.org
Arrangements by Levitt Weinstein Blasberg Rubin Zilbert Memorial Chapel (305) 932-2700