Mansion nightclub’s former space on Washington Avenue in South Beach is on the market for lease at $70,000 a month or $840,000 a year, The Real Deal has learned.
John Brandt’s family has owned the building at 1225-1265 Washington Avenue since the 1950s, and this is the first time it is available for lease since 1984 because operators have always traded the lease to successive operators, he said. The space was most recently Copa Room, which moved out June 1. Before that, it was Icon, and previously, Mansion, Glam Slam — owned by Prince — and Club Z. Early on, it also home to a French casino and a vaudeville theater.
Over the years, the property’s operators have been ensnared in a slew of lawsuits, including an eviction suit against Club Z. At least one shooting in the VIP section led to the death of Miami Heat player Norris Cole’s personal chef, Antaun Teasley, in 2014, according to published reports.
Brandt said he and his brothers are now looking for an experienced nightclub operator, and would also consider other uses. The Lincoln Theatre on Lincoln Road, for example, is now leased to retailer H&M.
The Brandts’ nearly 77,000-square-foot, three-story building was built in 1934. The nightclub space is actually 29,000 square feet, including the first floor and a mezzanine. That would set the price for that space at $29 per square foot annually.
Washington Avenue is experiencing a wave of redevelopment, amid the city’s approval of new measures designed to increase hotel space and retail and dining opportunities on the street, which has lagged behind Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive in attracting first-tier retail, dining and hotel venues.
New projects planned include Moxy South Beach, a seven-story, 202-room boutique hotel to replace aging storefronts at 915-947 Washington Avenue; a micro hotel to be developed by Miami Beach developer Andrew Joblon and New York-based Imperial Companies at 601-685 Washington Avenue; and a mixed-use project with a parking garage, hotel and retail components at 900 Washington Avenue, to be developed by Robert Finvarb and Michael Simkins.