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LTC 109-2008 Proposed Expansion of Flamingo Park Local Historic District~~~ ~~ ~ ~ ° ~` ~ ~ ~ 1008 APR i t P I ~ 14 CITY CLE ~Yi~,';~ ~~~~~`~ iC~ OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER NO. 109-2008 LETTER TO COMMISSION TO: M~~yor Matti Herrera Bower and Members of the Cit Commission FROM: City Manager Jorge M. Gonzalez DATE: April 9, 2008 SUBJECT: Proposed Expansion of the Flamingo Park Local Historic District from 6t" Street to 8t" Street on the East Side of Alton Road Pursuant to Section 118-591 of the City Code, when the Historic Preservation Board directs staff to prepare a designation report for a proposed new historic district or site, at a meeting where all property owners of record within a proposed district or site are provided written notice of such meeting within 5 days, "Interim Procedures" are set into motion for any demolition permit within the proposed district boundaries. Such "Interim Procedures" specify that the issuance of any demolition permit within the proposed site or district boundaries requires the approval of the Historic Preservation Board for a period of 60 days from the date the Board directs staff to prepare a designation report. Within this 60 day period the City Commission may, by afive-sevenths vote, deny or modify the proposed designation boundaries. On January 16, 2008, the City Commission passed a motion (7-0), to request the Historic Preservation to reevaluate and reconsider the area on the east side of Alton Road between 7t"and 8t" Streets for possible inclusion in the Flamingo Historic District. On February 12, 2008, the Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 7t" Street and 8t Street. At this meeting, the Board directed staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation report relative to this possible expansion area. Additionally at this meeting, the Board requested staff to place an item on the March 11, 2008 meeting agenda to consider directing staff to prepare a Preliminary Evaluation and Recommendation Report relative to the possible historic designation of the east side of Alton Road between 5t" Street and 6t" Street adjacent to the Ocean Beach Historic District and the east side of Alton Road from 6t" Street to 7t" Street adjacent to the Flamingo Park Historic District. On March 11, 2008, the Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 5'" Street and 7t Street. At this meeting, the Board directed staff to prepare a preliminar~r evaluation and recommendation report for the area located on the east side of Alton Road between 6 Street and 7t" Street, eliminating the area between 5t" Street and 6t" Street from further consideration. On April 8, 2008, the Historic Preservation Board held a meeting to consider a Preliminary Evaluation and Recommendation Report relative to the westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 6t" Street and 82h Street. At this meeting, where all property owners of record within the proposed district were provided written notice 5 days in advance, the Board directed the Planning Department to prepare a formal Historic Designation Report for the proposed westward expansion of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 6'" and 8t" Streets. This action of the Historic Preservation Board has set in motion the aforementioned "Interim Procedures" for any demolition permit within the proposed district boundaries, whereby the requirements for the issuance of a demolition permit, as more specifically set forth in Section 118-591(c) of the City Code, shall be applicable for 60 days from the April 8, 2008 meeting of the Historic Preservation Board. Within these 60 days, the City Commission may, by afive-sevenths vote, deny or modify the proposed designation boundaries; the only City Commission meetings scheduled within this timeframe are on April 16, 2008 and We are committed to providing excellent public service to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community. May 14, 2008. In the event the City Commission elects not to deny or modify the proposed designation, these interim procedures shall continue to apply if the Historic Preservation Board votes to proceed with the designation process at a public hearing with a 30 day notice requirement, as more specifically provided in Section 118- 164 of the City Code. Given the 60 day timeframe required by the Code, the Historic Preservation Board will consider a formal extension of the interim procedures at their May 13, 2008 meeting, unless otherwise directed by the City Commission. Attached, please find a copy of the Preliminary Evaluation and Appraisal Report, prepared by the Planning Department, which outlines the initial evaluation of the pro~osed expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District on the east side of Alton Road between 6'" and 8" Streets. Please note that in this Report the Planning Department recommended that the ~roposed expansion area be limited to include the area on the east side of Alton Road between 7t"and 8" Streets only, and not to include the area between 6t"and 7t" Streets. Following public testimony and discussion the Historic Preservation Board voted unanimously (6- 0-1) to direct the Planning Department to prepare the Designation Report for the expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District on the east side of Alton Road between 6'" and 8'" Streets. Please advise if you would like this matter scheduled for discussion at one of the aforementioned City Commission meetings. If you have any questions or need any additional information about these properties, please contact me. Attachment (1) JMG: G:WHC F:\PLA ALL\CM_RESP1FIamingoParkExpansion6th-8thStreets.doc C: Tim Hemstreet, Assistant City Manager Robert Parcher, City Clerk Jorge G. Gomez, Planning Director Gary Held, First Assistant City Attorney m MIAMIBEACH HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD PRELIMINARY EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION REPORT TO: HISTORIC PRESERVATION BOARD FROM: Jorge G. Gomez, Director ~7~~ Planning Department L~~~ DATE: April 8. 