Unlike the praise heaped on Lapidus near the end of his life, the seemingly late recognition for Giller's achievements is not overdue at all. Established for 50 years, his firm received accolades for its influential innovations such as introducing air conditioning in residential structures, pioneering the use of PVC pipe, and inventing the catwalk balcony/hallway for motel patrons. They designed more than 11,000 buildings in the United States and South America. Some in South Florida: The Thunderbird, Suez, and Driftwood motels in Sunny Isles, Hollywood's Diplomat Hotel, and the Carillon in Miami Beach.
One of the benefits of living to a ripe age may be seeing your work admired for a second time, but witnessing your creations torn down and replaced thanks to skyrocketing land values is a sight Giller would rather not behold. "Times have changed, people's way of living has changed, and architecture reflects that." he notes philosophically. "Every building should not be saved just because it's old, but some should be preserved because they're good buildings, a good design, so that our children and grandchildren can see what the history of our generation was."
