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Posted on Sat, Feb. 19, 2005
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REAL ESTATE

Towering over Freedom Tower?

Plans are afoot for a new 649-foot high-rise condo that will loom over the historic Freedom Tower in downtown Miami.



BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN

mhaggman@herald.com

Developer Pedro Martin wants to build a 63-story story condominium in downtown Miami that curves around the landmark Freedom Tower on two sides and soars over it.

The high-rise condo -- proposed to shoot up 649 feet -- would dwarf the Freedom Tower, rising more than twice as high as the 256-foot historic building.

Martin, chief executive of Miami-based Terra Group, formally bought the Freedom Tower property at 600 Biscayne Blvd. and an adjacent parcel at 666 Biscayne earlier this month for about $38 million, the developer said.

The proposed condo tower would stretch onto both properties and straddle the Florida East Coast railway line dividing the parcels, according to plans filed this week with the Miami Planning Department.

''This will be beautiful,'' Martin said in a brief interview Friday afternoon. ``We will do a high-quality project.''

Last week, Martin said he would pursue the intention of the previous owners, the Mas family, to put a museum chronicling the Cuban-American experience in the building.

The tower has long been admired but has languished as developers failed to find a viable use for it.

FREEDOM'S HISTORY

Built in 1925, the Freedom Tower was initially home to The Miami News, a now-defunct newspaper. From 1962 to 1974, the 16-story stucco tower earned its name when it served as a processing and support center for Cubans fleeing the Castro regime.

But the property fell into disuse, and in 1997 the Mas family bought it for $4.1 million, declaring their intention to create a museum and office for the Cuban American National Foundation in the building. Neither happened, though the building was renovated.

The 600 Biscayne development is the latest proposed high-rise on Miami's downtown Biscayne Boulevard corridor that for years was dotted by vacant lots but now could become crowded with vaulting condo towers.

Six high-rise condos, including 600 Biscayne, are slated for construction on the six blocks between the Performing Arts Center and the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Martin is building a high-rise three blocks away at 900 Biscayne Blvd. He is also negotiating with The Herald's parent company, San Jose, Calif.-based Knight Ridder, to purchase 10 acres surrounding the newspaper's Miami bayfront headquarters.

RAILROAD SPACE

Florida East Coast spokesman Hussein Cumber said the company expects to close on an agreement next week granting Martin air rights over railway line that passes through the property.

''It does not impact current or future rail operations on the rail corridor,'' Cumber said, referring to FEC's deal with Martin.

Some have proposed using the line for passenger travel. Currently, trains travel to and from the Port of Miami-Dade through the property only about once a week, Cumber said.

The 600 Biscayne tower is proposed to have 658 units and 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, including a restaurant, according to documents filed with Miami's Planning Department. No office component is currently planned.

Revuelta Vega Leon is the project's architectural firm.

The approval process for the building can take anywhere from six months to a year and result in significant changes to the proposal.

Martin said the concept of a modern high-rise rising next to older, architecturally admired structures has been successfully executed in Berlin, Mexico and Boston.

For instance, the sleek glass John Hancock Tower looms over the critically acclaimed Trinity Church in Boston's Copley Square.

''There are several places in the world where they have historical older buildings with new architecture behind and over it,'' Martin said. ``We are keeping the history. If someone wants to go inside the 1925 building, it is there.''
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/10939273.htm

great article renner.and since its being designed by revuelta its going to be a nice bldg since he designed 900 biscayne

WOW. That sound really cool.

This hearkens back to a proposal back in the 80's to wrap a monolithic tower around the Freedom Tower.

