1628-10 Various Miami Beach DATE: Thursday, February 19, 2004 EDITION: Final
SECTION: Neighbors BC PAGE: 3MB LENGTH: 62 lines
CITY ORDERS DEMOLITION OF OLD HOTEL
The Monte Carlo Hotel, one of the 1950s-era hotels in the North Beach
Resort Historic District that was recently preliminarily approved by the City
Commission, may soon be gone.
In a blow to preservationists, an emergency demolition order for the
13-story hotel was issued by the city's Building Department last week, after
an analysis by engineers determined that the building has structural
deficiencies so profound that it "could possibly collapse. "
The hotel, at 6551 Collins Ave., is one of the important examples of the
Miami Modern, or MiMo, architecture that the historic district was meant to
save. The first part of the building was built by architect Roy France in
1948. A major addition, designed by Albert Anis and Melvin Grossman, was
constructed three years later.
It has stood vacant for more than a decade, a fact that city officials say
likely contributed to its demise.
The 1951 addition included a basement, and several feet of water had pooled
there, eating away at the columns. A private engineer hired by the owners
wrote in a report that concrete was falling off the cracked columns, revealing
corroded reinforcing beneath.
"This is a building that represents the work of three famous architects,
and this demolition order is the kind of thing that drops your heart into your
stomach, " said William Cary, design and preservation director for the city's
Planning Department.
"Everyone is asking, 'Why is there not an alternative?' and it's like
having a friend or a relative in the hospital and you're searching for every
possible way to keep the patient alive. "
There isn't much hope for the Monte Carlo, according to building officials.
"The building is in bad shape, and there doesn't seem to be any way to
save even part of it, " said city Building Director Phil Azan.
The owners, from a company listed as Monte Carlo LLC, had planned to build
an addition on the building and sell it as condominiums, Cary said.
Since the emergency demolition order was issued, the owners have applied
for a demolition permit, which hasn't yet been issued by the city.
If they fulfill all the requirements for the permit, such as creating a
demolition plan, the building could be destroyed as soon as next month, Cary
said.
Representatives from Monte Carlo LLC could not be reached to comment for
this article.
The Historic Preservation Board has scheduled an emergency meeting for
Monday to consider the issue of the Monte Carlo, though the board has no power
to stop the demolition.
The demolition order for the Monte Carlo shines light on an issue that has
been causing debate in preservation circles: neglect of historic buildings
that ultimately leads to their demolition.
"Clearly there is a pattern here and we should be learning from these
occurrences so that we don't allow vacant buildings to deteriorate, " said
Randall Robinson, a preservation board member.
"Demolition by neglect is one of the final frontiers of preservation
because it involves private property, and it's a tough thing to really put a
stop to. "
In May, Mayor David Dermer established a committee to look into identifying
ways of preserving the structural integrity of historical buildings, and the
commission is scheduled to issue a report soon.
.a