South Beach’s Deco Firestone Station Becoming 24-Hour Diner
Photo by Phillip Pessar.
The streamline moderne service station on the corner of 16th & Alton Road has been a Firestone Tire auto shop continuously since its construction in 1939 until the present day. Well, actually until earlier this year when it finally closed, and its iconic flame red ‘Firestone’ sign came down for restoration. Happily the sign’s back up, and new owners, the Menin/Galbut family of Crescent Heights Development, are restoring and adaptively using the entire building to make it the all-the-time neighborhood diner and watering hole it was always meant to be. Family scion and diner proprietor Keith Menin stood told the Real Deal the 24-hour diner will be called Al’s Diner (and not Keith’s Diner, apparently, even though he’s planning on running it himself) and will serve a wide variety of food. It sounds like it could be a neighborhood mainstay, an ol’ reliable type of place where you can probably find something you’ll like whenever you like it. Two additional retail spaces will be available for other tenants as well.
Menin stood before the city’s design review board yesterday, reported the Real Deal as well. to receive a series of variances that:
“will allow for the facility to be converted into a mixed-use retail/restaurant development with outdoor café seating, a take-out window on 16th Street, and the installation of a “super graphic” on what is now a blank wall facing east. The adaptive reuse of the building calls for subdividing the structure into three separate spaces for commercial tenants, opening up the northern wall along 16th Street with large windows and adding a new one-story addition to the building. Auto pull-up areas will be converted into outdoor café seating with extensive trellising.”
Plans and elevation are below.
Great Moments in Miami Architecture, as Seen in Original Newsreels
Miami’s most iconic architectural landmarks and styles have stood the test of time, making their lasting aesthetic values and design excellence evident through the lens of history. It’s easier to judge a building’s importance with a few decades to think about it . Art Deco wasn’t always loved, but now it’s prized above almost everything else as some of the most innovative and imaginative stuff ever designed in Miami. The Mediterranean Revival Freedom Tower was almost knocked down too, and now it’s probably Downtown Miami’s most iconic landmark. A symbol of Miami.
So, what did we Miamians think of our architecture when it was new? Check out these old newsreels preserved in the Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, at Miami Dade College and preserved on YouTube, and see for yourself.
Nobu Hotel, a Boutique Hotel Inside the Eden Roc, is Anticipating an October 2016 Opening
Nobu, the Eden Roc Hotel’s firmly established marquee restaurant, is growing into a characteristically Nobu-ish boutique hotel-within-a-hotel, with new Nobu-ified guest rooms, a Nobu-licious lobby bar, Nobu-ed up pool area, and now the world’s largest Nobu restaurant and lounge. Called the Nobu Hotel Miami Beach, it’s sort of like the old Howard Johnson’s model, except luxurious, glamorous, and very Miami Beach. Now that construction must be nearing completion, the hotel has launched a teaser website announcing its opening (along with a Facebook page) scheduled for this October.
This is the second Nobu Hotel, following the brand’s first foray into hoteling at Caesar’s Palace, in Vegas. Naturally, this being Miami, they’re coming in a little behind schedule. An article last year in Forbes had pegged the opening for this spring. Along with 210 guest rooms, and the 15th floor penthouse level suites, Nobu guests will have access to the Eden Roc’s spa and other amenities, and their own discreet VIP entrance. Yet despite all of this, the Rockwell Group, which is handling the design, is reportedly preserving and paying homage to the Eden Roc’s original postwar MiMo design, by the great Morris Lapidus. According to Forbes, it’s personal for actor Robert De Niro, one of the trio behind the project, who has fond memories of staying at the old hotel. Being an old-school New York City kind-a-guy, there’s a solid chance he bummed around the joint wayyyy back in the day.
The City of Miami Beach is Pressuring FDOT to Beef Up the Bike Lanes on the Julia Tuttle & MacArthur Causeways
Photo of the Julia Tuttle Causeway taken by Sean McCaughan a few years ago.
The City of Miami Beach is urging the Florida Department of Transportation to beef up the bicycle lanes on the Julia Tuttle and MacArthur Causeways before construction work resumes on the only causeway reasonably safe to bicycle across now, the Venetian. At a commission meeting on the 13th of last month they urged FDOT to paint green bicycle lanes along the entire length of the MacArthur and put the Tuttle’s bike lanes behind protective barriers. The response so far hasn’t been very positive though.
According to City Transportation Director Jose Gonzalez, who recently met with FDOT, he basically got a lot of flack from the department about how little could be done in the short term even though FDOT does have a long term bike lane project planned for the Tuttle (and just the Tuttle). The response from commissioners was a unanimous vote to continue urging FDOT on this, as they attempted to avoid a repeat of the very limited bicycle connectivity situation that happened the last time work was underway on the Venetian.
Anybody Want This Russian Oligarch Starter Pad at Jade Beach?
Okay so it’ll be a couple years before you’re Dmitry Rybolovlev. At the moment you can only dream of going on hunting trips with Putin, or being the guest of honor on Roman Abromovich’s yacht. You’re a Russian oligarch on the make, and you’re still going up in the world, so you need the perfect oligarch starter pad in Sunny Isles Beach, commonly known as the Russian Riviera. You can’t afford a penthouse at Acqualina (either the Mansions or the Estates) with a glass-bottomed pool, just yet, so here’s a nice cozy two-story number listed for $6.25 million. Unit 4505 at Jade Beach has a roomy 4,141 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, five baths, a private elevator and foyer entry, and it’s already decked out in Fendi Casa, the same furniture as Acqualina. The listing doesn’t say it comes fully furnished, but you could probably negotiate.