Only I suspect this one will be quite a bit more stylish.

guys we really need to think about what to name are condo row from 50 to 1100 biscayne i was thinking of something like the miami wall,or condo row,maybe condo alley.

anyways i hope revuelta doesn't put one of his fat bldgs like jade , santa maria there and hopefully no pink elephant or for him a white elephant,i'm dying for an architect to use some black or red glass something that stands out you know what i mean.

maybe something like ice that had red glass could be called fire or something.something that represents miami.(hopefully no yellow)

Yea, I'm excited about this project. Can't wait to see renderings, though.

guys we really need to think about what to name are condo row from 50 to 1100 biscayne i was thinking of something like the miami wall,or condo row,maybe condo alley.



miami wall sounds good :)

Everyone :) , Now Remember back in 1982 :) , There was a Same Kind Of OFFICE-HOTEL 60 Story Tower that was to go up Behind the Freedom Tower on the SAME Property :cheers: , BUT Interest Rates Rosed to Almost 20 :bash: Percent and Killed the Project :bash: , BUT If MARTIN :) BUILDS it SOON, It will be Built IF the INTEREST RATES Stay as they are NOW :cheers: at www.interest.com AND This CONDO TOWER Should be Completed by 2009, WOW !!!, GO CRANES ! :cheers:

2000th posting of that website. I think we all where to check for interest rates now chuck

woow great find, good article, this just came in this month and we shall see the details in the next miami city report!


lool uptown, condo alley hahaha!

Yuck, is it just me or does anyone think that it would be too out of scale next to the freedom tower? i mean it might look 'cool' but not really good. i definitely hope its not fat at least,like uptown says, and has a nice shape!

Yuck, is it just me or does anyone think that it would be too out of scale next to the freedom tower? i mean it might look 'cool' but not really good. i definitely hope its not fat at least,like uptown says, and has a nice shape!

If it's any consolation, I'm sure this one will be a great deal more aesthetically pleasing than the proposal in the 80's, which was a hulking black box.

anyways i hope revuelta doesn't put one of his fat bldgs like jade , santa maria there and hopefully no pink elephant or for him a white elephant,i'm dying for an architect to use some black or red glass something that stands out you know what i mean.Revuelta is amazing...You really have to go inside one of his designs to really appreciate them, or in some people's case, see a color rendering.
Uptown, my man...at your age you have other things on your mind other than girls or women...but think of a building as a woman, and a Reveulta woman is simple but elegant at first glance, but as you begin to study the lines, and get to know the form better, you examine it with a view of the inside you realize how elegant and what an amazing work it really is. And you begin appreciate it.

Black or red glass isn't much of a lady. Black and red glass is like cologen lips and silicone implants. If your eye/mind is not trained to look closley for beauty and rather attracted only to a shiney object, you may as well be a hungry bluegill dying for a $1.29 lure. Flashy today, the naugahide of tomorrow.
True, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And also true that Jerry Springer is a top rated television show.
It seems to me that Revuelta isn't very popular with the folks that post in these forums...he only seems to be popular with Ugo Columbo, Edgardo DeFortuna, Key International, Pedro Martin, and every single person that has ever bought a home in one of his designs.
Luis needs a sit down. Hey, Lou....I know all the best developers and luxury buyers from around the world hire you and think you are great, but there are are about 12 people in a forum that think your designs are generic and fat.
Can you do something sexy. Sexy like legwarmers.

Roark please Revuelta is generic when it comes to architecture.....bland is the best word I could describe what he has built in this city.

roark,,,knowing a little architecture myself 60%of architectrure deals with how you treat the exterior the use of materials the placement of certain elements and you're overall design.and to me revuelta is an okay architect but please show me a product of his that hasn't look generic or a bit of a copy and paste from another one of his projects

santa maria=jade
900 bis=a circular and sleeker santa maria
dupont 1 =dupont 2
santa maria+jade+900 biscayne=riverfront

the only thing i like about revueltas designs are the roof vertex which are his touche' de excellence.but other than that his exteriors are boring in my opinion.
i will say he does do some good placement like on jade.

but remember that i'll probably never see the interior of his buildings i only see the exterior.you see the interiors because your a realtor so 75%of your job is to sell the location ,price and the interior.but for me i'm here to give my opinon on the height,the glass,and overall look of a skyscraper.

