Board backs demolition at 235 Washington to create school play space, requires façade reconstruction details

The Historic Preservation Board voted to permit demolition of a two‑story contributing building at 235 Washington Avenue and authorized an interpreted/reconstructed façade and a front‑setback variance so the site can become recreational open space for Base Camp 305 school.

Staff briefed the board on HPB25‑0645, which includes a structural assessment (Yusef/Yseph Hakim, December 19, 2025) concluding the building’s structural materials are compromised and recommending demolition. Applicant Paul Savage (Lices) and his team presented four alternatives developed over previous hearings: a full fence and landscaping, a bronze‑aluminum louver tribute, a glazed ceramic/breeze‑block screen, and a reconstructed masonry façade replicating prominent eyebrow details and moving that element to the property line; the applicant said the school needs a safe outdoor play area.

Preservation advocates, led by Meg Lustau of the Miami Design Preservation League, urged denial and argued the Parkside Hotel remains a contributing element of the Ocean Beach Historic District that should be saved; they characterized the record as supporting retention when feasible. Later callers and neighborhood representatives offered mixed views: some neighborhood speakers opposed the design and the process, while others—including neighborhood association and business representatives—supported the school’s need for green space.

Applicant engineers and the project team presented chloride testing and structural analyses they said make retention, selective vertical cutting, or elevation impractical and unsafe; they argued replication of the façade is a practical preservation outcome. Board members debated precedent and how narrowly to frame any approval: several emphasized that any reconstruction approval should be limited to the specific facts of a nonprofit educational use and supported by documentation so future applicants cannot claim broad precedent.

After discussion the board approved an approach favoring reconstruction of the front façade element moved to the property line, with conditions that staff review and approve the ground‑floor opening treatment (board members objected to the originally proposed horizontal louvers and asked for grid or other more compatible solutions). The board also approved the requested front‑setback variance to place the reconstructed façade at the property line. Mr. Novik recorded a dissent on the reconstruction question; the final votes showed a majority in favor of the reconstruction and variance.

The decision was explicitly framed by board members and speakers as narrowly dependent on the educational, community‑serving use of the site and the submitted structural evidence. The applicant must provide final documentation for the reconstructed façade and a plan for security, maintenance and any storage to be located away from the street edge.

The board’s action permits the school open space to proceed subject to the conditions and staff coordination agreed at the hearing.