LTC 207-2003
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.~''"' nl:Yl3
lQ
From:
Mayor David Dermer and Date: September 8, 2003
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez /\,../"'~
City Manager U jJ
NEW WORLD SYMPHONY - ALTERNATE SITE - FRANK GEHRY LETTER
To:
Subject:
In connection with items R7F and R7G on the September 10, 2003 City Commission
Agenda relative to the New World Symphony, attached please find a letter from Gehry
Partners, LLP regarding the Alternative Site also known as TOPA Lot. The letter
summarizes Frank Gehry's findings and the limitations imposed by the alternate site.
If you have any questions, please contact me.
JMG\~\rar
F :\cmgr\$ALL \LTC-03\NWS GehryLetters.CMC.rar.doc
c: Christina M. Cuervo, Assistant City Manager
David Kelsey
Supplemental Information - 9/10/03 City Commission Agenda
Gehry Partners, LLP
frank Gehry
Jim Glymph
Randy Jefferson
Terry Bell
Edwin Chan
George Metzger
Marc Salettc
Craig Webb
September 5, 2003
Howard Herring
President and CEO
New World Symphony
541 Uncoln Road
Miami Beach, Fl 33139
Via E-mail
howardh@nws.org
Dear Howard, .
After careful consideration of the documents I received under the David Kelsey cover letter, I
must tell you that limitations of the alternate site make it unacceptable for the following reasons:
1. The visual impact of a structure sited within the Master
Plan area is powerful. The building and surrounding developments will be visible from Lincoln
Road, Washington Avenue, 17th Street, and the Convention Center. In contrast, the alternate
site hides Soundspace from Washington Avenue and Lincoln Road.
2. The alternate site forces Soundspace between two buildings,
restricting the number of facades, a needless limitation given the several areas we are
considering on the Master Plan site.
3. On the alternate site, access to the building would be
constrained, an especially important fact in light of your desire to make the structure an integral
part of the Miami Beach experience for residents and visitors.
4. There should be a rational nexus between Soundspace and
Lincoln Road. The program for Soundspace calls for audiences to move directly from Lincoln
Road to Soundspace performances. Such an impulse decision demands proximity. Likewise, we
want the audience to spill onto Lincoln Road after performances. Such a natural flow of foot
traffic demands near proximity.
5. There is a functional correlation between Soundspace and the Lincoln Theatre.
As I understand the program, the Lincoln Theatre will still be in daily use for rehearsals.
Movement of musicians and instruments across a major thoroughfare to the alternate site makes
little sense when the Master Plan site has only Lincoln Lane as a minor barrier. Soundspace is
intended to be an extension of the New World Symphony campus. A similar consideration is the
size of Soundspace as it is defined. At the further distance of the alternate site, the building will
likely be forced to accommodate program functions currently housed in the Uncoln Theatre.
Increased size will mean increased construction cost.
6. The screen on the side of Soundspace will be an Integral
part of the architecture as well as a focal point for the public space surrounding the building. On
the alternate site, such a grand public statement is impossible because there is no outdoor public
viewing a rea.
12541 Beatrice Street. Los Angeles, California 90066
Tel: 310.482.3000 Fax: 310.482.3006
Gehry Partners, LLP
7. We recognize that parking is a major issue In Miami Beach as It is In all urban
areas. I have reviewed the Master Plan and find that It addresses the future parking needs of
the City. My experience tells me that the fears about parking indicated by the alternate site
material are unwarranted.
As you know from our past conversations, I can only undertake a small fraction of the projects
proposed to me. I chose Soundspace because it is building that will influence the future of
music, support the Important work of the New World Symphony, and have a lasting impact on
the City of Miami Beach. You and the City of Miami Beach are about to make a major investment
in the project. You should give it every chance for success. That begins by giving me the
latitude to select a building site as the Master Plan allows, not in a restricted area proposed in the
alternate plan.
12541 Beatrice Street, Los Angeles, California 90066
Tel: 310.482.3000 fax: 310.482.3006