Community members are up in arms over Terra Group’s demolition of a North Beach hotel.
Terra applied for a demolition permit back in November and reportedly started the process of tearing down the Morris Lapidus-designed Biltmore Terrace Hotel last week.
The developer bought the building, previously a Howard Johnson hotel, for $65 million in December 2013. Terra had previously announced it would restore the building and won design board approval last year, Miami New Times reported. Because the hotel, located at 8701 Collins Avenue, isn’t designated historic, the demolition permit isn’t subject to review.
“They misled everyone in the community,” nearby resident and founder of the North Shore Historic District Neighborhood Association Kirk Paskal told the New Times. “We’re all sick about it.” [Miami New Times] — Katherine Kallergis