The Village Café, a staple in Miami Shores for the past decade, closed its doors last month.

During the summer, Mooie’s ice cream shop, which had been open for only a year and a half, also shut down, amid a dispute with its landlord.

But a new pizza restaurant already has plans to move into the Village Café’s space. The Mooie’s building is being renovated, with plans for additional tenants to arrive in the future.

So village leaders and residents remain optimistic about downtown’s prospects.

“Our downtown area is bouncing back from the recession. Here we have got an entire city block that is being remodeled. There are lots of small shops and food shops that have opened up,” said Tim Benton, the village manager.

Some residents were not surprised when Village Café shut down in December. Chefs changed, and the food was inconsistent, said resident Kim Krause, who stopped eating there almost two years ago.

Patrick Devaney said it was a good spot for a burger, but a bit pricey.

“It’s closed, and I’m a little disappointed,” Devaney said.

PizzaFiore will move into the café’s former location, at 9540 NE Second Ave. on Feb.1.

The pizzeria’s owner, Arcoub Abderrahim, said it will be his second location; he also has a shop on 71st Avenue in Miami Beach.

Devaney said he would like to see more restaurants in downtown, so he wouldn’t have to drive 15 to 20 minutes to eat out in Aventura as much.

Restaurants, though, need a sewage system and downtown Miami Shores doesn’t have one. Sceptic tanks can’t handle the heavy volumes of wastewater produced by a restaurant, so they have to be emptied frequently.

Village Manager Tom Benton and Mayor Jim McCoy said they are gathering information on what it would take to get a sewage system installed in the downtown area, along Northeast Second Avenue between 94th and 101st streets.

The remodeling of the building where Mooie’s used to be began in July. A company called DVS LLC, owned by Theresa and Richard Caccamise, bought the property in December 2010. Construction is still underway, but Theresa Caccamise said the space will be used for retail.

While businesses in the building like Primal Fit and Integrative Chiropractic remain open, Mooie’s closed in August. The construction interfered with foot traffic and daily business, according to owner Sean Saladino. He has been sued by DVS for back rent, which he said he doesn’t owe. Theresa Caccamise declined to comment.

Saladino considered moving his business, but says he put $25,000 into a septic and drainage system for the shop, which would not be included if he left.

With a population a little over 10,000 in Miami Shores, its size is part of the reason people move there and the close community they find is in part why businesses thrive.

Alison Espinosa and her husband, George, owners of The Village Stand a specialty food shop on 98th Street, have been living in Miami Shores since Spring of 2010.

“It’s a very, very strong sense of community,” said Alison. “Ninety-eight percent of our business is word of mouth.”

Owner of A & A Village Treasures, Amado Mesa, began his gift shop with 400 square feet and moved into a space of 1,000 square feet in April. Mesa is a member of the Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce, and sells jewelry and gifts made by local artists in his shop. He believes connecting with the community and getting involved helped his business thrive.

Mayor McCoy, who is a commercial real estate broker, said now is a good time for building owners.

“We want a main street, a pedestrian friendly environment where the community can congregate,” McCoy said.

A strange soundtrack from a vaguely sci-fi-looking video greets visitors to the ground-floor exhibit at the Bass Museum, "Portrait of a Young Man." The video, along with paintings and works made from electric lights, is by French artist Laurent Grasso. The darkened rooms also hold early Renaissance treasures from the museum's collection, creating a lovely and enlightening mixture.

The idea of enlightenment — and literally, the period of intellectual exploration between the 16th and 17th centuries — is a thematic undercurrent throughout the exhibit. On one wall hangs a neon piece titled "Galileo Stars," an homage to the man Grasso (and many others) considers the father of modern science. It is based on a sketch the astronomer made of a constellation 400 years ago. Grasso chose a light installation as a metaphor for the revelation of new concepts — such as Galileo and the Age of Reason. It's fitting that the only other work in this room is a stunning painting from another pioneer, the early Renaissance painter Botticelli.

