The Standard in Miami Beach to undergo major renovation, will demolish east wing

UPDATED May 4, 11:55 a.m.: Less than two months after André Balazs stepped down as chair of the Standard Hotels brand, the company is moving forward with a major renovation of its Miami Beach location.

Standard International, through its holding company Ferrado Lido LLC, submitted an application to the Miami Beach Design Review Board seeking to demolish the east wing of its MiMo-style property at 40 Island Avenue, formerly known as the Lido Spa Hotel.

The board voted unanimously to grant the request on Tuesday, which will allow Standard International to build a new three-story structure that will have parking spaces for 76 cars on the ground level and hotel rooms in the upper levels. The east wing currently houses 41 rooms, and the hotel’s popular outdoor restaurant, the Lido Bayside Grill. The current spa connects to the east wing, but is not part of it and the demolition will not affect spa operations, a spokesperson said. The spa will undergo “minor cosmetic upgrades,” the spokesperson said.

After the renovation, the room count will remain the same: 100, but the 41 rooms in the newly constructed east wing will have higher ceilings.

Project architect Rene Gonzalez and Standard attorney Monika Entin told board members the renovation would solve The Standard Spa, Miami Beach’s parking woes, decrease traffic congestion along Venetian Way and create more distance between the hotel and its residential neighbors on Farrey Lane. “Our intention is to think about the quiet nature of The Standard and how we can maintain that as we make it more useful and bring it up to date in many ways,” Gonzalez said.

He also added that the new building would be constructed at a higher elevation due to sea level rise and flooding in the area. “It is our responsibility to address sea level rise,” Gonzalez said. “It is equally important for private clients to address this in their new structures.”

In addition to tearing down the east wing, the plans also call for minimal demolition of the front facade in order to build a car lane that will lead into the new garage. However, Standard International stressed in its application that the portion of the front facade with the most prominent MiMo features will remain intact. “The retention of the recognizable, front facade has been a critical part of this renovation,” the Feb. 21 application letter states.