Design District Getting Gucci Flagship & its First Cuban Restaurant, With a Gloria Estefan Cherry on Top
Approximately thirty new luxury stores and restaurants are coming to the Miami Design District this year, developers Design District Partners announced today, including a new restaurant concept by Gloria and Emilio Estefan, and a 7,000 square foot flagship Gucci boutique, an achievement which has been a personal goal of District CEO Craig Robins. “Gucci is a big step forward for us in the luxury category,” he told the Miami Herald “It’s a real tipping point and a statement about our progress.”
The mega grammy-winning power couple, Mr. and Mrs. Estefan meanwhile will bring the Design District it’s first Cuban Cafe, err… high end Cuban restaurant, called Estefan Kitchen: “Estefan Kitchen will feature traditional, family recipes presented in a new, healthy way that will appeal to both locals and our international guests.” Think an upscale facsimile of a down-home hangout, with the small but distinct possibility of a celebrity drop-in to see if your Aroz con Pollo is cooked alright.
Even though foot traffic along the District’s new shops, plazas, and shaded paseos is still pretty sleepy, some stores showing strong sales from occasional big spenders with budgets the size of Birkin Bags, while others are feeling the squeeze. It’s only growing pains, says Robins, because the District “doesn’t compare to what you’ll see next year when you’ve got 10 more restaurants, yoga, coffee shops, bakeries and these powerful fashion brands opening up.”
Other new retail tenants will include Alexander Wang, Eres, Warby Parker, Cos, The Smile, Ahana Yoga Studio, Dolce & Gabbana, Diane Von Furstenberg, Van Clefe & Arpels, etc. “The next phase of development will add roughly 250,000 square feet of retail space, bringing the total to nearly one million square feet, as well as a 120-room hotel and a 900-space parking garage, all set for completion in 2017.” says the Herald. Not to mention the ICA Miami and its sculpture garden, and the multiple surrounding projects being done by other developers.
Thor Files Plans for Sexy Touzet-Designed Retail at Design District Post Office Site
Rendering of 70 NE 39th Street
Thor Equities has filed plans for the former 1950s/60s era post office site in the Miami Design District (not the nearby Buena Vista Post Office, also in the Design District, which is historically designated ad home to the tacky AF Billionaire Italian Couture) says Real Deal. The property is located at 70 NE 39th Street. The design for the entirely new building, by homegrown Touzet Studio, though simple and rather restrained, is quite sexy. It has two floors of retail as well as a Design District-appropriate roofdeck, with room for approximately six retail tenants based on demand. “The proposal even includes details of the landscaping” says Real Deal “which will be adorned with silver buttonwood trees, gumbo limbo trees and ‘graceful bamboo.'”
Boulevard 57 Bringing Contemporary Design with MiMo Flare to Upper Eastside
Miami’s Upper Eastside neighborhood is preparing to ring in the new year with new neighbors… 107 new neighbors. Unitas Development Group is preparing to launch the sales of their MiMo-inspired midrise development at 5700 Biscayne Boulevard, appropriately named Boulevard 57.
Sieger Suarez was commissioned to design the development, bringing MiMo-inspired design with contemporary finishes and amenities. The project will be 8 stories tall with 107 residential apartments and 40,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level. It has been mentioned that the developers will be seeking a Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods type anchor for the retail space.
Despite previous reports that sales would begin in the summer/fall of 2015, the project will quietly launch in January 2016 with friends and family prices followed by a larger offering in the early spring. Residences will range from 1,100 square feet up to 4,800 square feet and penthouses will include rooftop pools looking out to the Biscayne Bay. Since the development immediately east of Biscayne is single-family residential, the upper floors will have views to the bay.
Boulevard 57 will tie together the historical MiMo District to the north with the booming retail area in the Design District to the south, offering high-end condos with high design, location and finishes. Prices are expected to range from $550,000 for one bedroom residences up to $3,800,000 for penthouses with rooftop pools.
See below for additional renderings of the design:
Miami Design District Video Tour
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a lot of chatter about an incredible transformation taking place in Miami’s Design District. I must admit, I wasn’t buying into it. I was definitely skeptical. At best, I figured it would be many, many years before such a grand vision would come to fruition. Yesterday, I became a believer.
Craig Robins, the developer, is an absolute genius! Robins’ creation is, without a doubt, a game-changer for the neighborhood and a welcomed addition to the city of Miami as a whole. His vision has become a reality, and it’s more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. I walked the site with my own two feet yesterday. The birds were chirping, the sun was glistening, and the best-of-the-best fashion and jewelry brands were in full effect. In every direction. Everywhere I turned. Bvlgari. Louis Vuitton. Valentino. Givenchy. Pucci. Harry Winston. Rolex. Cartier. Versace. Giorgio Armani. And that’s just to name a handful – okay, maybe two – with more big-time designers on the way. By the end of next year, if all goes according to plan, over 120 luxury shops will have opened.
The public art is spectacular in its own right. Buckminster Fuller’s 24-foot Fly’s Eye Dome acts as an illustrious center piece of this ultra-luxury shopping mecca. It’s beautiful. And interesting. I walked inside of it. I now know what my life would have been like as a fly. Pretty neat, except for the fact that it’s very difficult to focus on just one thing. Like having a sever case of Attention Deficit Disorder times ten. Where was I? Oh, yes, the art…
Xavier Veilhan’s Le Corbusier, which sits opposite of Fly’s Eye Dome in the Palm Court, is another noteworthy art installation. The piece is a fiberglass sculpture of celebrated architect Le Corbusier – one of the pioneers of modern architecture.
Overall, the newly redeveloped Miami Design District is fabulous. But don’t take my word for it. I highly suggest that you go check it out for yourself. At the very least, check out the video below for a quick tour. Better yet, watch the video and then go check it out in person. By the way, the area shown in the video is just a small section of the overall site plan. It’s still a work in progress. A hotel, condo tower, restaurants, and an additional 60 opulent shops are in the works.
Of course, the obvious question becomes, with such an impressive collection of luxury brands all in one place, why would a luxury flagship retailer even consider any other location, such as Brickell City Centre or The Mall at Miami Worldcenter? Will those shopping destinations be DOA and forced to fill their retail space with less-luxurious brands. And what kind of an effect will Miami Design District have on already established shopping centers such as The Shops at Bal Harbour and Village of Merrick Park? I would love to hear your thoughts.