2008 Meeting RE: HPB File No. 5747: Possible Flamingo Park Historic District Westward Expansion along the East Side of Alton Road between 6tH Street and Stn Street PRESENTATION OF PRELIMINARY FINDINGS A presentation by the City of Miami Beach Planning Department to the Historic Preservation Board of a Preliminary Evaluation and Recommendation Report relative to the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 6tH Street and Stn Street. BACKGROUND On March 11, 2008, the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between Stn Street and 7tH Street. At this meeting, the Board directed staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation report for the area located on the east side of Alton Road between 6tH Street and 7tH Street, eliminating the area between Stn Street and 6tH Street from further consideration. On February 12, 2008, the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 7tH Street and Stn Street. At this meeting, the Board directed staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation report relative to this possible expansion area. Additionally at this meeting, the Board requested staff to place an item on the March 11, 2008 meeting agenda to consider directing staff to prepare a Preliminary Evaluation and Recommendation Report relative to the possible historic designation of the east side of Alton Road between Stn Street and 6tH Street adjacent to the Ocean Beach Historic District and the east side of Alton Road from 6tH Street to 7tH Street adjacent to the Flamingo Park Historic District. On January 16, 2008, the City Commission considered and voted on the possible westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to include the area between Stn Street and 14tH Street, on the east side of Alton Road. With all members present, the City Commission voted unanimously (7 to 0) to approve the designation as proposed. In addition, a motion was made to have the Historic Preservation Board consider directing staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation report for the possible westward expansion of the historic district to include Page 2 of 6 HPB File No. 5747 Meeting Date: April 8, 2008 the block on the east side of Alton Road between 7t" Street and 8t" Street by a unanimous vote (7 to 0). On November 27, 2007, the Planning Board considered and voted on the possible westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to include the area between Stn Street and 14t" Street, on the east side of Alton Road. With six members present, and one absent, the Planning Board was tied on whether to recommend designation of only the area between 12tH Street and 14tH Street (i.e., the bungalow colony area), or the entire area between Stn Street and 14tH Street, as proposed by the Historic Preservation Board. On September 11, 2007, the Historic Preservation Board considered and voted on the possible westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to include the area between 7th Street and 8th Street, on the east side of Alton Road. A motion to include the area between 7t" Street and 8t" Street within the proposed historic district westward expansion area failed by a vote of 4 to 3, with no absences. Hence, the Historic Preservation Board recommends the westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to east right of way line of Alton Road between Stn Street and 14t" Street. On August 14, 2007, the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic district to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 7t" Street and 14t" Street. At this meeting, the Board voted to approve the expansion of the historic district boundaries between Stn Street and 14tH Street (5 to 0; 2 absent) and to continue consideration of the expansion of the historic district between 7tH Street and Stn Street to the September 11, 2007 meeting by a separate vote (5 to 0; 2 absent). On September 12, 2006, the Historic Preservation Board approved a motion (6 to 0; 1 absence) to proceed with the designation process and extend the interim procedures for the issuance of a demolition permit, as set forth in Section 118-591 (d), of the City Code of Miami Beach. On September 6, 2006, the City Commission discussed the proposed westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District and took no action to modify the boundaries proposed in the preliminary evaluation and recommendation report. On July 27, 2006, the Historic Preservation Board reviewed the preliminary evaluation and recommendation report with recommendations prepared by the Planning Department relative to the proposed westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District. The Board unanimously