A new garage with an array of whimsical facades is set to open in Miami’s Design District by the end of the month.
Featuring designs by five high-profile architects, the seven-story Museum Garage on 41st Street and Northeast First Avenue will house ground-level retail and space for 800 cars.
The Miami Design District is majority owned and operated by Miami Design District Associates, a partnership between Dacra and L Catterton Real Estate. That in turn is owned by private equity firm Catterton, LVMH and Groupe Arnault.
Dacra President and CEO Craig Robins and L Catterton Real Estate hired architect Terence Riley to develop the concept and curate the work of architects from around the world. Their firms include WORKac, J. Mayer H., Clavel Arquitectos and Nicolas Buffe, plus Riley’s architectural firm Keenen/Riley. Each architect was assigned an area and depth to build out, and was given full creative reign. The cast concrete parking structure was designed and engineered by the Miami office of Tim Haahs.
The new garage is the fourth to open in the Design District, following the opening of the Palm Court Garage in 2014, the City View Garage in 2015 and the Paradise Plaza Garage late last year.
Robins has spearheaded the transformation of the district into a luxury shopping, dining and cultural destination, with dozens of designer boutiques including Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Bulgari and Prada.
In all, the partnership is developing 1 million square feet of space and has development rights to another 1.5 million to 2 million square feet on its remaining property, Robins has said. Recent openings include the Institute of Contemporary Art, St. Roch Market in the Palm Court and Paradise Plaza with new shops including the House of Creed, Rag & Bone and Joseph, as well as public art installations.
In recent years, other major investors have followed Robins’ lead. Brooklyn-based Redsky Capital and its joint venture partner, London-based JZ Capital Partners, are now likely the second-largest land owners, while New York-based Helm Equities, the Gindi family, Thor Equities and David Edelstein’s TriStar Capital are also significant property holders in the district.