1515 Euclid is Getting Gutted

One of the two partners involved is Antonio Saladino—a Swiss-Italian banker who took an obscure and impoverished Caribbean island named  Canouan and reinvented it—luring the likes of Singapore-based Raffles, Trump, and Rosewood into the island’s radar. His, probably busy, eyes are set on Euclid and 15th. This might get interesting. The property was acquired in 2010 for $3.1mm

Peek @ Monte Carlo Miami Beach

The team behind Estates by the Falls is diversifying its single-family oriented real estate portfolio by joint venturing with the Rilea Group to develop Monte Carlo Luxury Rentals— designed by Revuelta International—at 6551 Collins Avenue.

Project Specs:

rendering via revuelta-architecture.com

The project, located a hop and skip south of Canyon Ranch, is being constructed by the Coastal Construction Group of South Florida (builders of Trump Royale and Wind) and seems to be moving forward briskly. The strict residential-rental use leaves the door open for a condo conversion at some point along the way.

H&M Progress and Forever 21 Goes Big on Lincoln Road

Past glory (left). Present plight (right).

Recently, I saw a line stretch around a block to get into the H&M preview store (first such store I’d ever seen).  The actual store will occupy the historic Lincoln Theatre. I figured this must be good so I passed by to see the progress and found the theatre to be

Lennox Hotel is Tearing it Up in South Beach

Renderings from Kobikarp.com

Demolition activity is commencing at the planned Lennox Hotel (Peter Miller Hotel building) right across the street from the Setai. If completed, it will add to an increasingly impressive hospitality portfolio for architect Kobi Karp. 

In Memory of Las Olas Riverfront

I seldom cross the border into Broward. I did this weekend and passed by Las Olas Riverfront expecting something lively and a bite to eat. Instead I found a taste of the post apocalyptic. 

Miami’s Hispanic Demography as Seen from Bird Road

Bird Road isn’t emblematic of Miami like Brickell Avenue, Ocean Drive, and Biscayne Boulevard. Completely absent of glitz and glamour, it’s a stalwart of the middle class—quintessential Miami. To understand the City’s Hispanic composition, one need only consider it. Let’s examine a three mile stretch of “La Cuarenta” (as it is known in Spanish)—from SW 67th Avenue to 102nd Avenue—and see what Latin America’s got cooking in this sub-tropical metropolis:

South America

Argentina and Uruguay

Argentinians, self proclaimed experts of everything, are actually masters of steak and pizza. Their desserts, too, are delectable. At Grazianos, next to Bird Bowl, glory comes off the grill. Rest assured, though, they have competition. Uruguayans have their own haunt, Doña Paulina, 10 blocks away. 

The Neighborhood Economy Barometer: Starbucks

Starbucks on 47 West Flagler, in the Central Business District, not surprisingly has the least working hours of all others in Miami

I’ll have a double espresso and a glance at the neighborhood economies, please. Starbucks can provide more than an array of caffeine rich products. It can tell us a bit about the vitality of neighborhood economies. How? Hours of operation.

Starbucks and the Hood

Starbucks is an indicator of neighborhood economic activity because its operating hours, more often than not, coincide with that of its neighbors. For example, in South Beach, Sushi Samba on Lincoln Road and Pennsylvania closes at 2AM on Saturdays, a half hour after Starbucks across the street. Nearby Van Dyke Cafe opens its doors one hour after Starbucks, daily. In Brickell, Publix (in Mary Brickell Village) opens its doors a little over an hour after the nearby Starbucks, and PF Changs, right around the corner, closes at the same time as Starbucks on Saturdays and just one hour later on the weekdays. The correlations repeat wherever you go. 

Relics of the Bust

The Filling Station lofts under construction in 2007 (left) and an advertisement illustrating ceiling heights, around the same time (right)

During the height of the boom, anything seemed possible. Neighborhoods that were completely derelict and unstable were touted as the next trendy place to “live, work, and play”. As the wishful thinking of developers and buyers crashed, the bust showed that the less mature (stable) areas were not ready to shake off the stigma of their former years. 

Urbanism Pictorial Dictionary: Gentrification (noun)

Art Pact in Brickell

Recently, several colleagues and I decided to form Patrons of Art in the City Trust (PACT) with the purpose of enhancing the culture of art patronage in the City. In this Sunday’s El Nuevo Herald, Ana Remos wrote a column regarding our initiative as one that could alter the city scape of Brickell.

Local artist Rafael Consuegra’s work

The Artist

Miami is home to a panoply of talented artists, many of which are sculptors. I have had the pleasure of developing friendships with a few of the city’s best. Over time, I’ve realized that, despite their renown talents, the life of an artist is tough. Theirs is a burning passion that can find expression commensurate to the resources disposable to them. Unfortunately, resources are often scarce and their best works remain confined to the mind. In some cases, there is a sadder reality, completed monumental stunning works of sculpture that are stored in obscure locations throughout the city–out of public sight and off the radar of public appreciation. The prevailing sentiment is “wait and see”. In what exhibition can they showcase? How can I get this piece the recognition that it deserves? Where am I going to store it next? As such, these real constraints stifle their work and with it, the legacy of our city.