96-21873 RESO
RESOLUTION NO.
96-21873
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA GRANTING A
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR DEMOLITION
OF MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE FORMER JUSTICE OF THE
PEACE BUILDING, ORIGINALLY THE "PITTSBURGHER",
AN HISTORIC STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 1575-1577
WASHINGTON AVENUE, INCLUDING DEMOLITION OF
LATER WEST ADDITIONS TO THAT BUILDING, AND
DEMOLITION OF MAJOR PORTIONS OF THE ORIGINAL
ANCHOR HOTEL BUILDING, AN HISTORIC STRUCTURE
LOCATED AT 1581 WASHINGTON AVENUE, ALSO
INCLUDING DEMOLITION OF LATER WEST ADDITIONS
TO THAT BUILDING, IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR THE
RE-CREATION OF THE ORIGINAL 16TH STREET RIGHT-
OF-WAY BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND COLLINS AVENUES
AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN 804 SPACE MUNICIPAL
PARKING GARAGE WITH ACCESSORY RETAIL SPACE ON
THE FIRST FLOOR.
WHEREAS, the Applicants, St. Moritz Hotel Corporation and
Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency, have requested a Certificate of
Appropriateness for Demolition of major portions of the former
Justice of the Peace Building, originally the "Pittsburgher", an
historic structure located at 1575-1577 Washington Avenue,
including demolition of later west additions to that building, and
demolition of major portions of the original Anchor Hotel Building,
an historic structure located at 1581 Washington Avenue, also
including demolition of later west additions to that building, in
order to allow for the re-creation of the original 16th Street
right-of-way between Washington and Collins Avenues and the
construction of an 804 space municipal parking garage with
accessory retail space on the first floorj and
WHEREAS, the former Justice of the Peace Building and the
original Anchor Hotel Building are structures located on the
proposed parking garage site between Washington and Collins Avenues
as
shown
on
the
City
Center/Historic
Convention Village
Redevelopment and Revitalization Area Plan ("Plan"); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Subsection 19-11 of Zoning Ordinance No.
89-2665, Certificates of Appropriateness for the proposed garage
site on the west side of Collins Avenue, as such sites are shown on
the Plan, are granted or denied in accordance with procedures set
forth in the former Zoning Ordinance Section 19; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Subsection 19-6 of former Zoning
Ordinance Section 19, the procedures for granting or denying a
request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of an
historic structure require that the Historic Preservation Board
hold a public hearing and transmit a recommendation to the City
Commission, and that the City Commission then hold a public hearing
and vote on the request; and
WHEREAS, the former Justice of the Peace Building and the
original Anchor Hotel Building are classified as historic
structures in the City's Historic Properties Data Base; and
WHEREAS, on December 14, 1995 the City's Historic Preservation
Board held a public hearing to consider the request, after which
the Board voted ~ to Q to recommend that the request be granted
2
conditioned upon City staff's analysis and recommendations and upon
the proposed parking garage being granted Design Review Approval
and a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Joint Design
Review/Historic Preservation Board ("Joint Board"); and
WHEREAS, on January 9, 1996, the Joint Board held a public
hearing to consider the request, after which it voted ~ to ~, with
1 recusal, to grant approval of the request; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to former Zoning Ordinance Subsection 19-6,
the City Commission has now considered the request at a public
hearing; and
WHEREAS, the City Commission agrees with the recommendation of
the City's Historic Preservation Board that a Certificate of
Appropriateness for Demolition of major portions of the former
Justice of the Peace Building and the original Anchor Hotel
Building be granted as requested.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the request
for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of major
portions of the former Justice of the Peace Building, originally
the "Pittsburgher", an historic structure located at 1575-1577
Washington Avenue, including demolition of later west additions to
that building, and demolition of major portions of the original
Anchor Hotel, an historic structure located at 1581 Washington
3
Avenue, also including demolition of later west additions to that
building, in order to allow for the re-creation of the original
16th Street right-of-way between Washington and Collins Avenues and
the construction of an 804 space municipal parking garage with
accessory retail space on the first floor, is hereby granted.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 24th
day of
ATTEST:
(( 0 ~\- ~ (M.c.~
CITY CLERK
DJT:kw
c:wpwin60\resos\demjopah.res
4
January
, 1996.
MAYOR
FORM APPROVED
LEGAL DEPT.
By.#I~
Date V \ ~ ( <1 (i,
CITY OF
MIAMI
BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH FLORIDA 33139
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM NO. ~
TO:
Mayor Seymour Gelber and
Members of the City Commission
DATE:
January 24, 1996
SUBJECT:
Jose Garcia_pedros~
City Manager .. .
A Resolution of th Mayor and City Commission of the City of Miami Beach, Florida
Granting the Request by the St. Moritz Hotel Corporation and the Miami Beach
Redevelopment Agency for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of Major
Portions ofthe Former Justice of the Peace Building, Originally the "Pittsburgher",
a Historic Structure Located at 1575-1577 Washington Avenue, including Demolition
of Later West Additions to that Building, and Demolition of Major Portions of the
Original Anchor Hotel Building, a Historic Structure Located at 1581 Washington
Avenue, also including Demolition of Later West Additions to that Building, in Order
to Allow for the Re-Creation of the Original 16th Street Right-of-Way Between
Washington and Collins Avenues and the Construction of an 804 Space Municipal
Parking Garage with Accessory Retail Space on the First Floor.
