Features – The BIG BUBBLE Miami

Star Island’s $40 Million Yacht Club Mansion is Still on the Market After Three Years

There could be something funky about the house. Certainly the combination of original Med Revival architectural details, and modern-day alterations that don’t quite seamlessly duplicate the quality of the house, might make it look a little off. But this massive $40 million house has stuck on the market for three years more likely because, well, it’s a sluggish market.

Gigantic Full-Floor Unit Lists at Zaha Hadid’s One Thousand Museum in Miami

At One Thousand Museum, Dame Zaha Hadid’s Downtown Miami tower and the poster-child of Miami’s starchitect-designed condo towers, only two of the building’s gargantuan 10,000 square foot full-floor units appear to be on the market. And only one of those two has spectacular photography, despite being sold as more-or-less as a white box, for the buyer to do what they will with. That’s unit 5701. (The other one, if you’re curious, is 5901)

by Sean McCaughan

Starchitecture in Miami Isn’t Just a Fad

I recently wrote this piece for the Miami Herald. In the last real estate cycle, condo buildings by big name architects or avant-garde designers were big business in Miami. Now that the real estate market has softened, the big question was whether this would last. It turns out it will. Read more at the Miami Herald.

by Sean McCaughan

Iconic Miami Architect Kenneth Treister’s Home is For Sale, Although it’s Changed a Bit

Kenneth Treister, one of Miami’s most iconic architects, helped define the subtropical modernist postwar look of many of Miami’s more jungly neighborhoods around Miami. The interior of the Golden Girls set, for example, is reminiscent of a design by Treister or his compatriot Alfred Browning Parker. The living room practically screamed “Kenneth Treister!”

by Sean McCaughan

Department Store-Sized Contemporary Mansion Has Rooftop Playground

I have so many questions about this house, and no, “Why is there a colorful cow in the front yard lake?” is not one of them. It’s obviously contemporary art, although whether it’s good art is rather dubious. And that’s not a lake, just a pointlessly massive water feature. There are a lots of other weird things I don’t have answers for though.

by Sean McCaughan

Midcentury Morningside Ranch Restored by Architect Rene Gonzalez is $998K

This ranch-style house, built in 1949, was extensively restored and renovated by Rene Gonzalez, one of Miami’s most acclaimed architects, first as his personal home and then his architecture office. The house has spectacular details, like the ceiling lights above the entryway, and restored original walnut cabinets rescued from the legendary Palm Bay Club.

by Sean McCaughan

The Miami Bay Walk Just Got An Important New Addition

Well, it’s literally taking decades but Miami’s bay walk is gradually becoming a reality. A brand new 300 foot section of the bay walk, passing behind the Miami Women’s Club and connecting two other existing sections of walkway, opened this week, providing an important link in the chain.

by Sean McCaughan

The Biggest Condo on The Market in Miami Proper is This $24M Penthouse

This giant condo, at Grove at Grand Bay, the famously twisting towers in Coconut Grove, is a whopping 10,600 square feet on one huge floor. Listed for $24 million, it’s the largest condo currently on the market in Miami proper (that would be the City of Miami, not including Miami Beach, etc.). The unit is being offered fully furnished, with an interior design by Nick Luaces, including the art work.

by Sean McCaughan

The Miami Design District’s Fantastic Performance Series is Back

The fall series includes performances by Jennifer Holliday, the Wailers, and original Weather Girl Martha Wash. Check out the schedule of performances.

by Sean McCaughan

How do You Diversify Miami Beach Beyond Just Entitled NIMBYs and the Rich?

The Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual real estate luncheon on September 12th, and tickets are still available. The topic of the panel discussion, “Diversifying Our Real Estate to Diversify Our Economy,” recognizes the fact that as Miami Beach real estate becomes more expensive, its population has become more affluent, exclusive, and monotonous, and more people are being pushed out.