Miami’s Surf Club to be revived and extended with a new hotel and residences designed by Richard Meier
While Miami Beach's coastline continues to rumble architecturally, an enticing new project is currently underway 20 minutes north in the quaint, low-rise beachfront neighbourhood known as Surfside. With respect to its high-rise neighbours - buttoned-up Bal Harbor to the north and the glitizier, rowdier Miami Beach to the south - Surfside seems cosy and sleepy; but an ambitious new development helmed by Fort Capital at the iconic Surf Club is set to revitalise the area.
The Surf Club, a historic 1920s landmark property set on a nine-acre Atlantic ocean front property, was once a glamorous hidden playground for celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Dean Martin. Not only will the original Russell Pancoast-designed property be completely restored, but Pritzker prize-winning architect Richard Meier has been charged with designing a new 80-room hotel, as well as two residential towers that will feature 157 private residences.
Meier's building designs dwarf its surrounding architecture but he calls his designs 'a continuum'.
'At the Surf Club the Mediterranean style architecture has a beautiful scale and, in that way, is very much related to what we [are] doing here. The scale relationship, the human feeling of moving through the spaces will be very similar.'
The two 12-storey towers, featuring homes and penthouses with private gardens, pools and elevators, also feature interiors designed by Meier. The unifying strategy he says, is the introduction of natural light, the creation of visual corridors, and a priority on opening spaces up to the water.
'The residences at the Surf Club are in many ways related to early houses that I have done, such as the Smith House and the Douglas House, where there is a two-storey living space, a great deal of transparency, and an openness. They will offer the feeling of living in a unique house four or five storeys above the ground,' the architect explains.
The magnitude of this project is the most major thing Surfside has seen in decades. But Fort Capital's CEO, the maverick developer Nadim Ashi, has no plans to transform the Surf Club into a noisy, South Beach-style party zone.
'The provenance of the club, and its wonderful history were unique things that I wanted to preserve and enhance,' says Ashi. 'We're creating something that will be intimate. It's only 150 residences on almost 9 acres, so our density is actually quite low.'
Apart from lassoing Meier, Ashi also brought on Joseph Dirand to design the interiors of the hotel, which will nod to the era that the Surf Club was born. He has also inked a deal with the Four Seasons Resorts to run the hotel property as a five star establishment, and to offer a complete range of concierge services to residents. People staying in the tower property will be granted access to all facilities at the Surf Club, including its restaurants, spa, swimming pool and 815 ft of white sand beach. Surf Club members, meanwhile, will have to wait to access their beloved club again: the property won't be completed until 2016.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
JJ Martin
-
The Macallan Horizon with Bentley Motors is a decadent whisky with a luxurious twist
The Macallan and Bentley Motors release ‘The Macallan Horizon’, a single malt whisky with a 180-degree twisted presentation
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Ruby Dickson’s Kim Kardashian paintings explore celebrity culture in London
Ruby Dickson’s ‘Maybe my fairy-tale has a different ending than I dreamed it would. But that’s OK’ is exhibiting at Nicoletti gallery, London
By Sam Moore Published
-
Mayfair’s Murano offers beautiful design and incisively cooked food
Angela Hartnett’s Murano celebrates 15 years of Italian supremacy in London with a fresh look by Fabled Studio
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Enjoy lakeside dining at the Village Supper Club in Wisconsin
DMAC Architecture and Interiors has transformed the 55-year-old Village Supper Club beside Delavan Lake
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
HOK-designed Thompson Houston takes over the city’s historic Fourth Ward
Thompson Houston by Hyatt is a 36-storey landmark in scenic Buffalo Bayou Park
By Daniel Scheffler Published
-
The Hollywood Roosevelt’s penthouse suites get a sumptuous refresh
The Hollywood Roosevelt tapped designer Kevin Klein to imbue the suites with both contemporary finishes and historical details
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
Bondst Hudson Yards promises intimate Japanese dining in NYC
Bondst inaugurates its second location, facing the Hudson River, following the success of its flagship location in NoHo
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
The Jay Hotel pays homage to John Portman’s San Francisco
The Jay Hotel’s interiors, designed by AvroKO, pay tribute to the building’s architect, John Portman, as well as lesser-known figures from the city’s past
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Sip, savour and stay in Santa Monica during Frieze LA and beyond
Your stay in Santa Monica begins with a cinematic hotel, a Kelly Wearstler-designed spa, a casual shrine to seafood, and a cool tapas bar
By Timothy Anscombe-Bell Published
-
Jac’s on Bond channels 1990s New York cool
Jac’s on Bond is a new NoHo bar boasting Gachot Studios interiors, Awake NY uniforms and Janette Beckman photographs
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Mollie hotel celebrates Aspen’s close ties to the Bauhaus
Mollie hotel, by CCY Architects and Post Company, pays homage to the Bauhaus influence on the Colorado ski resort
By Adrian Madlener Published