A Burned-Out Collins Park Block Will Be Restored To Glory

Curbed-Miami

by Sean McCaughan

An entire South Beach block packed with seven gorgeous historic art deco and postwar modern buildings – save for one restored apartment building on Washington Ave. – is a charred and crumbling ghost of its former self. The block is located between Washington and Park Avenues, a block south of the Bass Museum. At least three of the buildings were torched – most likely on purpose – since the last plan to restore the block fell through a dozen years ago. (Those three are the Collins Park Hotel, the Tyler Apartment Hotel and the Copley Terrace Apartments) Finally disentangled by piles of liens and fines, and now owned by the Chetrit Group (they redeveloped the Tides Hotel to much acclaim), the City of Miami Beach has approved a restoration and conversion of the whole thing into a collection of boutique hotels, to be helmed by ubiquitous Miami architect Kobi Karp.

The complex will have approximately 300 rooms. Three of the buildings will be completely restored, while the others are restored and partially demolished to make way for new buildings in the interior of the block. A terra-cotta compass in a shared courtyard could be restored, and there’s been talk of adding an underground parking garage with car lifts, and a recording studio.

The seven buildings, constructed between 1938 and 1953 are by some of the beach’s most significant architects, like L. Murray Dixon (who also designed the Raleigh Hotel nearby) and Albert Anis (he did the Clevelander on Ocean Drive).