approved a motion (7 to 0) to direct staff to prepare a designation report and schedule a public hearing to consider the proposed historic designation. On July 13, 2006, the City of Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board discussed the possible westward expansion of the boundaries of the local Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties on the east side of Alton Road between 7tH Street and 14tH Street. At this meeting, the Board directed staff to prepare a preliminary evaluation and recommendation report relative to this possible expansion area, and further directed staff to schedule a special meeting of the Board. The Flamingo Park Historic District was originally designated by the City of Miami Beach on June 20, 1990, to extend local protection to part of the City that had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The historic district's original boundaries extended roughly from 6t" Street to South Lincoln Lane and from Washington Court to Lenox Court. On November Page 3 of 6 HPB File No. 5747 Meeting Date: April 8, 2008 4, 1992, the City approved the expansion of the northern boundary of the historic district to North Lincoln Lane, in order to include the properties on both sides of Lincoln Road. The current western boundary of the Flamingo Park Historic District generally runs along Lenox Court and/or the extension of its centerline from 6th Street to Lincoln Lane North, except for the area between 8th Street and 14th street where the boundary juts westward to Alton Road, and the area between 16th Street and Lincoln Lane North where the western boundary shifts eastward to the centerline of Lenox Avenue, except for Lots 7 and 8 on Block 46, that are included within the historic district. The presently proposed expansion of the District affects the two blocks to the south of the Flamingo Park Historic District Westward Expansion area, adopted by the City Commission on January 16, 2008. It would include the two blocks on the east side of Alton Road between 6th Street and 8th Street. At present, there are four (4) structures in the subject two block proposed expansion area. Three (3) of these four (4) structures are considered "Contributing" structures. EVALUATION I. Historic Significance As described in the Flamingo Park Historic District designation report, this land was first platted in 1914 by J.E. and J.N. Lummus as the Third Addition to their Ocean Beach Subdivision, before Miami Beach had yet been incorporated. Much of the actual landmass was created by dredging bay bottom onto the native mangrove swamp. In 1916 the Lummus brothers, in financial straits, sold their property west of Washington Avenue to the Miami Ocean View Company, which included Carl G. Fisher, James Allison, James Snowden, and others. The Lummus brothers were also partners in the company until Newton B.T. Roney bought out their interests in 1921. Also in 1921, the Miami Ocean View Company platted the Lenox Manor Subdivision, which comprised six square blocks, from Alton Road to Michigan Avenue between 8th and 11th Streets. The two blocks of the proposed Alton Road Expansion lie in the in Ocean Beach Addition 3. The southern end of the Miami Beach peninsula was the first area to be settled, and the completion of the County (now MacArthur) Causeway in 1920 made 5th Street a major thoroughfare. Alton Road, said to have been named by Carl Fisher after Alton, Illinois, was a major north-south artery on the west side of the island by the 1920s. The heyday of the Florida Boom came to an end in 1926, when the September hurricane was followed by several years of stagnation. By the 1930s, as the Great Depression began, Miami Beach enjoyed a resurgence of resort development, with the construction of hundreds of modest hotels, apartments, and residences that now comprise the world-famous "Art Deco" District (officially known as the Miami Beach Architectural District on the National Register of Historic Places). The three (3) preliminarily determined Contributing structures in the proposed Flamingo Park Historic District westward expansion area were all constructed as apartment buildings between 1947 and 1948, representing the early post-World War I I eras. The contributing structure at the rear of the lot at 621 Alton Road was designed by L. Murray Dixon in 1948. Gerard Pitt designed 755 Alton Road in 1947 and Henry Hohauser designed 759 Alton Road in 1948. II. Architect Biographies: Three of Miami Beach's distinguished local architects are represented in the potential district expansion area, including the following: Page 4 of 6 HPB File No. 5747 Meeting Date: April 8, 2008 L. Murra~Dixon (1901-1949) Lawrence Murray Dixon moved to Miami Beach in 1928 to start his own practice after having worked for the New York City architectural firm Schultze & Weaver. As one of Miami Beach's most prolific architects, his works include: Victor Hotel 1144 Ocean Drive Tides Hotel 1220 Ocean Drive Tiffany Hotel 801 Collins Ave Marlin Hotel 1200 Collins Ave Raleigh Hotel 1777 Collins Ave Ritz Plaza Hotel 1701 Collins Ave Henry Hohauser (1889-1963) Born in New York City and educated at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., Hohauser came to Miami in 1932. He was a practicing architect in Miami Beach for over 20 years and was one of the most prolific. His firm designed over 300 buildings in the Miami area and he is "generally credited with