In a series of paintings titled "Studies Into the Past," Grasso takes us deeper into his exploration of this period by mixing 15th century historical imagery with his own quirky touches. With the help of art restorers, Grasso reproduced images from classic portraits and landscapes, and then threw in, for instance, a large, floating rock.

The results are surreal yet unmistakably familiar images. An Italian squire rides on horseback, draped in a luscious, rose-colored cape and looking out over a Medieval town, with a huge, unearthly stone about to plop down somewhere in the middle. Grasso's videos placed around the exhibit offer similar sensitivities, but place more emphasis on scientific phenomenon. And throughout this exhibit, we get to see art by the masters of their day, including "The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine," from the workshop of Botticelli.

Grasso also includes a couple of silver-ink silk-screens on aluminum. They are a dramatic departure from the other works in the show, with their lack of color and contrast, yet they're fascinating in their own way. All these works are dimly lit, as if they were on display in an early Renaissance church. Visitors need to peer closely to appreciate them. The result is an excellent melding of the museum's classic collection with the work of a contemporary artist.

On the museum's upper floor is a larger and much different creature, "Erwin Wurm: Beauty Business." While going up the ramp, you'll run smack dab into Wurm's full-length wall, entirely covered in light-pink knit with several socks hanging from the tapestry. Next to it hangs Styrofoam Calvin Klein underwear. There's a thread emerging already, a lighthearted take on fashion and fabric, threads of contemporary life.

In the first main room, the Vienna-based Wurm has turned some midcentury cabinets into seats and drinking establishments. The "Drinking Sculpture" series includes furniture with alcohol bottles hidden in them. During the opening, people were encouraged to grab one and take a swig. The tape of that evening's "performance" is being shown in the room. Scribbled on the various pieces are descriptions such as "the work is finished when you are drunk" and "Francis Bacon Wardrobe."

The next room continues with a knitted theme in some works, but it is harder to grasp and follow. Stonehenge-like, gray pieces titled "The Bobs" dominate, resembling massive sections of the torso and other disembodied parts. Sweaters are stretched across smaller sculptures, referred to as "hoodie" works, and for which the artist is well known.

There is a clear domestic feel to the entire exhibit, but with a push and a pull to what that concept means. Warmth — good — can come from sweaters in your closet, but too much vodka hidden in the furniture? Not so good. (The exhibit shares its title with a comic book Wurm hid in different locations in his childhood bedroom away from his parents.)

"Wurm's greatest insights as an artist are that he believes our feelings about such locations are often mixed," explain the notes for the show, a collaboration with the Dallas Contemporary museum. "That we are often drawn to what both attracts and repels. … If in the space surrounding his objects we experience our own ambivalence about certain issues more intensely, it is because of the way, in theme and structure, his work so elegantly holds contradictory elements in tension."

That is sometimes apparent in the exhibit, and other times, it is more perplexing. What is clear is that a trip to the Bass this winter offers a wide range of examples of what art is, has been and could be.

"Portrait of a Man" and "Erwin Wurm: Beauty Business"

When: Through Feb. 12 ("Portrait") and through March 4 ("Erwin Wurm")

Where: Bass Museum of Art, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach

Cost: $8, $6 seniors, free for members and children under 6

Contact: 305-673-7530 or Bassmuseum.org

Revival on the Horizon for Historic Miami Marine Stadium

January 26, 2012

 

 

By David Sokol

Photo courtesy Spillis Candela DMJM

Miami Marine Stadium, an abandoned Modernist landmark designed in 1963 by then 27-year-old Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela.

 

Photo courtesy Spillis Candela DMJM

 

In a video shot in 2010, Marine Stadium architect Hilario Candela and Miami historian and architect Allan Shulman discuss the structure.

Today, the Miami City Commission is expected to give a nonprofit group the green light to rehabilitate Miami Marine Stadium, an abandoned Modernist landmark designed in 1963 by then 27-year-old Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela. The city, which has owned and operated the stadium since it opened, shuttered the facility in 1992 due to damage from Hurricane Andrew.

