Friends of the Underline Host UnderLounge Event in Brickell
The Underline, Miami’s new 10 mile linear park that will be installed underneath the Metrorail tracks from Brickell to Dadeland South, is inviting everyone to a free festival at underneath the Brickell Station. The event is called The Underlounge and will take place Saturday, October 15 from noon-6pm.
There will be activities for all ages including face painting, the world’s longest mini-golf hole, interactive chalk art madala, pop-up dog park & pet costume contest, caricature artist, balloon animals, kids play, fitness classes, yoga, and of course – a DJ. I already have my dog’s camel costume ready to go.
The Underline is being designed by James Corner Field Operations, the same designer of the popular High Line in New York City. The $120 million project will be funded by donations from developers (including Swire’s $600,000 contribution), impact fees from developments built within 1,000 feet of the metrorail, private donations and was recently approved as an EB-5 project.
Construction is set to begin next fall on the Brickell segment. Initial funding for this segment was the first to be received and we are very much looking forward to utilizing this space!
Miami Science Barge Honors International Coastal Cleanup Day with Brickell & Miami River Event
September 17 marks the 30th anniversary of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, where volunteers from all over the world gather to contribute to the beautification of their cities. Last year’s cleanup removed more than 18 million pounds of trash from the waterways worldwide. Here in Miami Dade, they collected 17,500 pounds of marine debris from 31 miles of coastline. The cigarette butts, styrofoam containers, plastic bags, plastic bottles, etc are not only unsightly, they are also harmful to our marine life and the marine ecosystem.
If you are so inclined to participate this year, the Miami Science Barge is hosting an event at the Presbyterian Church in Brickell. Volunteers will gather from 9am-12pm to collect debris from the waterways along the Biscayne Bay shoreline as well as the Miami River. A post-cleanup celebration will take place on the Miami Science Barge, which docks at Museum Park. The event is free for all participants of the cleanup, but you must register in advance.
#LoveWhereYouLive
A Look Inside the SLS Brickell as They Prepare for Opening Day
October 3rd is the big day. The SLS Brickell will officially be open, although the site is very clearly still under construction. We were lucky enough to get a hard-hat tour of the project from bottom to top this week and wow! Brickell is in for a treat! Here are some of the highlights from our outing:
The residential lobby has a really cool textured finish on all of the walls and the ceiling.
The hotel lobby has a dramatic curved staircase & direct entry to Fi’lia, Michael Schwartz’s newest restaurant in Miami. They will serve ‘honest Italian food,’ according to their instagram profile @filiarestaurant. (Check it out for pics of the plates).
Speaking of Fi’lia, here is a snap of the progress in the restaurant. It will have an open kitchen and be the more casual of the restaurants in SLS Brickell.
Up on the pool deck, things are coming along with the poolside restaurant and the signature Philippe Starck duck already in place. The pool deck has 2 large pools, a reflection pool and 2 jacuzzi’s along with cabanas and the restaurant.
Along side of the pool deck is the start of the meeting rooms. We anticipate many distractions from those meetings with the views of the South Brickell skyline and all of the action from the pool. But, what do you expect from Miami?
Up top, the residents will enjoy a private pool deck that they will not share with the hotel guests. (Sorry, guys. You have to pay to play.) This deck is on the 54th floor with crazy views all around.
The penthouses have private rooftop terraces with their own private pools.
Back down on the ground level, we toured Bazaar. That is the more fancy seafood restaurant that will have custom tile murals with mermaids, leopards, boating wildlife and all kinds of fun things. The spot will also have a fish tank and separate sushi room.
They already have plenty of parties booked, including a farewell party for a certain much-loved Miami Heat player.
The residences should start closings as well in October, but are pending their TCO (temporary certificate of occupancy). Currently there is only 1 unit remaining, a 50th floor penthouse for $1,698,900.
The hotel is already booking rooms, with a crazy introductory rate of $200/night! I’m sure that won’t last long, but get it while it’s hot! See you there!
Inside the Bond on Brickell, Which Just Received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
The lobby
The Bond on Brickell, which used to be called the Bond ‘at’ Brickell until its developers MDR and the Rilea Group secured an address and entrance on Brickell Avenue itself for the building (the name change has become something of, shall we say, a conversation piece) recently received its temporary certificate of occupancy for most of the building, and has started closings while still putting on finishing touches. It is also almost completely sold out, with only about a dozen units remaining according to a building representative. Meanwhile, it was recently reported that the first unit closings took place earlier this week. Today the building was a beehive of activity as workers got the Bond showcase ready and brokers brought their clients/current owners/us for a looksie.
On the first floor, the building’s driveway can be entered via either Brickell Avenue or SE 1st Avenue, leading to a covered porte cochere which will have a waterfall feature, and the building’s signature London phone booth. Inside, the spacious lobby itself is divided into a few sitting areas, with a fireplace, overstuffed couches, and mod chairs, giving it a bit of a British vibe. Not really British-meets-the-tropics, or British colonial, just British. Walls throughout are paneled in a variety of interesting materials. In the lobby, surfaces alternate between gray suede and dark, blood red leather. Despite its location in the heart of Brickell, the building’s interiors are hushed, due to a layer of fiberglass behind all the walls.
