Recently, I browsed the book From Sandbar to Sophistication — the Story of Sunny Isles Beach by Seth H. Bramson, published earlier this year. Full of old pictures and postcards of the motels and local fun places (plus traffic jams circa 1962), the book oozes nostalgia for the beach resort that was a family tourist destination way back when.  While the book celebrates the transformation of Sunny Isles Beach into a sophisticated city of towering condos and condo hotels, I could not find any mention of the late Bill Lone, a marketing whiz who came up with the idea of adding “Beach” to the name of the new city of Sunny Isles. (He also put the Beach in Hallandale’s name!) In the decades since, Sunny Isles Beach has grown beyond belief, with ever more luxury buildings reaching for the sky.

Just announced is Park Place on the Ocean, a 33-story luxury residential condominium, oceanfront at 17475 Collins Ave., and next to the city’s two-acre park. Following the trend to fewer, larger and more luxurious/costly units in new buildings, Park Place has only 103 residences ranging from one bedroom of 1,397 square feet to two- and three-bedroom residences of 1,741 to 2,885 square feet, plus two four-bed, four-bath penthouses ranging from 6,854 to 7,916 square feet plus immense balconies. All the units offer unobstructed views of the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway and Biscayne Bay. Prices start at $800,000.

The building, designed by Miami architect Kobi Karp Architecture & Interior Design, features all the expected amenities: owners’ lounge, beachfront infinity-edge pool with spa, private poolside and beach cabanas, plus a spa with wellness area, lounge, treatment room, sauna, steam room and plunge pool on the third level. According to marketing materials, “a poolside library adds to the setting’s refinement.” More practically, the building incorporates state-of-the-art technology, so residents can access unit features from anywhere in the world. Groundbreaking is set for November 2007, with completion projected for September 2009.

Park Place on the Ocean developer is the Real Estate Development Group, LLC. Its projects include OceanBlue, Villas of Vizcaya, Brickell Villas and Lake Buena Vista Resort. Fortune International is the exclusive sales agent for the project, with a sales office nearby at 17121 Collins Ave.

 

Russians Rushing to Buy

Like most of the old Sunny Isles Beach motels, The Desert Inn on a prime oceanfront site at 17141 Collins Ave. is gone, to be replaced by Da Vinci on the Ocean, a luxury boutique 27-story building with only 69 residences, each with a direct ocean view (three per floor with private elevators and foyers) and ranging in size from 2,133 to 4,985 square feet. In addition to the 60 two- and three-bedroom units, there are nine penthouses (three of them two-story), ranging from 4,061 to 5,189 square feet. Buyers can expect lots of marble, glass and luxury fittings along with amenities that include a sports bar, resort-style pool, fitness center and spa, the Club Mona Lisa and concierge services.

A recent event in the on-site sales center of the “quintessential enclave for resort-style, condominium living” invited guests to rub elbows with the Valaretti Twins, Russian junior tennis pros and socialites, and a slew of Russian jet-setters while celebrating the launch of “Luxe World with Anolan Magazine — Russian edition.” Anolan Dragitsch, who is also an agent with Sol Sotheby’s, already has an English edition of the magazine. Now this new quarterly publication is targeting very wealthy Russians looking to purchase properties in Miami, New York, London, Moscow and the Caribbean. E! Entertainment Television cameras were there to capture the scene.

For the record, Da Vinci is being developed by L. William Rudnick and Thomas N. Yianilos, principals of Waterbrook Developers, LLC. Architect is Kobi Karp and interior design is by Steven G. Residences. Prices start at $1.8 million, with penthouses priced from $3.5 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2007 with completion projected for late 2009.

 

Kobe Does Kimpton

Earlier this month we wrote about Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants coming to downtown Miami (to partner with Epic Residences & Hotel). But San Francisco-based Kimpton, known for its “cool” factor, individuality and commitment to ecological practices, will be hanging out its flag first in Sunny Isles Beach at Sole on the Ocean Resort & Spa, scheduled to open in fall 2007. Wavestone Properties is the developer and Kobi Karp the architect.

The From Sandbar to Sophistication book praises Kobi Karp’s architecture in reshaping the look and feel of Sunny Isles Beach and cites Sole on the Ocean as a striking example of Karp’s work. “His bold, new designs and glamorous concepts have the same effect on Sunny Isles Beach as Morris Lapidus on Miami Beach’s great hotel designs.”

 

Bulldozer Rules

In Miami-Dade we’re reasonably proud of our woggles, cheese holes, swirls, curls and brise soleil that define exuberant 1950s architecture. Preservation of MiMo (Miami Modern) buildings is very much on the radar here.

Alas, not in our neighboring county. Last week, South Florida lost one of its most inspiring pieces of Mid-Century Modern architecture: The Americana in Fort Lauderdale, designed by Charles McKirahan in 1959. Despite efforts by the Broward Trust for Historic Preservation to save the Best Western motel with the fab swooping roof, it was demolished to make way for developer Ron Mastriani’s 12-story hotel complex called The Sails.

 

From Land to Sea

 

Key International has made an impact in Miami with several high-profile developments and properties including South Beach Marriott, Eden Roc, The Ivy, Mint, 400 Sunny Isles, Belle Isles Apartments, Golden Key Community, 848 Brickell Plaza, Financial Federal, Sunset Plaza, Brickell Mar, 407 Lincoln Road and Bay View Tower.

Now Key CEO Jose Ardid and his sons Iñigo and Diego Ardid, together with the Chapur family of Merida, Mexico, have launched Aquasino, a 228-foot luxury casino yacht that boasts Class III, Las Vegas-style games, the only gaming destination of its kind in South Florida. At the recent launch party, guests enjoyed games including baccarat, blackjack, poker and craps — and, for some of us, the nickel slot machines. (Who needs the genteel click, click of gaming clips when you can listen to the musical clatter of coins dropping into the winners’ rack!) It was a good party: Guests dressed Miami-style, in everything from full evening gowns to shorts and denim (with abundant scenic attractions in décolleté dresses), and danced on the top deck to sounds spun by DJ Irie. Food and drink flowed steadily to keep the mood going and a cabaret performance added to the entertainment. Proceeds from the night’s gaming raised more than $7,000 for the American Red Cross.

Aquasino sails five days a week from the Miami Beach Marina at 390 Alton Road, Pier A, in South Beach. Cruises cost $40 per person and include a complimentary beverage from the yacht’s full bar, dinner buffet, live music and scintillating views of the Miami skyline and Atlantic Ocean. Cocktails should keep casino punters happy while they try their luck at baccarat, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, Sportsbook, slots, three-card poker, Let It Ride and much more.

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.