Client:

Soho House (the former Sovereign Hotel) located at 4385 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida, which is situated on the Atlantic Ocean immediately south of the Fontainebleau Hotel.  Soho House, which began in London in the 1990s, operates as a private club and is famous for its spacious hotels with exceptional amenities.

The Challenge:

The Sovereign Hotel, purchased by the client, was built in 1940 and has a distinctive Collins Avenue facade and a grand 2-story high lobby with a ground-floor bar and restaurant. The client's goal was to turn the existing hotel into a world-class luxury hotel.  Soho Beach House was the client's most challenging project to date because it required the careful renovation and preservation of the historic 7-story Sovereign Hotel and addition of a new 15-story tower, were paramount to its success.  The building is a contributing structure in the City of Miami Beach's historical properties database and the property is located in the Collins Waterfront Local Historic District.  As a result, any proposed new construction and demolition required approval from the Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board (HPB).  In addition, although there was space on the property to construct a new tower, preserving the Sovereign Hotel triggered many variances from the City's Land Development regulations that required approval from the Board of Adjustment (BOA).  Applicants for variances must show a hardship to obtain approval from the BOA.  The original hotel was cramped with 106 units and did not contain sufficient amenities so the goal was to significantly decrease the unit count to provide for luxuriant hotel units and top-notch amenities such as restaurants, bars and a spa.  Further complicating matters, the instability of the housing and economic markets required multiple redesigns of the project, including reductions in the unit count and increases in amenity areas.   The last round of changes was especially complicated since construction of the new tower had already begun.

Strategy:

• Applied to the HPB for approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition and Design, and to the BOA for approval of variances.
• Utilize architect Alan Schulman services, an architect specializing in historic preservation in the City of Miami Beach, who designed a respectful renovation of the Sovereign Hotel, which includes the restoration of the historic lobby to its original magnificence.  Mr. Shulman also designed an elegant new 15-story addition at the rear of the existing building that is simultaneously compatible with the exiting hotel and unique new structure.  Met with the staff of the Miami Beach City Planning Department to share the project and advocate for the appropriateness of the design and partial demolition and the hardships for the variances.
• Met with the managers of neighboring hotels to garner support for the project.
• Present the project to the HPB and the BOA in order to obtain the necessary approvals for each phase of the project.
• Represent the client in all facets of the project to ensure approval of all required development orders, extensions of times, and permits in order to keep the project moving forward and bring it to fruition.

The Outcome:

The HPB, BOA and the City Building Department granted all the necessary approvals and permits to bring the project to life.  The end result is a new and glamorous hotel set to open late 2009 or early 2010 that is not only suitable for Miami Beach but takes the luxury hotel status of the City to a new level.