Ahead of its U.S. launch date, Turkish developer Okan Group has released a promo video for its upcoming mixed-purpose development called Okan Tower. The video is in Turkish but it includes a number of never-before-seen renderings of the 70-story tower. For additional information about this exciting project, read our previous blog post about the sales launch for Okan Tower.
Turkish developer and leading enterprise Okan Group announced yesterday the official sales launch of its first U.S. development – Okan Tower. The distinctive architecture planned for the 70-story mixed-purpose property is meant to emulate the silhouette of a blossoming tulip (Turkey’s national flower). Located in Downtown Miami at 555 North Miami Avenue, this innovative addition to the Miami skyline will feature a 294-key hotel by Hilton Hotels & Resorts, 64,000 square feet of ‘Class A’ office space, 236 condo-hotel units starting on the 36th floor, 149 condominium residences starting on the 51st floor, plus four duplex penthouses.
Okan Group Chairman and billionaire, Bekir Okan, credits the city of Miami’s vibrant energy and international fusion for his choice in the project’s location. “It is with great pleasure that we unveil Okan Tower as we embark on a journey to present a bold real estate product in one of the world’s leading destinations,” he added. “In selecting our projects throughout the world, we always seek to establish an impact that will make history. Not only in its design but through its level of experiential elements, Okan Tower will have a transformative effect on the metropolis that will forever change Miami’s skyline”.
The architecture firm behind the tower’s bold design in tribute to Turkish culture is Behar Font & Partners. Okan Tower’s studio, one-, and two-bedroom condo-hotel units will be delivered turnkey furnished, ranging in size from 447 to 1,245 square feet, while its condo-residence offerings will include one- to three-bedroom units plus a den, ranging from 698 to over 2,071 square feet; and 4 duplex-style penthouses ranging from 1,873 to more than 2,142 square feet. Okan Tower will also offer world-class amenities, including high-speed elevators with separate access for various mixed-use components, a sky pool with panoramic views from the 70th floor, outdoor lounge, Hammam spa, state-of-the-art health and fitness center, kids’ playroom, chef and gastro kitchen, movie theater, wine cellar and cigar room, as well as a rooftop restaurant located on the 67th floor.
There’s no doubt that this project will cater to the taste of the foreign buyers so highly accounted for in the past several years of Miami’s residential real estate sales. A 3,000 square-foot sales gallery for the tower already opened in Istanbul, Turkey on May 2nd, complete with a full model residence. The U.S. sales gallery will open on May 10th. Promising sophistication and convenience, Okan Tower’s location is close in proximity to business, entertainment, culture, and the arts – with Perez Art Museum, Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science, American Airlines, the upcoming Miami Worldcenter, and the Brightline Train all within blocks.
Privately funded, the project is already slated to break ground this fall. Pricing for units at Okan Tower starts from $318,500.
Tonight, the Miami DDA is launching Season One of DWNTOWN Movie Nights – a free outdoor cinematic experience for moviegoers that will continue every other Friday night through April 6th, each at a different Downtown Miami location.
Tonight’s movie, Moana, will play behind the American Airlines Arena on Parcel B. On-site, there will be several food options available from local food trucks as well as a premium bar serving happy hour cocktails. Happy hour will begin at 5pm with showtime at 7pm. There will also be prize giveaway at each screening event.
Below is a list of the scheduled screenings and locations. Movies and showtimes are subject to change, so be sure to check the Miami DDA website periodically for the most up-to-date information.
| Date | Movie | Location |
| January 19, 2018 | Moana | American Airlines Arena (Parcel B) |
| February 2, 2018 | Boss Baby | National YoungArts Foundation |
| February 16, 2018 | The Emoji Movie | Bayfront Park |
| March 2, 2018 | Jumanji | Intercontintenal Miami |
| March 16, 2018 | Despicable Me 3 | First Presbyterian Church |
| April 6, 2018 | Goodbye Christopher Robin | Perez Arts Museum Miami |
Earlier today, Property Markets Group unveiled on their Instagram account the final artwork that will be mounted on the garage of their soon-to-be-completed rental project called X Miami. X Miami, formerly known as Vice Miami, will be located at 234 NE 3rd St in Downtown Miami. The tower will have 464 micro units ranging in size from 500 square feet, for a junior one-bedroom apartment, to 1,400 square feet for a 3 bedroom unit.
The monolithic murals will be prominently displayed on the east, south, and west sides of the garage. Eventually, once PMG’s 300 Biscayne is built, the mural on the east side of the garage (facing Biscayne Boulevard) will be blocked. PMG commissioned Belgian artist Sammy Slabbinck to create the murals. Slabbinck is known for his surreal compositions.
Beginning this Saturday, Brightline will take passenger train travel to a whole new level with introductory service running between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. For a one-way ticket aboard their 66-seat Smart Coach, fares will start at $10. For an extra $5, you can hop aboard their Select Coach, which is basically their equivalent of a first-class cabin. Kids up to the age of 12 will receive a 50% discount while senior citizens and veterans will get a 10% discount. The introductory service will include ten daily round trips throughout the week and nine on the weekends, each with travel times averaging between 30 to 35 minutes. Trains will depart between 6am and 11pm, with schedules varying between weekdays and weekends.
