1628-5 Various Miami Beach TAG: 0111220148
13 of 127, 10 Terms
mh CARILLON HOTEL ALTERATIONS IN DOUBT 08/06/2000
THE MIAMI HERALD
Copyright (c) 2000, The Miami Herald
DATE: Sunday, August 6, 2000 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Neighbors BC PAGE: 3MB LENGTH: 106 lines
ILLUSTRATION: photo: Randall Robinson (A)
SOURCE/CREDIT LINE: By SONJI JACOBS, sajacobs@herald.com
MEMO: MIAMI BEACH
CARILLON HOTEL ALTERATIONS IN DOUBT
The Carillon Hotel may soon share the fate of several other Miami Beach
hotels built in the post-World War II era.
For four years, it has been slated to be partially demolished and
transformed into an ultramodern, high-rise hotel and condominium complex - but
preservationists are once again rallying to save the hotel.
Why? Because approval from the city's Design Review Board - which enables
the developer to obtain a building permit and move forward with construction -
was set to expire in July.
Randall Robinson, a preservationist and planner with the Miami Beach
Community Development Corp. , wants the project's architects to go back to the
drawing board and submit different designs.
He points to the hotel's glass facade on Collins Avenue and the
"accordion" wall of its ballroom building as two of its most unique and
noteworthy architectural features.
"It would be like a beacon to the area, " said Robinson, pointing to the
hotel's glass wall high above Collins Avenue. "Imagine it at night, with all
the windows lit up from inside. "
'57 CLASSIC
The Carillon, 6801 Collins Ave., was designed by Miami Beach architect
Norman Giller and built in 1957. The Miami Beach Resort and Hotel Association
awarded it "Hotel of the Year 1957" - in a tie with the Radisson Deauville.
Both hotels are examples of Miami Modern architecture - large, lavish
buildings built in the post-World War II boom time of the 1950s and '60s. •
Famous "MiMo" hotels on the Beach also include the Eden Roc and
Fontainebleau. ft
The Carillon has been empty nine years. Now, its glass panes reveal only
dark, vacant hotel rooms. In the main lobby, strips of paint peel from the
walls, dripping water echoes off the cavernous walls and mosquitoes swarm in
the dank air.
A giant chandelier, dusty coral pink draperies and an ocean vista behind
the large windows facing east are the only reminders of the hotel's
jet-setting days when it attracted headliners including Dean Martin and Frank
Sinatra. •
"I think something needs to be done, " said architect Giller. "It's a
crime the way it's just sitting there. It's an eyesore. "
The architect, who is especially proud of the building's flat-slab
construction (he says it was the first building south of Washington, D.C. , to
be built without beams between the floors) , would like to see the hotel
renovated or developed in a way that retains some of its architectural
highlights, such as the accordion wall.
He may not get his wish.
•
•
FREEZING
In 1991, Transnational Properties, a group of South American and European
investors, bought the property for $12.2 million. It announced plans in 1996
to transform the empty hotel into a condominium/hotel complex, designed by the
firm Arquitectonica.
But the project has been delayed over the years by several disputes and
appeals. Recently, Transnational filed a lawsuit against the city of Miami
Beach. In effect, the suit put a stay on the July expiration of its Design
Review approval and gave Transnational extra time to pull permits and arrange
its financing.
Now, the owners plan to finally move forward with the $200 million
construction project and pull a building permit in the next few weeks, said
Transnational consultant Paul Murphy.
The current design plans call for renovation of the existing 16-story hotel
building, construction of a 20-story condo/hotel with a 20,000-square-foot spa
and a seven-story parking garage with a 30-story condo on top of it.
Preservationists like Robinson say they are upset because the accordion
wall will be torn down under those plans and the 37-story condo/parking garage
was approved by the city prior to the passing of an ordinance limiting
structures in the area to 22 stories.
The condo tower was originally intended to be 52 stories, Murphy said. The
city's continued height restrictions have caused delays to the project - and
111 created financial problems, he said.
Transnational had intended to bring in Swissotel as the hotel operator;
that deal has since fallen through.
i
"Financing is a big issue because no one trusts Miami Beach, " Murphy
kl
said. "We're in a situation where we've been downsized three times and have
been in a contest with the city over design review approvals. "
Murphy acknowledges Transnational filed several lawsuits and appeals to
extend the expiration of their design review approvals, but said his clients
had no choice in order to prevent their approvals from expiring.
He also contends the owners have made several concessions to the
preservationists, such as agreeing to incorporate the original hotel tower,
awning, bell structure and signature "Carillon" plaque.
Last year, the city's MiMo preservationists rallied unsuccessfully to save
two other hotels: The Bel-Aire, 6515 Collins Ave. , and the Royal York, 5875
Collins Ave. Other MiMo hotels that have been demolished over the years
include the Lombardi at 63rd Street and Collins Avenue, and The Algiers,
designed by Morris Lapidus, at 26th Street and Collins Avenue.
CAPTION: DAVID BERGMAN/HERALD STAFF MIAMI MODERN: Randall Robinson is among
those trying to save The Carillon Hotel, 6801 Collins Ave., with its accordion
wall.
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