being the originator of modernism in Miami Beach."' Just a few of Hohauser's buildings in Miami Beach's historic districts are: Park Central Hotel 640 Ocean Drive Colony Hotel 736 Ocean Drive Edison Hotel 960 Ocean Drive Cardozo Hotel 1300 Ocean Drive Essex House 1001 Collins Ave Gerard Pitt (1885-1971) was born in New Rochelle, New York, and graduated from Columbia University in 1907. In his early career he worked in New York City and Detroit. He moved to Miami in 1930 and was in partnership with George L. Pfeiffer, 1940-41. Pitt served as supervising architect for the southeast district of the Florida Hotel Commission from 1935 to 1957.2 In Miami Beach, he designed dozens of mostly small-scale apartment buildings in Art Deco and Postwar Modern styles from 1940 to the late 1960s, when he was in his 80s. These include: Lincoln Arms 1800 James Ave. Miljean 1831 James Ave. Tropical Gardens 1600 Collins Ave. Clifton Hotel 1343 Collins Ave. III. Ratio of Contributing Structures There are four (4) existing structures located within the proposed two (2) block expansion area. Three (3) of these are considered "Contributing" structures, or 75%. One (1) structure (constructed in 1969, at 621 Alton Road) is considered "Non-Contributing". The remaining lots on these two (2) blocks are vacant or are occupied by surface parking lots. RECOMMENDATION In reviewing the 600 Block on the east side of Alton Road, staff has noted that the original `belvedere bungalow' wood frame structure that was located near the center of the block, at 621 Alton Road, was 1 Howard Kleinberg, Miami Beach: A History, p. 129. Page5of6 HPB File No. 5747 Meeting Date: April 8, 2008 demolished by its owner, St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church, in 2006, after it suffered major damage from Hurricane Wilma. Anon-architecturally significant one story building, constructed in 1969 and also owned by the church, still remains immediately to its north. Only one small and very modest "Contributing" two story building, designed by L. Murray Dixon and constructed in 1948 (also a part of the St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church complex), remains at the rear of the lot. The balance of the 600 Block between Alton Road and Lenox Court is defined by three surface parking lots. Also in reviewing the 600 Block, staff noted that its western side is largely flanked by the overhead exit ramp of the Mac Arthur Causeway, a harsh and cumbersome structure that obstructs views from the west side of Alton Road. A twenty foot wide alley (Lenox Court) separates the proposed expansion area from the western edge of the existing historic district. The east side of this alley is defined by four large 3 story apartment buildings located at the center of the block, a 2 story apartment building at its north end, and the Catholic Church at its south end. Together, these buildings form a robust western boundary to the existing Flamingo Park Historic District, on the 600 Block. Upon examining the 700 Block, however, staff noted that it has a much more fragile edge on the east side of the 20 feet alleyway, which is comprised of one and two story apartments, gardens and courtyards. Staff believes this delicate edge to the existing historic district warrants the additional protection that could be afforded by expanding the district westward to Alton Road to include the 700 Block. Further, two "Contributing" structures are located adjacent to each other at the north end of this block, 755 and 759 Alton Road. Unfortunately, in January of 2007, two other historic properties were demolished at 725-735, and 745 Alton Road respectively. These lots are currently vacant. The south end of the 700 Block is currently characterized by surface parking lots. In summary, staff does not recommend the westward expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to include all of the properties on the east side of Alton Road between 6t" Street and 7t" Street (the 600 Block) for the following reasons: 1) the historic district already has a robust physical edge along the east side of the alleyway (Lenox Court), comprised of two and three story buildings, 2) only one small Contributing building remains on the block, and is located at the rear of Lot 11, adjacent to the alleyway, where it is minimally visible, and 3) the west side of the block is flanked by the elevated exit ramp from the Mac Arthur Causeway, which obscures views to most of the block from the west side of Alton Road. Pursuant to the above observations and analysis, staff recommends that the Board direct staff to prepare a Designation Report for the possible expansion of the Flamingo Park Historic District to include all properties along the east side of Alton Road from 7t" Street to 8t" Street (the 700 Block) only, for the following reasons: 1) the western edge of the existing historic district between 7t" and 8t Street is architecturally fragile and easily overwhelmed, comprised of one and two apartments and garden areas, 2) two "Contributing" structures, 755 and 759 Alton Road, still survive adjacent to each other at the north end of the block, thus reinforcing the line historic buildings on the 800 Block to the north, and 3) the entire west side of the block is clear of the exit ramp from the Mac Arthur Causeway and is highly visible from the west side of Alton Road. 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