The nonprofit group Friends of Miami Marine Stadium (FMMS) has been working for years to revive the building. In addition to getting approval from city commissioners to renovate the structure, the group has secured The Heat Group to run the 6,566-seat stadium once it’s restored—the result of a quiet outreach effort. The Heat Group operates the American Airlines Arena, where the Miami Heat play; company owner Micky Arison is managing general partner of the basketball team.

FMMS cofounder Don Worth says enlisting The Heat Group was a major coup. “We couldn’t pretend our little volunteer group would run it,” he explains. “We had a common vision for the stadium, and this is a perfect fit. They’re a homegrown company with international reach and with all the infrastructure in place.”

The stadium—originally built for powerboat racing—is located on the shore of the 860-acre barrier island Virginia Key in Biscayne Bay. The structure is made entirely of poured concrete and features a hyperbolic parabaloid roof that cantilevers dramatically toward the bay from eight columns. In June 2007, a master plan for Virginia Key recommended demolition of the stadium, spurring local preservationists to establish FMMS in February 2008. The following year the National Trust for Historic Places included the arena in its annual list of the “11 Most Endangered Places,” and in 2010, the World Monuments Fund selected the building for its biyearly “Watch List.”

The preservation efforts have paid off. In July 2010, Miami’s city commissioners approved a new master plan for the island conceived by Candela and FMMS cofounder Jorge Hernandez, with help from students at the University of Miami School of Architecture. The stadium is the centerpiece of the redevelopment scheme. The movement to restore the venue got another boost last year when a local architecture competition organizer, Dawntown, unveiled the winners of an ideas competition to design a new floating stage for the arena.

FMMS has taken full responsibility for the building’s resurrection. Today’s decision by the commission would give the group two years to develop a renovation plan, line up financing, and implement the plan. If successful, the group will then negotiate a long-term lease with municipal authorities. If unsuccessful, the city could decide not to grant the lease. Thanks to a county grant and tax credits for historic buildings, FMMS has already raised $12 million for the approximately $30 million project.

Worth believes the organization’s passion helped get The Heat Group to sign on as its operating partner. “We’ve tried to position Marine Stadium as a Sydney Opera House type of property, something that symbolizes a city,” he says. “The Heat understands the cachet.”

Update 1/26/12: The Miami City Commission did not vote as planned on the Miami Marine Stadium during today’s meeting. The issue was deferred to the commission’s February 9 meeting.

 

 

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Jan. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Capponi Construction Group, a Florida Licensed General Contractor (CGC #045327), has announced a pipeline of commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects in South Florida and Haiti that together are projected to triple the firm's business over last year.

The largest of the projects is Hollywood Beach, a 350,000 square foot multi-use property with 225 hotel rooms, a retail and entertainment component, and four restaurants that will help revitalize historic Hollywood Beach and transform it into a new entertainment district. Other projects in Florida include a 27,000 square foot Historic PineTree Residence, designed by renowned Washington, D.C. architect Dale Overmyer; a 9,500 square foot residence in Coral Gables designed by Kobi Karp; and, Villa Azur, one of South Beach's hottest new restaurants, designed by Francois Fossard and Tai Architecture.

In Jacmel, Haiti, the firm is building a 44-room boutique hotel this year as part of the development of a world-class resort that will ultimately also include retail and touring capabilities. The resort is part of a larger redevelopment of Jacmel that is being led by Capponi Construction Group founder and chairman Michael Capponi in cooperation with the Jacmel Advisory Council. Part of Capponi Construction Group's mission in Jacmel is to create economic opportunity for the local population. To that end, 99% of the construction employees they have hired are Haitian nationals from the local area.