Once full service begins, there will be 16 daily round trips. As of now, the train will only travel to and from Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. In the coming months, once construction on Miami Central Station is completed, service will extend to and from Miami with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Miami Central Station is located in Downtown Miami, right off NW 1st Ave and between NW 3rd St and NW 8th St.
Phase two construction, which will extend the route all the way to Orlando, is expected to begin in the first quarter of this year with completion projected for 2021. Great news for Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, as it connects Central and South Florida in a much needed way!
Credit: Phillip Pessar / Flickr
It’s the end of an era. The Macy’s in Downtown Miami, originally the Burdines flagship store which opened in 1912, will be closing for good. With development along Flagler Street moving ahead, and almost 90,000 people in downtown – most between the ages of 25 and 44 – the landmark Macy’s store just doesn’t fit with the times.
The Miami DDA is working to redevelop Downtown Miami into a more pedestrian-friendly area, filled with more cafes and wider sidewalks. The influx of millennials into the downtown scene, has progressively changed the downtown culture into one that’s becoming more hip and lively. With the Miami DDA looking to the dynamics of the neighborhood, and most shoppers preferring to shop online, it was only a matter of time before the original Burdines would close its doors for good. Macy’s Inc. announced last Thursday that its Downtown Miami location will close in early 2018.
Miami Beach’s Rosetta Bakery is gearing up for a HUGE 2018 with seven new locations opening up around the Miami area, according to the Miami New Times. Three of those locations are slated for the Greater Downtown Miami area.
The first Brickell location will be in the base of Brickell Heights’ East Tower, just around the corner from Equinox. The apartments at this location range from the high $300,000’s to $2.8 million for purchase, or $2,000 per month to $11,000 per month for rent and just came available this past summer.
Next, a location will open in the retail space at ECHO Brickell, which opened just last month. The apartments here range from the high $800,000’s for a one bedroom to $4.2 million for a duplex (two-story) three bedroom. They also have a custom-designed penthouse that asks $42 million!
After the two Brickell locations are open, a grab & go kiosk will open in the Miami Central Station in Downtown Miami. We don’t have a date for this just yet, but are very much looking forward to the Brightline link between Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando and beyond!
The idea behind Rosetta is to offer high-quality, fresh bakery items and coffees quickly and affordably. There aren’t any frozen bakery items, everything is made in small batches by Italian chefs that have been brought here from Italy to share their craft with Miamians. In addition to the sweet pastries and fruit tarts, there will also be savory sandwiches. If you would like a preview of the fare, visit their flagship store at 16th and Collins on Miami Beach.
Photo courtesy of blockbyblock.com
If you’ve been in Downtown Miami during the day or evening over the last few years, you’ve likely seen these folks. The walk around in official orange shirts and make sure everything is ok. They are the Downtown Miami Development Authority’s Ambassadors.
I’ve heard people say before that they thought the Ambassadors are Downtown Miami mall cops, but that’s wrong. They’re here to help. They make sure tourists know where they’re going, help the elderly cross the street, and report infrastructure problems. And now, they roam Brickell as well!
Just yesterday, I was teetering on a curb, pushing a baby stroller with one hand, trying to avoid an annoying puddle that is always on the corner of SW 1st Avenue and SW 13th Street. Even if there has been no rain, the puddle remains. It is the most resilient puddle I’ve ever seen. Anyway, I was in the middle of my puddle-dodging dance when I spotted these guys. It couldn’t have been a better time to stumble upon them. Within minutes, they had reported the puddle to the city for repair, handed me a brochure with handy numbers for everything from illegal parking and broken street lights to trolley information. They also have a Safe Walks program to make sure residents arrive home without issue!
If you see these guys roaming around in Brickell or Downtown, be sure to stop and thank them for keeping us safe and informed!
For those who are curious about how and when the exoskeleton on Zaha Hadid’s One Thousand Museum will be finished, your wait is over. The massive GRFC (glass fiber reinforced concrete) panels that will cover the exoskeleton have begun to arrive, according to developer Louis Birdman.
The panels are what will give a smooth curvaceous finish to the rough concrete structure, Birdman said in a Facebook post earlier today as he shared photos of the progress. “The process has started on level 8 and they will be working their way around the base of tower and up to level 15, then down the columns to the ground and after that they will start cladding the garage podium on the west, south and east elevations. Then they will finished with the installation of the massive 7 story architectural fins on the east and south elevations.”
It will take nearly 5,000 custom pieces of GFRC to create the signature curves, and they also serve as an additional protection to the building, in the even that Miami is visited by another hurricane. Adding to the challenge, all of the formwork has to be shipped to Miami from the supplier in Dubai.
Here is a quick video that details how GFRC is made. It was also used on the facade of a building in Miami’s Design District.
