Historic Preservation Board approves San Juan Hotel renovation with new James Avenue wing

The Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board on June 9 voted 6–0 to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness for the San Juan Hotel project at 1680 Collins Avenue, a proposal that restores the Collins Avenue façade and adds a new five‑story wing on James Avenue.

Staff told the board the application no longer includes the variances originally proposed and recommended approval, including a waiver to allow on‑street loading because the site cannot accommodate four required off‑street loading spaces. Alan Schulman, the project architect, described plans to restore the Henry Hohauser‑designed Collins Avenue lobby and terrace, relocate the hotel’s primary drop‑off and lobby to James Avenue at an elevated base‑flood elevation, and insert a courtyard between the historic and new volumes. “We propose to bring back the original lobby, the original terrace that goes in front of it and to improve the front of the building,” Schulman said.

Owner Noah Galani, who said the property has been in his family for 50 years, urged the board to support the restoration and noted the project aims to preserve the building’s historic character. The project uses 53 feet of the 55‑foot height limit for the district and includes a rooftop pool on the new portion; Schulman said the scheme keeps the Collins Avenue frontage intact while building a new, contextual elevation on James Avenue.

Neighborhood speakers largely praised the Collins Avenue restoration while flagging concerns about scale and curb operations on James Avenue. Roger Goldblatt of 1750 James Avenue told the board he welcomed restoration of the façade but cautioned that the James Avenue elevation should respect the smaller‑scale character of that street. The Miami Design Preservation League also spoke in support while recommending refinements to the James Avenue composition and the signage program.

A remote caller, Christina Vega, alleged irregularities in application documents and said her organization had referred matters to federal authorities; the applicant characterized those assertions as unclear and declined to engage further on the claim during the hearing.

Board members discussed operational conditions: the applicant said it prefers a folding “nano‑wall” storefront but agreed to provide multiple swing doors if required. The board adopted the staff recommendation with the applicant’s modifications and tied a condition on late‑night bar operations to the door system to avoid noise spillover. The motion passed by voice vote, 6–0, with the waiver for on‑street loading included. The project will proceed to the usual permitting steps and any required historic‑preservation follow‑up listed in the board’s order.

The board’s approval included the certificate of appropriateness for the partial demolition and new construction and the loading waiver; the record shows six members were present and voted in favor (one member was absent).