Brickell’s Villa Regina, Known for its Yaacov Agam Rainbow Facade, is Redoing its Lobby

June 9, 2016

Villa Regina, one in a row of iconic and brightly colored 1980s, Miami Vice/Cocaine Cowboys-era condo towers along Brickell Avenue, is redoing its lobby. The building is dominated by its bright rainbow facade created by the artist Yaacov Agam, an Israeli sculptor and experimental artist best known for his contributions to optical and kinetic art (according to Wikipedia) and for colorful facades that captured a certain architectural moment in the 1980s. Originally developed by Nicholas Morley, Villa Regina was also one of developer Ugo Colombo’s earliest projects (see below).

The facade was recently restored and is staying put luckily. Apparently the building’s owners did away with the original lobby 5-6 years ago, and have now decided to do away with it again, with a new, much lighter, design by John Richard Medina & Associates Architects. Considering how radical of a change the new lobby appears to be in renderings, let’s hope it coordinates with the rest of the facade.