Marlborough House building collapses in Miami Beach; 1 injury reported

First phase of demolition was set to begin Monday morning at 8 a.m. and last for two weeks

(Credit: Twitter)
(Credit: Twitter)

UPDATED, July 23, 4:15 p.m.: A Miami Beach condo building being demolished collapsed Monday morning, injuring at least one person.

The waterfront building at 5775 Collins Avenue, formerly known as the Marlborough House, had a demolition permit but not an implosion permit, according to the Miami Beach Police Department’s Twitter account.

Samuel Landis, a 42-year-old project manager, remains in critical condition at Jackson Memorial Hospital, a Miami Beach spokesperson said. The police department is now leading a criminal investigation.

“We are monitoring the situation and our hearts and prayers are with the injured construction worker and his family. Any questions involving the incident should be directed to Winmar Construction, Inc.,” Marcelo Kingston of Multiplan said in a statement.

Brazilian billionaire developer José Isaac Peres, founder of Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management, received approval in December to redevelop the site into an 89-unit, 17-story luxury condo building designed by Arquitectonica.

The first phase of demolition was set to begin Monday morning at 8 a.m. and last for two weeks, said Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier.

The developer originally filed an application for a demolition by implosion in August 2017, but submitted a new permit for a “conventional” demolition that November. Winmar, a Coastal Construction affiliate led by Luis Leon, was the contractor, according to Miami Beach Building Department records. Leon said in a statement that AlliedBean Demolition, a subcontractor, was responsible for performing all of the project’s demolition work, and deferred questions to Allied.

The Fort Lauderdale-based demolition company could not immediately be reached for comment.

The 13-story, 110-unit building no longer had residents, according to the Miami Herald. It was built in 1961.

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The Miami Beach Design Review Board approved Multiplan’s proposal for the once-contentious project after modifying designs for the building to include public beach access and a reduction in the building’s width.

In June, Multiplan’s Marcelo Kingston told The Real Deal that work on the building began in May and was expected to continue until August.

The developer planned to launch sales by the end of this year in a new on-site sales gallery, in time for Art Basel. Multiplan was not going to rely on outside financing to build the project, Kingston said last month.

The developer also filed a notice of commencement in May to build a temporary sales center, property records show.

By Monday afternoon, police reopened Collins Avenue northbound traffic from 55th to 58th streets and southbound. Miami Beach building inspectors confirmed that the adjacent buildings were not impacted by the collapse and are safe, according to the city.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.