Miami Beach OKs apartment building conversion to boutique hotel

Henry Hohauser-designed building was constructed in 1939 as a 50-key hotel

Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue (Getty)
Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue (Getty)

An investor plans to convert an Art Deco apartment building in Miami Beach back to its original use as a hotel.

The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board on Tuesday approved plans for the Henry Hohauser-designed property at 1360 Collins Avenue. The owner, led by Jim Cavanaugh of Miami Beach, plans to redevelop the 25-unit building into a hotel with a new rooftop deck. The board greenlit the certificate of appropriateness for the partial demolition and renovation of the building.

Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue

Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue

The three-story building, constructed in 1939 as a 50-room hotel, now includes a ground-floor restaurant that replaced the former lobby. Records show 1360 Commodore LLC paid $2.8 million for the property in 2004.

Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue

Rendering of the project at 1360 Collins Avenue

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The property owner plans to redevelop the building into a 46-room hotel with units ranging from 206 feet to 349 feet, add a rooftop pool, bring back the historic flagpole, and restore other historic features, including the banding and window eyebrows. The developer will also add back a lobby entrance and front lobby desk, according to the application. Miami-based Beilinson Gomez Architects designed the plans.

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Next door, the Nakash family paid $6 million in May for the 10-room, three-villa property at 1350 Collins Avenue. It’s near their Casa Casuarina hotel, which was previously known as the Versace Mansion.

Both Collins Avenue properties are in the mixed-use entertainment (MXE) district in Miami Beach, where short-term rentals are allowed. In August, residents approved an FAR (floor area ratio) incentive for developers who want to convert existing apartment-hotel properties to residential.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the board voted in favor of the redevelopment of the Shore Club at 1901 Collins Avenue, by denying a rehearing of the board’s May approval. Witkoff and Monroe Capital plan an Auberge-branded luxury hotel and condo project. The Setai, led by the Nakash family, sought the rehearing.