Amid home demolition trend, Miami Beach owner seeks to revamp, not raze, Art Deco gem
A new Miami Beach homeowner has submitted plans to renovate a 1936 gem in the Palm View Historic District, bucking the city’s trend of total demolitions of historically significant homes.
This Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco house is located in an area known for its connection to the city’s forefathers, John Collins and Carl Fisher. Collins built his namesake and nearby Collins Canal in 1912 and Fisher subdivided the area in 1920 for residential development, according to the application’s historical resources report.
There’s been a tug-of-war in the Beach in recent years between preserving historic homes and allowing wealthy newer residents to raze them and build modern luxury homes instead. Preservationists have been critical of Beach leaders for not protecting architecturally significant, historic homes the way Coral Gables, City of Miami and the town of Palm Beach do as a matter of course.
That’s the burning question amid a worsening rash of teardowns of signature Mediterranean-style homes dating to the first part of the 20th century.
In this case, the undisclosed Palm View property owner appears to be straddling preservation and renovation, asking the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board for partial demolition permission to add a new front porch by the entrance — a detail resembling the original design — and a pool in the backyard alongside a cabana. The house also would be significantly enlarged as part of the proposal, if approved when the board considers it July 12.
The plans come after the house sold for $1.55 million in March. Neither the applicant, 1735 Lenox Ave. LLC’s sole trustee Mindee Green, nor their representatives, Bercow Radell Fernandez Larkin & Tapanes lawyers David Butter and Michael Marrero, responded to multiple requests for comment.
“It seems like this is a wonderful example of how properties can be enhanced over time,” said Daniel Ciraldo, executive director of the Miami Beach nonprofit Miami Design Preservation League.
Preservationists endorse this growing trend of partial demolition, because it’s a middle ground that maintains some of the historic legacy of properties, while improving them for the future. And part of that is fortifying the old houses against flooding and sea level rise.
Palm View residents have raised flood risks and concerns regarding sea level rise as reasons to be permitted to do what they think is best for their historic homes. The 1735 Lenox Ave. house will remain at 6.4 feet of elevation, below the recommended nine feet.
“People are finding ways to adapt the homes,” Ciraldo said. “This is the existing housing stock. It’s important to continue to find ways to make our homes resilient.”
The house sits in the triangular-shaped Palm View, bordered by Dade Boulevard, Meridian Avenue, 17th Street and Lenox Court. Renowned architect Lester Avery designed the residence. He also designed Jackie Gleason’s Miami Beach house and the Capital Theater in Clearwater. Other star architects — the Bass Museum’s Russell Pancoast, Clevelander South Beach Hotel’s Albert Anis and Coral Gables’ Biltmore Hotel Schultze and Weaver team — designed many of the one- to two-story residences in the neighborhood.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home will expand from 1,903 to 3,189 square feet as part of the renovation and demolition project. Much of the extra space would be used for a larger sitting area off the kitchen overlooking the backyard. As it is now, the house doesn’t have a spacious living room.
Renovation projects are common, said Ciraldo, with owners adjusting houses for example as vacation homes with larger kitchens and living spaces.
Longtime Palm View resident Paul Freeman said he’s seen more homeowners buy and invest in the neighborhood since the pandemic began in early 2020 and subsequent hot housing market.
“As a neighborhood, we want to see people improve their houses,” Freeman said.
Palm View has faced challenges due to increasing homeowner insurance costs and flooding, in spite of the city’s drainage improvements. Owners, Freeman said, pay a high cost.
“Many of us have had to pay off mortgages in order to stop paying flood insurance premiums,” he said. “When I stopped paying flood insurance (years ago), it was $12,000 a year.”
The solution is a double-edged sword. Residents could raise their houses to the recommended nine feet of elevation, but then be required to bring everything — original staircases and electrical wiring — up to the Beach’s building code.
Residents continue to rally together, urging city officials to reevaluate their approach towards historic preservation.
“You can’t expect a homeowner to spend $500,000 or $800,000 to raise a house,” Freeman said. “When you raise a house, you have to bring everything up to code. That’s an extra cost.”
This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 6:53 PM.
