Miami Beach’s Collins family built this home. A mansion may soon rise on the same site.
The 10-bedroom waterfront house owned by Irving Collins — the son of John Collins, one of Miami Beach’s founding fathers of Miami Beach — may be moving. But it won’t go far.
Under a plan submitted to the City of Miami Beach Design and Review Board, the original 96-year-old Mediterranean-style house — designed by noted Miami architect Russell Pancoast — would be relocated within the two-acre estate to make room for a new two-story, 37,143-foot house and outbuildings. The Pine Tree Drive site faces Indian Creek.
The house is owned by a trust benefiting philanthropists David and Leila Centner. It was purchased in 2018 for $14.5 million.
The Centners hired Pennsylvania-based Luce Architects to design the estate in a Mediterranean Revival style congruent with the style of existing buildings. Plans call for a gated entry with breezeways connecting to a 1,048-square-foot guard house; a 9,270-square-foot “gala house” with a dining room, music area and gym with hot-yoga studio; 2,954-square-foot home office; and 24,777-square-foot main house.
The Centners’ firm, DLC Capital, did not respond to requests for comment. Michael Girard, architectural manager of Luce Architects, declined to comment.
A Miami native, David Centner graduated from Miami Sunset High School and Wharton. The tech entrepreneur sold his company Highway Toll Administration for an undisclosed amount in 2018. The couple have donated millions to several local causes, including Overtown’s Lotus Village.
In July, the Centners listed their Miami Beach penthouse at Capobella for $17 million.
Pancoast is best known for the Art Deco-style Bass museum and the original portions of the Surf Club, now a hotel and condo; both are located in Miami Beach. In June, a court blocked the demolition of one of Pancoast’s projects in Coral Gables, a 1930s ranch home.
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This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 7:00 AM.
