Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Debate over Parkside Hotel facade and school playground: board asks applicant for alternatives
Summary
Base Camp 305 seeks to convert the Parkside Hotel site at 235 Washington into an outdoor recreational field for students. Preservationists urged retaining or reconstructing the contributing 1938 facade; parents and school supporters urged board to allow the school yard. The board asked the applicant to return in May with options showing partial retention, reconstruction, or an interpretive homage and continued the item.
Base Camp 305 presented plans to the Historic Preservation Board on April 14 to create an outdoor recreational field at 235 Washington Avenue by replacing a modest 1938 building that presently limits the school's outdoor space.
Applicant representatives said retaining the existing structure was not feasible because the building is unsafe and because heavy demolition equipment cannot access the site from the rear alley due to space and overhead power lines. The team proposed an "interpretive" facade — a contemporary homage built with ceramic circulation blocks and materials that echo the original massing — and asked the board for feedback ahead of a variance application in May.
Preservation advocates including the Miami Design Preservation League urged the board to require the applicant to explore options that avoid full demolition, including partial deconstruction or structural bracing to retain the historic façade. Board members asked the applicant to examine alternatives such as demolishing only the minimum front area required for construction access, structural strategies to brace and preserve the façade, or a reconstructed façade that reuses original materials where possible.
Parents and school supporters described the acute need for safe outdoor play and urged the board to balance preservation with the school's operational needs. The board asked the applicant to return at the May hearing with detailed options and technical analysis; the item was continued.
Quote: "When retention is not feasible, an interpretive homage can be appropriate — but the board asked us to show more options," said preservation consultant Steve Abdikov.
Next steps: applicant will return in May with engineering options for partial retention, bracing proposals and feasibility analyses for front‑façade retention versus full reconstruction.
