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Puerto Nuevo rendering |
Miami isn’t exactly a bastion of WASP-iness, but the
title of a book about White Anglo-Saxon Protestants —
A Privileged Life: Celebrating WASP Style — was
enough to make a match with Epic Residences & Hotel,
a posh new downtown development. Book author
Susanna Salk, the
epitome of upper-crust breeding and style, accompanied
by designer Steven Stolman, signed books and
discussed the ultimate lifestyle at a cocktail event
hosted by developers Ugo Colombo and Alfredo and
Diego Lowenstein at the riverside site of Epic.
Irony reigned, of course (this is Miami, after all), and
Stolman himself commented that as a nice Jewish boy from
West Hartford, Conn., he didn’t exactly fit the profile.
But he realized that WASP style has really more to do
with a certain sensibility than a religious persuasion.
To quote from the book: “So what exactly is WASP style
other than an oxymoron? It’s a chiming clock on the
mantle, cashmere, pearls and the smell of Bay Rum — it’s
a certain joie de vivre mixed with polite
restraint — served on the rocks in a double
old-fashioned. It’s as comfortable as an old club chair
and as American as apple pie.”
Movin’ to Miami …
Downtown
Much recent discussion of downtown Miami has focused on
the fact that more people need to live in the city core
to make it truly alive round the clock. Loft 4, just
announced by the Related Group as the latest in its
series of urban high-rises, should help bring new
residents to the heart of Miami’s central business
district.
Architectural firm Cohen, Freedman, Encinosa &
Associates has designed a 36-story tower with 404
residential units with one- or two-bedroom floor plans,
and approximately five retail units on the ground floor
at 151 SE First St., just west of Biscayne Boulevard.
Loft 4 units will feature 10-foot ceilings, balconies
and kitchens with high-gloss white cabinetry, terrazzo
countertops and energy-efficient stainless steel
appliances. Building amenities include manned security;
high-speed elevators; a sun terrace with open-air
swimming pool and wet bar area; a clubroom; a fully
equipped fitness center with cardio theater and separate
weight training area, spa and sauna; a great room; and
an outdoor barbecue area. The high-tech building will
also boast smart building technology and be prewired for
high-speed Internet, data and voice capabilities.
Loft 4, being developed through the Related’s dedicated
Attainable Housing Division, will offer units priced
from $139,000 and 85 percent of its units will cost less
than $300,000. A 5 percent deposit is required. The
company says it hopes to attract employees of the city
of Miami and Miami-Dade County as buyers. The Loft 4
sales center is located at 201 NE Second Ave.
Or Near the River
More good news for buyers looking for comparatively
modestly priced condos in Miami. Puerto Nuevo, a
new, nine-story mid-rise at 1144 NW S. River Drive,
alongside the Miami River and adjacent to the Health
District, will offer 98 one- and two-bedroom units
priced from $194,000. For a short time, the developer,
Urbanice, Modern Life Developers, is offering a
special split 5 percent down. That means buyers only
need to put down 2.5 percent of the purchase price at
contract, with the remaining 2.5 percent due when the
building tops off. Fortune International Realty is the
exclusive sales agent for Puerto Nuevo. Find out more at
the sales center: 2550 SW 27th Ave., #101, Miami.
Topping off
Goodbye hard hats and shovel photo ops; hello
spirit-appeasing trees! As fewer projects break ground,
the focus is switching to those nearing completion and
the topping-off ritual that goes with it. Jade Beach,
Fortune International’s development at 17001 Collins
Ave., Sunny Isles Beach, celebrated completion of the
property’s last structural deck at a height of 549 feet.
Now in its final stage of construction, the 51-story
tower, designed by a team that includes architect Carlos
Ott, prepares for a May 2008 opening.
To Tear Down and
Build Anew
A fresh take on ends and beginnings: a flag ceremony to
commemorate the closing of the Sheraton Bal Harbour and
the welcoming of St. Regis Resort & Residences, Bal
Harbour. With the Bal Harbour Honor Guard (yes
really!) saluting a slew of VIPs including Thomas
Hunker, the Bal Harbour Police Department’s chief of
police; Serge Rivera, president and managing director of
real estate development for Starwood Hotels; Jorge
Perez, chairman & CEO, the Related Group of Florida; and
Alicia Cervera Lamadrid, president, Related Cervera
Realty Services, the Sheraton flag was slowly lowered
and the St. Regis flag raised. Quite a remarkable way to
say goodbye! But shed a small tear for an icon of South
Florida hotels as the original Morris Lapidus-designed
Americana disappears in a cloud of dust later this
summer. The Sheraton Bal Harbour, located on an enviable
nine-acre oceanfront site opposite Bal Harbour Shops,
will be replaced by three all-glass 27-story towers
housing St. Regis Resort & Residences’ five-star resort
hotel and condominium.
Liquidation Sale
And speaking of: Everything is on sale, even if it’s
nailed down, at the 654-room Sheraton Bal Harbour
at 9701 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour. The public is invited
to browse and purchase the hotel contents — items such
as room, public space and pool deck furniture; fitness
equipment; bedding; color TVs; bathroom fixtures; marble
sinks; commercial A/C and laundry units; carpeting and
drapes; artwork from local artists; and banquet and
catering items. Prices range from $1 to $30,000.
The sale starts Thursday, July 12, and runs daily from 9
a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sundays, until
everything is sold. Admission is free but expect to pay
for parking across the street at Bal Harbour Shops.
The Miami Effect
Spread the style! Last week we mentioned the Casa
Casuarina influence going to Raleigh, N.C. Now San
Diego, Calif., is due for some upscale South Beach vibe.
The Setai Group will be the official hotel operator for
The Setai San Diego, formerly known as The
Diegan, in downtown San Diego's trendy Gaslamp Quarter.
West Coast developer Fifth Avenue Partners, together
with John P. Conroy Jr. and Jonathan Breene of The Setai
Group, are launching the first, uber-luxury five-star
condominium hotel in San Diego and the first Setai hotel
development in the United States since Setai Miami made
the scene a couple of years ago.
Kudos
To:
Alterra Capital Group, a Miami-based real estate
investment firm, whose members recently spent a day
sprucing up the exterior of the Boys & Girls Club of
Miami-Dade Hank Kline Club. Working under the umbrella
of the company’s Spotlight Charity organization, in
collaboration with Hands On Miami, Alterra volunteers
upgraded landscaping, paint, signage and walkways. Every
six months, Alterra selects a new cause to “spotlight”
and colleagues, family and friends raise funds or sweat
equity!
Coming up
Saturday, 1-3 p.m. at 5659 W. Flagler St., Miami.
First-time Homebuyers Education Seminar presented by
GMAC Mortgage, LLC, War on Poverty and Hispanic
Coalition. Funding by Freddie Mac. Seminar materials
will be available in both English and Spanish. Admission
is free. Registration and info:
305-579-2672. (Note: The Miami seminar is part of a
series continuing through the fall that provides
comprehensive information on the process of buying a
home. In addition, participants will be able to consult
one-on-one with a GMAC Mortgage loan officer and begin
the preapproval process.)
Helen Hill is a
freelance writer specializing in real estate and
lifestyle topics.
Please send news
items on Miami-Dade real estate to
hhill@miamisunpost.com.
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letters@miamisunpost.com.