"We are excited and gratified to enter 2012 working with some of South Florida's best developers and architects," said Kenneth J. Gross, President and CEO of Capponi Construction Group. "Our team is dedicated to living up to their highest expectations in terms of service and quality." Mr. Gross, a 40-year veteran of the construction industry, leads a team that has on average over 20 years of hands-on experience with complex construction projects. The firm's recently completed projects include the renovation of the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, which was designed by architect Chad Oppenheim. Currently, as a part of its charitable activities, Capponi Construction Group is providing part pro-bono services to the Miami Rescue Mission for the construction of a 125-bed homeless shelter for men.

"Capponi Construction Group is committed to being the builder of choice for exceptional commercial and residential projects, and to giving back to the communities in which we work in a meaningful way," said Michael Capponi. "Our 2012 pipeline is evidence that we are living up to that vision."

For more information visit www.capponiconstruction.com .

Contact: Felicia Marquez
                 305.695.4410
                 Felicia@capponigroup.com

SOURCE Capponi Construction Group

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

International buyers spurred Miami-area home sales to a new record in 2011, even exceeding sales volume during the height of the real estate boom in 2005, according to figures released Friday.

Broward County results were mixed, although inventory across both counties showed widespread depletions.

A total of 24,929 condominiums and homes were sold in Miami-Dade County, up 46 percent from 2010 and up 4 percent compared to 2005, according to the Miami Association of Realtors and the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service. Condominiums sales surged 54 percent, to 15,009 in 2011, and home sales rose 36 percent to 9,920.

“We’re on the verge of a real estate boom,” said Miami Association of Realtors Residential President Patricia Delinois, citing an array of properties from the Design District and Brickell to Miami Beach.

International investors, with wads of cash, are behind the surge.

“Miami is a top market for international buyers,” Delinois said. “We are attracting people from Latin America, South America, Europe, all over the world. What could they not like in Miami?”

In December, sales of existing single-family homes in the Miami area jumped 16 percent, compared to December 2010. Sales of condominiums rose 22 percent. Those percentage increases beat the change in sales statewide, which dropped 2 percent for both condominiums and single-family homes.

Nationally, sales of existing single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops rose 3.6 percent from December 2010, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Overall, the inventory of residential listings in Miami-Dade dropped 39 percent from 24,278 to 14,087 over the last year, and 8 percent from November 2011 alone, figures show.

Bank-owned properties and short sales, comprising “distressed sales,” drove the rapid absorption, Realtors said. In December, 54 percent of all closed residential sales in Miami-Dade were distressed, compared to 59 percent in December 2010. Unlike a year ago, there are now more short sales closing than bank-owned properties, Realtors said.

“There is a waiting list of investors, with dual and triple offers on REO properties,” said Delinois, who is president and CEO of Century 21 Premier Elite Realty. “We have more of a demand for bank-owned properties than we have a supply.”

Cash sales continue to dominate in Miami-Dade, at 63 percent of total closed sales in December. Cash sales accounted for 42 percent of single-family and 77 percent of condominium closings. Nearly 90 percent of international buyers in Florida purchase properties all cash, Realtors said, compared to 29 percent nationally, reflecting the stronger presence of international buyers in the Miami real estate market.

In the Miami area, the median sales price of condominiums in December spiked 31 percent to $129,900 from a year earlier. The median price of single-family homes jumped 16 percent to $182,300. Statewide median prices in December increased 4 percent to $91,900 for condominiums and 1 percent to $134,300 for single-family homes. The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $164,500 in December, a 2.5 percent drop from December 2010.

In Broward, single-family home sales increased 9 percent in December to 1,082, and condominium sales dropped 8 percent, compared to December 2010.

For the year, total single-family home sales in Broward fell 9 percent to 12,817 in 2011. Condominium sales rose 11 percent, to 16,714 in 2011.

Overall inventory in Broward dropped 35 percent for the year, to 12,997, the figures show.

In December, 46 percent of all closed residential sales in Broward were distressed, and there were more short sales than bank-owned properties.

Cash sales accounted for 38 percent of single-family and 81 percent of condominium closings in Broward.

