Historic Preservation Board approves Delano Hotel restoration with conditions

The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board on Feb. 8 voted to approve a certificate of appropriateness for a restoration of the Delano Hotel at 1685 Collins Avenue, with the board adding and refining conditions on exterior finishes, interior flooring and dune-overlay compliance.

The applicant, represented by attorney Neeson Kasdan and the development team for Beach Hotel Associates (an affiliate of Cain International), presented plans to restore exterior color schemes and historic interior elements removed during a 1990s Philippe Starck redesign. Project architect Jennifer Makani described restoring octagonal lobby columns, recreating a mezzanine bridge and reintroducing terrazzo patterns related to original terrace paving. “Right now, the only way that a person in a wheelchair can enter the building is actually on Seventeenth Street through the basement,” Makani said, explaining new ADA access at the front and rear of the property.

Board members and staff said the project would return original design elements and improve accessibility while preserving the building’s historic integrity. Staff recommended approval with standard conditions and a small set of additional clarifications; the applicant asked for two targeted amendments to staff conditions related to (1) whether all ground-level porch openings could share a single dark finish rather than limiting a darker finish to the central three openings, and (2) flexibility on introducing new terrazzo if original material cannot be restored.

The board directed that: (a) the three central ground-level porch openings and other ground-level porch openings be permitted to share a consistent dark finish for the entrance wall to preserve interior-exterior visual continuity; (b) staff should investigate whether original terrazzo exists beneath modern finishes and, if found in repairable condition, retain and restore it — but if staff determines remaining terrazzo is beyond repair the applicant may install new terrazzo subject to staff review rather than a requirement to exactly match an original color/pattern; (c) staff shall have discretion to retain or require reintroduction of any notable original column material (for example, natural stone) discovered during removal of the existing column claddings; and (d) dune preservation-overlay requirements must be met for rear-yard elements, and final fountain geometry in the porch shall generally follow the existing planter footprint.

Public comment included written objections from attorney Ken Harrison Robbins on behalf of proximate hotels (the Sagamore and the Ritz/Doloresito), which raised concerns about loading spaces and a cited increase of “331 person occupancy on the Fourth Level” that Robbins said had not been documented in the public file. Supporters included attorneys and representatives of nearby hotels, the Miami Design Preservation League and nearby developers. Staff said occupancy and any conditional-use requirements are reviewed during building-permit and planning processes and, if a CUP is required, the planning board would address it; staff told the HPB there was no proposal to increase overall hotel unit counts and that operational occupancy questions would be resolved during permitting.

After discussion the board voted in favor of the certificate of appropriateness and the modified conditions by roll call. Several board members praised the design team’s restoration approach and the inclusion of ADA access and landscape improvements that reduce the current tall hedge at the Porch. The applicant committed to work with staff on sprinkler concealment on the porch and to continue refining the design as required by the conditions.

The COA approval directs staff to finalize written conditions reflecting the board’s direction, to review any discovered historic materials during construction and to require the applicant to return to the board only if staff finds significant intact historic material that staff believes must be retained and the applicant and staff cannot reach agreement.

Votes at the Feb. 8 meeting recorded the COA approval by roll call: Weinstein Berman — yes; Reid — yes; Liebman — yes; Klein — yes; Pascal — yes; Lopez — yes.