Upstairs, on the amenity level, a club room, library, and fitness center all look out onto an amenity deck with a large T-shaped pool and outdoor fire pit. Also on the floor is a children’s playroom which is probably the most explicitly flag-flying, ‘God save the Queen’-ing part of the entire building, with wallpaper covered in British-isms like ‘Mind the Gap.’ Mens and women’s saunas and steam room, with accompanying locker rooms, are elsewhere on the floor, slightly oddly not attached to the gym, but on the opposite side. They are tiled in contrasting black and white rocks, to moody effect.
Finally, we checked out a few units with varying layouts. Balconies are generously deep, all kitchens come standard with Bosch appliances, designed to coordinate with the dark wood cabinetry, and some units come with dens. Interior doors feel solid wood, instead of hollow, which is often the case, and door handles and other hardware is nice.
One final note about the exterior. Although renderings gave the impression of dramatic exterior lighting, it appeared that this was not (or at least not yet?) part of the final design. Where there would have been long bands of light shooting up and across the facade as of now are just bands of decorative plaster, painted a dark gray.
Paco Martinez Has Appealed The Babylon Apartments’ Historic Designation
Photo via Flickr/ Phillip Pessar
Paco Martinez, short for Francisco “Paco” Martinez, the owner of the little red building on Brickell Bay Drive called the Babylon Apartments, is not happy about what’s happened to his plans to demolish. On July 5th the City of Miami Historic Preservation Board officially designated the Babylon in acknowledgement of its pioneering postmodernist design. Demolition was averted, almost. With only 15 days to appeal the decision before it became official, Martinez finally appealed yesterday, the day before the deadline, according to the Miami’s historic preservation office. Back in limbo, the appeal brings the Babylon in front of city commissioners, who will decide its destiny a few months from now.
Arquitectonica’s Iconic Babylon Apartments Wins Historic Designation With 6-0 Vote
Photo by Phillip Pessar.
This just in from today’s City of Miami Historic Preservation Board meeting! In a unanimous 6-0 vote, the board has voted in favor of historically designating the Babylon Apartments on Brickell Bay Drive, a seminal and very early work by architecture firm Arquitectonica which significantly influenced the firm’s later works as well as decades of modern and contemporary architecture in Miami. There is a 30-day appeals process, but the Babylon is closer than ever to being saved. To recap what has happened up until now, I wrote a nice summary over at the Architect’s Newspaper. Also, check back here for more info on what’s next for the Babylon after today’s HBP meeting as it becomes available.
Atton Miami Brickell Hotel to Open in the Simpson Park Triangle Tomorrow
Photo via Atton Miami Hotel.
That little triangular neighborhood west of Simpson Park in Brickell is on fire now that Le Parc has received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy and the new Atton Brickell Miami Hotel is opening tomorrow. The first United States outpost of the Atton Hotels brand, the 12 story hotel is trying to position itself as a midrange hotel for Brickell, below the high-priced swank of the J.W. Marriott, the W Hotel, and the Four Seasons, and above Brickell’s more budget offerings like the Hampton Inn, which if you’ve been to the Brickell Hampton Inn, is like the fanciest Hampton Inn ever. The 275 guest rooms are being offered with introductory rates of $149 according to Real Deal.
Le Parc at Brickell Scores Temporary Certificate of Occupancy
Le Parc at Brickell. Photo courtesy Christopher Adeleke/Cervera.
West of Brickell’s Simpson Park, construction has just finished at Le Parc at Brickell, which has received its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy says Realtor Christopher Adeleke, Le Parc In House Agent. Le Parc is ‘officially’ done, and buyers are beginning to move in. Simultaneously, a brand new model show unit has been furnished and designed by Ligne Roset, highlighting the sales push for Le Parc’s remaining units. Pricing information is below.
The most important aspect of Le Parc is actually just right there in its name: the park, and its location in a relatively hidden corner of Brickell, which a long time ago a blogger once dubbed the Simpson Park Triangle. “The building really becomes alive with all the greenery of the Park in the East, and the dynamic city landscape in the West.” says Adeleke. Le Parc at Brickell is an urban infill linkage between the old growth hammock of Simpson Park, and the quiet urbanity of the Simpson triangle.
Le Parc at Brickell. Photo courtesy Christopher Adeleke/Cervera.
Brickell City Centre’s R&R Towers Hit $180 in Sales, With Rise Opening This Summer
Plus a Brickell City Centre Fly-Through, Via Drone-Cam
Courtesy Brickell City Centre.
Brickell City Centre’s two residential towers Reach & Rise have done a combined $180 million-plus in condo sales to date, say the megaproject’s public relations wonks, with Reach 90 percent sold out and Rise 45 percent. Reach opened to residents back in April, giving it a head start in sales, while Rise is scheduled to receive its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (a.k.a. that’s move in day!) sometime this summer. Prices for remaining units have also been bumped up by 10% in response to strong sales despite a slowing market, although even things at City Centre are obviously tamer than they were a year ago.