In December, the median price of single-family homes in the Fort Lauderdale area was $189,600, up 7 percent compared to December 2010. The median price for condominiums dropped 3 percent to $78,200.

MIAMI - An unlikely home improvement show hosted by 1990s rapper Vanilla Ice is set to premiere its second season with the remodeling of another South Florida home.

During the 13-episode run of "The Vanilla Ice Project" on the DIY Network, the artist, whose real name is Rob Van Winkle, and his crew will take a dilapidated Palm Beach County mansion along the Intercostal Waterway and bring it into the 21st century with technology that isn't on the market yet.

Van Winkle's passion for real estate and renovation took hold in the early 1990s, after his hit "Ice Ice Baby" made him an international star with millions in the bank. He first bought a home on Miami Beach's exclusive Star Island. He subsequently bought homes in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles, New York's Greenwich Village and Snowbird, Utah, a skiing and snowboarding destination.

"I went on tour for three years and never saw any of those houses," Van Winkle said.

Fearing they may have been a waste of money, he decided to sell them — and a new career was born.

"I literally made millions of dollars on them," Van Winkle said. "I was like, you gotta be kidding me. It can't be that easy. Let's go buy some more."

After Van Winkle's early 1990s stardom faded, he became more heavily involved in real estate. While he acknowledges that the housing market is different than it was 15 years ago, Van Winkle said he's been able to make money over the years by educating himself, studying markets and taking advantage of short sales and foreclosures. The longtime Miami resident estimates that he's bought and sold more than a hundred homes, most of which were in Florida.

"The Vanilla Ice Project" came together after a producer remembered Van Winkle talking about his real estate experience during an interview for another show.

Matt Levine, with Departure Films, said he had done a special on Vanilla Ice for the Biography Channel several years ago. So when the production company was looking to duplicate the success of "Flip This House," a hit on the A&E Network, Levine said he remembered Van Winkle talking about his real estate experience. When Levine called, he learned that Van Winkle was in the process of buying a large, completely gutted foreclosure in Palm Beach.

"I flew down with a camera, and we shot a little demo of him (Van Winkle) showing off the place and talking about his experience in real estate and what he wanted to do with this house," Levine said. "It was really very impressive, and it became this little teaser reel. And DIY was immediately interested in it."

That house became the project for the first season, which aired in the fall 2010. The show became an instant hit for the DIY Network, and the home sold a short time later.

Levine acknowledged that the oddness of the show's premise — Vanilla Ice doing home improvement — was probably the original draw for most viewers. But they kept watching because of Van Winkle's charisma and expertise, Levine said.

"I think it was unexpected, his likeability and how much he knew," Levine said. "I think once it became clear that he really knew his stuff, people started to look at him in a different way. Instead of seeing him as a one-hit wonder or a blast from the past, people started to appreciate him much more than they expected."

Although Van Winkle has been rebuilding his celebrity over the past decade with appearances on reality shows like "The Surreal Life," Van Winkle and Levine are both quick to point out that "The Vanilla Ice Project" isn't really a reality show.

"'The Surreal Life' is reality TV: no plot, not informative, not anything, just a bunch of celebrities running around, seeing how crazy they can get."

Levine describes "The Vanilla Ice Project" as more of a home renovation show, where the expert just happens to be Vanilla Ice.

"We're not manipulating the story line or coming up with ideas," Levine said. "We're crafting episodes so it's coherent. Beyond that, it's his deal."

Both houses featured on the show were purchased by Van Winkle.

"This is all my own money," Van Winkle said. "It's basically just them following me around, doing what I do."

Van Winkle acknowledges that having the film crew there has given him a chance to boost the scale of his renovations. In the past, the work he did to homes was generally limited to painting, minor repairs and landscaping.

"Since the cameras are on it, these are the best houses I've done," Van Winkle said.

And the new season promises to be even bigger and better than the first.

"I'm showcasing a lot of modern, state-of-the-art home features that you can't even get until 2013," Van Winkle said.

