Features – The BIG BUBBLE Miami

One of Only Three Alfred Browning Parker Houses in Broward County Hits the Market for $1 Million

Alfred Browning Parker, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, was one of South Florida’s most important and iconic midcentury modern architects, creating fantastic structures across the state. Only three of the houses he designed in Broward County remain, however, one of which has just hit the market for $949,000.

One of Coral Gables’ Exotic Chinese Village Houses Has Hit the Market for $1.625 Million

A well-preserved courtyard house in Coral Gables’ historic Chinese Village, with plenty of original details and exotic charm, has just hit the market for $1.625 million. When the City of Coral Gables was being developed in the 1920s, although most of it was built in the Mediterranean Revival style, little ‘themed’ villages were also created to add some architectural variety. The most fantastical of them all is undoubtedly the Chinese Village, with only eight houses

by Sean McCaughan

Extremly High End Pyramid-Shaped “Arte” Launches Sales in Surfside

For a long time, Surfside was a small, approachable little town by the sea. Yes, it was home to one of Miami’s few old bastions of faded aristocracy known as the Surf Club, and the entrance to Indian Creek Village, the island-sized escape where literally all of the approximately fifty homes are in the $10 million+ range. Oh, and it also always butted right up against the uber-deluxe Bal Harbour Village. Yet, Surfside has always been modest; much more like Miami Beach’s North Beach neighborhood, directly to the south, than anything else adjacent to it. That is until now. When the Surf Club was bought out by the Four Seasons and redone in grand style, that gigantic and extremely high-end project led a torrent of new ultra-luxury development in the area.

by Sean McCaughan

The Miami Beach Convention Center Unveils its New Public Art Collection and Canalside Park

The new public art adorning the Miami Beach Convention Center was recently unveiled, including a series of murals and a public park lining Collins Canal adorned with large aluminum sculptures. The art, as curated by the City of Miami Beach’s Art in Public Places initiative, includes site-specific permanent works by Joseph Kosuth, Joep van Lieshout, Ellen Harvey, and Franz Ackerman, with a tile installation by artist Sarah Morris set to debut by the end of the month. The Joep van Lieshout pieces, specifically, enhance the gorgeous new park along Collins Canal.

by Sean McCaughan

Vroom. Vroom. The First Penthouse Sells at Downtown Miami’s Aston Martin Tower

The developers of Aston Martin Residences, the latest in a laundry list of luxurious, automotive-branded towers that have been built in Miami over the last five years or so (We’re looking at you Porsche Design Tower) have announced the sale of the first penthouse unit in the building.

by Sean McCaughan

‘Theater of Shopping’ Traces the History of the Most Productive Shopping Mall in the World, Bal Harbour Shops

There’s a new book out about a really incredible mall in Miami. In ‘Theater of Shopping,’ architecture critic Alastair Gordon traces the history and growth of Bal Harbour Shops, an icon of South Florida which often takes the top spot as the most successful shopping mall in the world per square foot, and the family that created it, the Whitmans.

by Sean McCaughan

Extremely Chic $1.75M Morningside House Shows Just How Fancy The Nabe Has Become Lately

The gorgeous historic house at 500 NE 57th Street isn’t in the quietest part of Morningside, the impressively historic neighborhood in Miami’s Upper East Side that was once a hidden gem. Now the neighborhood is well known and very expensive, and this house is a great microcosm of that. Check out the photos below.

by Sean McCaughan

Fort Lauderdale’s Midcentury Baroque Parker Playhouse Getting Snazzy, Sleek Renovation

Fort Lauderdale’s Parker Playhouse, known for its midcentury baroque aesthetic, is getting a $25 million renovation that will jazz it up with lots of new upgrades and amenities. This includes a big new lobby, private donor and premium lounges, and a signature bar. Oh, and upgrades mechanical systems, state-of-the-art equipment, and acoustic upgrades.

by Sean McCaughan

Inside Starchitect Jean Nouvel’s Monad Terrace, Which Just Topped Off in South Beach

Monad Terrace, famed French architect Jean Nouvel’s first project in Miami, has just topped off, and the Big Bubble got a hard hat tour of the boutique luxury condo project’s construction site with architect Kobi Karp, who collaborated with Nouvel on the project. Check it out, below.

by Sean McCaughan

There’s a Crazy Rumor About This $1.55M Biscayne Park Coral Rock House That Oozes Old Florida Charm

Check out this old-Florida stunner in Biscayne Park, a $1.55 million beaut that oozes charm out of its coral rock walls, vaulted ceilings, and (authentically Cuban?) barrel tile roof. Although listed as constructed in 1940, if a certain rumor is true, it could be much older than that.