Preservationists aim to shoot down plan to demolish Al Capone’s Palm Island house
Will Al Capone’s residence be deemed historic and saved from demolition? Preservationists are preparing to fight for the mobster’s Palm Island residence.
“Everybody that comes to Miami Beach knows of this house,” said Jack Finglass, the chair of the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board, which will be taking up the matter later this month. Finglass said he personally opposes knocking down the house because it is historical and an attraction to visitors.
Developer Todd Michael Glaser and partner Nelson Gonzalez, an investor and senior vice president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM, plan to demolish the single-family residence at 93 Palm Ave. The 2-story home has nine bedrooms, six bathrooms and two half bathrooms. Glaser said they would build a 2-story modern spec home with 8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, spa and sauna.
Finglass said he requested that Capone’s house be discussed for possible historic designation at an upcoming September meeting of the preservation board after several residents expressed concern of the home’s demolition.
The process to deem the house historic would take at least a handful of months, between the initial discussion to a report being filed of the home’s historical significance and, ultimately, an approval by the city’s mayor and commission.
“The local residents are the ones who drive all of this,” Finglass said. “It’s not me.”
The house could qualify for historic designation for a variety reasons, including preservationists believing that Capone planned the infamous Valentine’s Day Massacre there and the mobster dying at the location, said Daniel Ciraldo, executive director of the Miami Design Preservation League, which opposes demolition of the house.
“Some would say that Al Capone wasn’t a saint so his history is not worth remembering,” Ciraldo said, “but I would say that it’s important to remember people who did bad things so that history doesn’t repeat itself.”
Glaser said in response that he will pursue the demolition plans, arguing the home is not architecturally significant since it has been remodeled and expanded upon since Capone owned it. He also said the house faces critical issues regarding flooding.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
