In the application letter, attorney Alfredo Gonzalez wrote the owners plan to restore the facades on 19th Street while demolishing the rear and sides including the side facing Park Avenue. A new five-story addition, 50 feet in height, is proposed. The new Park Hotel would contain 100 rooms in both the new and historic sections of the property.
“The area located between The Bass museum to the north, the Miami Beach Convention Center to the west and Collins avenue to the east has had numerous boutique hotels open, creating a cluster of hotels that can service Miami Beach Convention Center attendees not looking for the costlier options along Collins avenue,” Gonzalez wrote.
According to a Historic Resources Report written by architect Arthur Marcus, the historic architectural preservation consultant for the project, the two-story building was constructed in 1951 at a cost of $140,000. It was designed by architects MacKay & Gibbs in the MiMo (Miami Modern) style of architecture prevalent at the time. While located in the local Museum Historic District and the National Historic Register District known as the Miami Beach Architectural District, it does not have individual status as a contributing structure according to Marcus.
While, Marcus notes, MacKay & Gibbs designed other notable buildings in Miami Beach including the Sherbrooke Apartments (1947) at 901 Collins Avenue and the Surfcomber Hotel (1948) at 1717 Collins Avenue, he writes, “Unfortunately for such a prominent corner location, this building does not respond to its unique neighborhood corner site. The west, north and east facades all appear as the back side of a building – even when facing major streets. The only details on these facades are the occasional concrete sunshade and the overhanging roofs.”
Marcus added, “It is especially unfortunate that the elevation facing Park Avenue does not contain any design elements. All of the architectural energy is concentrated around the central courtyard with the encircling walkways and railing signage and pool.”
In his summary, Marcus writes, “Although the building was designed during the MiMo era, and does contain selected common MiMo characteristics, it nonetheless lacks any defining architectural detailing or style which might make this a better building.”
“Although the Architects of this building have designed a few other more noteworthy buildings in South Beach, this building is not considered as a prime example of either their work [or] the MiMo style,” he said.
Based on the report, Gonzalez wrote, maintaining the front structures “which have the design elements” while demolishing the rear, “would allow the renovation of the property into a boutique hotel within the Museum Historic district… compatible with the surrounding properties [of] which many have been converted into hotels with 5 story additions.”
The property is zoned Residential Multifamily, Medium Intensity (RM-2).
HPB filing and all the details are here
Historic Preservation Board
Tuesday, May 14, 9:00 am
City Hall, Commission Chambers
Attend in person or email comments to Victor Nunez
Renderings: Revuelta Architecture International
UPDATE: At both their May and July meetings, the HPB rejected the plans citing incompatibility with the neighborhood and not enough retention of the character of the existing buildings.