Bloomberg Calls Kobi Karp Miami’s Mega-Mansion Architect of Choice, Apparently
If you’re involved in the Miami architecture or real estate scene, then you probably have an opinion about one of its most prolific architects, Kobi Karp. Love him or hate him, his work is everywhere, including some of the most massive houses designed in Miami and Miami Beach in the last five years. Is he the the Stanford White of modern day Miami? Ha! No. But Bloomberg interviewed him, in an article published today, calling him Miami’s “mega mansion architect of choice.” The article is about all the over-the-top amenities that many of Miami’s richest homeowners want in a brand new stucco castle by the bay, and in that sense Kobi probably is the expert. Here are some of his most memorable quotes:
“What became apparent is that the individuals coming to Miami wanted a home that didn’t exist.”
Photos via Kobi Karp.
“Some people who have a lot of entertainment, a lot of parties, they want to break away [to the rooftop where] you’re the VIP, you’re up above the treetops…They might have a plunge pool or jacuzzi, but certainly a summer kitchen [and often seating elements called] waterproof poufs.”
“Nobody [in Miami] wants to see a light fixture, unless it’s decorative.”
“Ninety percent of my houses have elevators. When you’re a little bit old, or a little bit drunk, an elevator really helps.”
And not to mention that he always likes to include a poolside “cabana or casita.”
Ross, Marshall’s, Nike, Oh My: A Lincoln Road Construction Update
Nike Store. Photos by Sean McCaughan.
Lincoln Road always seems to be a hive of construction activity, considering its sky-high retail rents and eternal popularity with tourists and locals. (even those locals who proclaim Lincoln Road is dead. Come on.) Lately, construction continues to bring large new flagship stores to the road, as well as two new, dare we say, discount big-box stores. Luckily, due to the influence of the City of Miami Beach government as well as local activists, the architecture has stayed at a fairly high bar.
First off (above) the new, three-level Nike Store at Lincoln and Lenox designed by Touzet Studio is coming along nicely. It will two tall indoor levels of retail as well as a rooftop sports court, where presumably one can try on those new kicks.
Anthropologie.
Two blocks down, just to the north of the intersection of Lincoln and Meridian, two new multilevel retail buildings have been designed by Shulman + Associates, fronting Lincoln Lane North, the increasingly commercialized alley behind Lincoln Road. The first, at the former location of David’s Cuban Cafe, will be an Anthropologie.
The second, on the north east side of the intersection, is a three level structure that will house a Marshall’s (big box discount fashion store #1) as well as what looks like some kind of food court.
Continuing our stroll down Lincoln Road to Euclid Avenue, the dead end has been closed off by construction fencing for a while now for work that appears to be almost finished. This is a small expansion of Lincoln Road’s pedestrian area, with new seating elements and greenery. Although this project is unrelated to the much more extensive renovations planned for Lincoln in the coming years, think of it as a taste of what’s to come.
Trundling further eastward on Lincoln, we come upon the old churchyard, which was the center of a hard fought battle between open space preservationists and developers. Ultimately the developer, TriStar Capital, won this one, and is expected to build another multilevel retail establishment here with rooftop garden. The rumor at one point was it would hold a flagship Abercrombie & Fitch. As you can see, the developer has since ripped out the courtyard, and has yet to start development.
Our final destination is between Washington and Collins Avenues, where the superstructure for the rather grand entrance of a new Ross Dress for Less (big box discount fashion store #2) has been almost fully constructed. The store itself will occupy the former site of the historic Carib Theatre, which was sadly wiped off the map years ago.
The Harbour, in North Miami Beach, Launches its Sales Center
The Harbour, a twin-towered development in North Miami Beach launched its sales center a few weeks ago with a good ol’ fashioned sales launch party Miami style. Located on a large piece of land wedged between East Greynolds Park and Oleta River State Park, the 425 units in the two 32-story towers are destined to have some pretty hot views. That’s one of the many benefits of parks people, and why Miami needs more of them.
The large lot that is occupied by the Harbour, and the fact that all the residences are concentrated in the two towers, leaves room for amenities and green space down below. At ground level there will be a beach with aquatic sports equipment, including boating, paddle boards, kayaking, wind surfing, sailing, scuba diving, and fishing. The buildings will have a pool, a soccer field, multi-purpose field, tennis court, and an aromatherapy jogging trail. There will be a two-story residents lounge with library, billiards, poker, and TV, as well as a fitness center and spa.
We’re waiting on sales figures, but a year ago the project was allegedly 80% reserved, so let’s hope their impressive.
Three Hundred Collins, Designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen, is 80% Sold
After breaking ground this past February, the boutique luxury residential building Three Hundred Collins is 80% sold, according to a rep from the developer. That leaves only four units remaining in the building: a townhouse, a 4-bedroom unit, a 2-bedroom unit, and the last penthouse. It is scheduled to be completed by September 2017. All of the units have been sold to end users, including first, second, or third (yes, third) home buyers, including restaurateur Myles Chefetz who has like two or three restaurants within blocks of the building including Prime 112, which is supposed to be fantastic, and the Big Pink, which, well, never mind.
Designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen, who interestingly enough is a socialist that is known for his work for the very rich, the building will have a “handcrafted” feel to it, with a minimalist color palette and interesting Amenities include a 75-foot long saltwater pool and hot tub, doorman, fitness center, valet parking, and interesting use of materiality. The landscape design by Urban Robot Associates “embraces local climates, ecologies, and is distinguished by the innovative deployment of native plants and sustainable materials.” Finally, developer JMH Development is donating $20,000 of each contract signed to global nonprofit charity: water to fund water projects in Ethiopia and Nepal.