FROM:
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends that the City Commission approve the attached Resolution granting the
request by the St. Moritz Hotel Corporation and Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency for a Certificate of
Appropriateness for Demolition of major portions of the former Justice of the Peace Building and the Anchor
Hotel, located at 1575-1577 and 1581 Washington Avenue respectively. Said demolition would be inclusive
of later west additions to those buildings. The proposed demolition of the Anchor Hotel would enable the
re-creation of the original 16th Street public right-of-way between Collins and Washington Avenues, in
which the hotel currently resides. The requested demolition of the former Justice of the Peace Building
would allow for the construction of an 804 space municipal parking garage with accessory retail space on
the first floor. Major portions of the original front facade and south wall of the former Justice of the Peace
Building, as well as the original two story front facade and lobby area of the Anchor Hotel, would be
retained, restored, and relocated southwestward to be architecturally incorporated into the west elevation of
the proposed municipal parking garage structure.
BACKGROUND
The former Justice of the Peace Building, originally the "Pittsburgher" (1575-1577 Washington Avenue),
is located on the proposed parking garage site between Washington and Collins Avenues, as shown on the
City CenterlHistoric Convention Village Redevelopment and Revitalization Area Plan. The Anchor Hotel
(1581 Washington Avenue) is situated in the original 16th Street right-of way between Washington and
Collins Avenues, which was closed in the late 1930s. The subject structures were classified as historic
structures in the City's Historic Properties Data Base.
AGENDA ITEM
Rl ~
1-2~-q~
DATE
Pursuant to Subsection 19-11 of Zoning Ordinance No. 89-2665, Certificates of Appropriateness for the
proposed parking garage site located between Washington and Collins Avenues as shown on this Plan are
granted or denied in accordance with procedures set forth in the former Zoning Ordinance Section 19 (as
amended prior to May 5, 1994). Pursuant to former Subsection 19-6 of Zoning Ordinance No. 89-2665, the
procedures for granting or denying a request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of a historic
structure require that the Historic Preservation Board, upon holding a public hearing, transmit a
recommendation to the City Commission, which in tum holds a public hearing and votes on the request.
ANALYSIS
On December 14, 1995 the City's Historic Preservation Board held a public hearing to consider the
aforementioned request for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition. The Board voted to recommend
that the request be granted (by a vote of 8-0), conditioned upon staffs analysis and recommendations, as
described in detail in the attached Planning, Design and Historic Preservation Division Staff ReDort for
Historic Preservation File No. 1033, dated December 14, 1995, and further conditioned upon the proposed
parking garage project being granted Design Review Approval and a Certificate of Appropriateness from
the Joint Design ReviewlHistoric Preservation Board.
The Joint Design ReviewlHistoric Preservation Board first considered the request for Design Review
Approval and a Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed parking garage project at its December 5,
1995 meeting, but voted to continue the hearing to its January 9, 1996 meeting in order to allow the
applicant an opportunity to make revisions to the plans in response to concerns raised by Joint Board
members. At its January 9, 1996 meeting, the Joint Board voted to grant Design Review Approval and a
Certificate of Appropriateness for the proposed parking garage project (by a vote of 8-1-1). The conditions
of approval are described in detail in the attached Joint Design Review/Historic Preservation Board draft
Order for Design Review Board File No. 6844, dated January 9, 1996.
The St. Moritz Hotel Corporation and the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency accepted the conditions of
approval imposed by the Historic Preservation Board at its December 14, 1995 meeting as well as those
imposed by the Joint Design ReviewlHistoric Preservation Board at its January 9, 1996 meeting.
Although the proposed parking garage, to be located between Washington and Collins Avenues south of 16th
Street, will not preserve the Anchor Hotel and Justice of the Peace buildings in their entirety, the unique
complexity, magnitude and benefits of the total convention headquarters hotel project must be taken into
special consideration, whereby I) the historic 16th Street right-of-way connecting Washington and Collins
Avenues will be re-created, 2) a parking structure will be provided on the west side of Collins Avenue which
will enable the historic St. Moritz Hotel to be preserved, renovated and extensively restored to its original
elegance and grandeur without being encumbered or overwhelmed by a massive parking structure adjacent
to it on the ocean front of Collins Avenue, 3) for similar reasons the size and height of the new convention
hotel next to the St. Moritz can be kept in more appropriate scale with existing oceanside hotels in the
historic district than if a larger parking structure was placed beneath or appended to it, and 4) substantial
architecturally significant portions of two original 1940 era Art Deco structures will be revealed to public
view once again, after having been hidden behind ancillary structures for nearly five decades, and will be
relocated and integrated into the proposed parking structure in prominent locations on Washington Avenue
near to their original sites.
CONCLUSION
Based on the foregoing, the Administration recommends that the City Commission approve by resolution
the request by the St. Moritz Hotel Corporation and the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency for a
Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition of major portions of the former Justice of the Peace Building,
in order to allow for the construction of an 804 space municipal parking garage with accessory retail space
on the first floor, and demolition of major portions of the Anchor Hotel building, a historic structure located
at 1581 Washington Avenue, in order to allow for the proposed re-creation of the 16th Street public right-
of-way between Washington and Collins Avenues, as recommended by the Miami Beach Historic
Preservation Board.
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