Following the renovation, the mansion will have a helicopter pad, a pneumatic elevator, electronically controlled beds and a 3D movie theatre. They're also tearing out an old swimming pool and replacing it with a lazy river and Tiki hut. The home will be wired so that everything from the televisions to the thermostat to the curtains can be controlled with a smartphone from anywhere in the world.

"Bill Gates wishes he had a house like this," Van Winkle said. "There's stuff he can't even get."

Most viewers might not have the inclination — or the money — to turn their home into a high-tech, rock-star pad, but that doesn't mean they still can't enjoy the show and even learn from it.

"You don't have to put in the elevator; you don't have to put it the lazy river or the huge 3D cinema," Van Winkle said. "But you might like the flooring we used in the garage. It's just snap-in tiles. It's really simple. You can order them anywhere and make your garage a really cool man cave. There are a lot of cool little things that you're going to be inspired by and have ideas to do to your own home."

The second season of "The Vanilla Ice Project" begins Saturday on the DIY Network. The show's first season will run in its entirety twice — starting once at 9 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. At 9 p.m., a special called "Ice My House" will feature a $30,000 renovation of a Dallas couple's pool house. And the first two episodes of the second season are scheduled to run at 10 p.m.

Van Winkle his also holding a Twitter party ((at)VanillaIce) from 8-11 p.m., when fans will be able to ask him questions about the show.

Drake put the properties up for sale last week -- located right next door to each other in Miami's ritzy Marquis highrise -- listing one for $1.9 million and the other for $599,000. Drake combined the two into one MASSIVE condo, and lived in both simultaneously.

The larger one is a sprawling 3,800 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. The "smaller" one-bedroom condo is still gigantic ... at 1,675 square feet.

Drake purchased the properties together in January 2011 for a combined price of $1.903 million. So, if Drake gets his asking price ... he'll make $596,000 in profit (even though no one ever gets their asking price).

But still, it's pretty awesome -- considering all the other famous people who've been forced to sell their real estate at massive losses ... including Beyonce, Terrell Owens and Chris Tucker.

News release from Miami Beach Gay Pride:

Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade & Festival To Host Volunteer Recruitment Orientation

MIAMI BEACH – January 4, 2012 – Calling all volunteers who have Pride -- Miami Beach Gay Pride Parade and Festival will host a volunteer recruitment orientation this Saturday, January 7, at 1 p.m. at MOVA Lounge, 1625 Michigan Avenue, on Miami Beach.  Committee leaders and Board members will be on hand at the event to discuss volunteer opportunities not only for the weekend of Pride, but also for the weeks leading up to the event.

Miami Beach Pride is an extraordinary all-day event that features a loud and colorful parade followed by an enormous festival with more than 100 booths, exciting celebrities, musical performances, refreshments, food and a family-friendly play area.  For 2012, the parade moves to Sunday to allow for an additional day of activity leading up to the popular parade and festival, said Babak Movahedi, president of the Pride Board of Directors.

In addition to volunteers for the parade and festival on Sunday, Movahedi said volunteers are needed for Pride weekend activities that will include a Friday night block party along Lincoln Road, a Saturday pool party at the Surfcomber Hotel, a Saturday night VIP fundraising event, and a Sunday night closing party after the parade and festival.

Coming into its fourth year, Miami Beach Gay Pride has grown into the largest, single-day event of the entire year in Miami Beach.  The hugely successful event in 2011 attracted more than 40,000 people from all walks of life, all parts of the country, and all age groups. Last year’s Pride Parade and Festival featured a parade with 66 entries and 1,200 participants, followed by an enormous festival with A-list celebrities and musical performances, 125 LGBT-friendly vendors and businesses, refreshments, and a family-friendly play area. 

The mission of Miami Beach Gay Pride is to bring together members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, their friends, allies, and supporters in celebration of the unique spirit and culture of the LGBT community by producing free, safe, quality mass-appeal events that are open to all, including the Parade, Festival, and allied Miami Beach Pride sanctioned events.  For more information as events and activities are confirmed, visit www.miamibeachgaypride.com.

The historic coral rock house at 900 Collins Ave. may finally be restored as part of a retail complex after surviving a bribery scandal that damaged both the house and Miami Beach’s building department. 

By David Smiley dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

They just don’t build homes like 900 Collins Ave. anymore.

One of the five oldest buildings in Miami Beach, and one of just four intact coral rock structures left in the city, the historic house has endured nearly a century of South Florida weather, including deadly and destructive hurricanes.

Perhaps even more impressive, the skeletal remains of Miami Beach pioneer Avery C. Smith’s 1916 home recently survived the scheming of a developer who admitted to bribing city officials to expedite plans to raze the home in favor of new construction.

Now the house and surrounding property are under new ownership and are the subject of an approved plan to rebuild and restore the home and include it in a commercial complex.

“It’s wonderful,” said Mitch Novick, a preservationist and nearby property owner who fought developer Michael Stern’s attempts to destroy the coral rock house site. “It’s a major milestone considering that building was slated for demolition for all the wrong reasons, corruption being number one.”

Miami Beach’s Historic Preservation Board on Dec. 14 approved restoration plans by new owner C&A 900 Collins, connected to New York-based developer Bobby Cayre. Court records show Cayre’s company bought the coral rock house in September for $51,000 after foreclosing on Stern, who had laid down the property as collateral for a $4.1 million loan.

According to architectural plans, Cayre plans to build a retail complex with the coral rock house and an adjacent historic Mediterranean revival apartment building on Ninth Street as bookends to a new building in the middle.

Preservationists say they are thrilled with the new plans, even though the coral rock house will not be fully restored.

A 1930s addition to the home was destroyed by Stern, who took a mini Bobcat excavator to the structure in 2007. An original coral rock garage will also be demolished to make way for the new development, along with a substantial chunk of the second floor and eastern wall of the Mediterranean revival building.

But three exterior walls of the coral rock house have been saved. The house will receive a new roof and floor. And the exterior of the next door apartment building will also be “substantially restored.”

“This really is a very important moment in the history of historic preservation in the city of Miami Beach,” said Jeff Donnelly, who like Novick is a past chairman of the city’s preservation board.Les Beilinson of Beilinson_Gómez Architects PA, which worked on development plans for Stern and now for Cayre, said he expects the project to move forward “as soon as possible,” which he projected would mean a groundbreaking date somewhere around September.“This time we’re dealing with a real developer with a real project and so my hopes are high that this will get done,” he said.

Cayre did not return a message left at his New York office. Attempts to reach Stern were unsuccessful.

Outside of its rarity and age, the coral rock house has been treasured by preservationists for its place in Miami Beach history.

The home was built by Smith, who owned one of Miami Beach’s first bathing casinos before the city incorporated in 1915. Smith began operating the first two ferries to shuttle mainland tourists to the coastal island in order to boost business at his casino.

Smith eventually sold the home to the Roth family in the early 1930s and Dr. Edward Roth practiced medicine there until 1968, according to his son, William Roth.

Roth said his family rented out the next-door apartment building and garage, and he served as the maintenance man.

He said he questioned engineers who in 2004 declared the home unsafe.

“There was no way that house could have rotted,” he said. “The only way it could have deteriorated is if someone intended for it to happen.

”Stern bought the property in 2004 and hoped to tear down the coral rock house and historic apartment building next-door in order to construct a mixed-use building.

In order to expedite plans for demolition, Stern spent more than $100,000 on bribes to three building officials who were later arrested on bribery and racketeering charges after Stern wore a wire in a corruption sting by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. Stern was never charged with a crime.

History buffs and preservationists are now hoping the restoration will begin, leaving the last several years as a closed chapter that actually adds to the coral rock house’s story.

“It adds a little bit to the criminal history of Miami Beach,” said Miami Beach preservation board member Jane Gross. “And it’s good to get that behind us.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/02/2570770/historic-south-beach-coral-rock...