to me revuelta is an okay architect but please show me a product of his that hasn't look generic or a bit of a copy and paste from another one of his projects
1.http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/neovertika.gif

santa maria=jade
900 bis=a circular and sleeker santa maria
dupont 1 =dupont 2
santa maria+jade+900 biscayne=riverfrontSanta Maria is round, Jade is not.
900 Biscayne curves with floor through designs and floorplans. Santa Maria does not.
Dupont 1 = Dupont 2 ahhhhhh....yep. Kind of like the twin towers in Kuala Lampur or the WTC towers or most every other pairing of towers built on the same site.

the only thing i like about revueltas designs are the roof vertex which are his touche' de excellence.but other than that his exteriors are boring in my opinion. i will say he does do some good placement like on jade. but remember that i'll probably never see the interior of his buildings i only see the exterior.you see the interiors because your a realtor so 75%of your job is to sell the location ,price and the interior.but for me i'm here to give my opinon on the height,the glass,and overall look of a skyscraper.Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm really speaking from an architectural stand point not necessarily as a Realtor or developer. Perhaps because access to so many different buildings, floorplans, and s sites from the development perspective influence what I consider good architecture and generic arechitecture. A lot of it is personal opinion. To me, generic is a pretty harsh statement to give to an architect or his work, and I'm not sure what could be worse adjective...for someone to think that Revuelta is that bad seems to me that they are missing some information or really don't have the eye for the subtleties of his work. Not that big of deal...I'm sure there is someone that looks at Frank Lloyd Wright's work and says that every building is a copy of his other work.

oohh i forgot neovertika,that just looks like 900 biscayne,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/enyers/900BiscayneMain3.jpg
i've never said revueltas bad but if he could use more glass or different materials and paint his designs would be terrific.

gosh roark,revuleta must be paying you some good cash.

So the legwarmers have it ?

this is a site on skyscrapers, and like uptown said, who the hell ever sees the inside of the buildings, the exterior is wat effects the skyline and the general overall appearance of the building that thousands see, and in this area, besides 900 biscayne and neovertika which are pretty nice, most of his buildings are pretty similiar and really nothing special, i dont care how beautiful they are inside

this is a site on skyscrapers, and like uptown said, who the hell ever sees the inside of the buildings, the exterior is wat effects the skyline and the general overall appearance of the building that thousands see, and in this area, besides 900 biscayne and neovertika which are pretty nice, most of his buildings are pretty similiar and really nothing special, i dont care how beautiful they are insideFine, legwarmers have it...in addition having very smart interiors, I don't think they all look the same. All white cars aren't generic even though they are the same color. I just don't think that all Revuelta buildings look they all look the same....NeoVertika is shaped on a right angle like a L with equal sides and floor through views on every apartment. 900 Biscayne does not...

Okay, so they all look the same......What am I, taking crazy pills here?
http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/alhambra1.jpg
http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/ilvillagio_side.jpg
Now really...I'm going to stop now...this is my last post on the topic. I'm starting to feel like Blinky182, you bullies! :runaway:

now take arquitectonica the firm now those are designs that are never repeated... 500 brickell {VS} axis or RIP opus {VS} one miami or bently bay. they always change looks. but one thing i do agree w/roark is that revuelta's interiors can never be compared

well then he should become an interior designer

well then he should become an interior designerI still don't agree with the idea that his designs are carbon copies or generic. Of course certain themes are repeated....I don't agree that Frank Lloyd Wright is generic because he always did right angles and Peit Mondrian-ish buildings, but certain themes are repeated.
The person that posted Jade = Santa Maria is just simply not correct. In my humble public school upbringing, the kids that knew the difference between round pegs and square pegs moved on, the kids that can't tell the difference between a square peg and a round one, got their own part of the school down at the end of the hall. Santa Maria has round ends, Jade has angular ends.
Personal preference....personal preference....the Mona Lisa is a painting of a girl...personal preference.
If you can't get inside....stand next to a Revuelta building, and look at it. Or...maybe we should set up a Skyscraper Rendering City forum, and comment on renderings.
I'm not on Revuelta's payroll, but I've proudly purchased an apartment that he designed...so lump me in with the generic building lovers like Ugo Columbo, Edgardo DeFortuna, Pedro Martin, and many others...
By the way...which building does this one look exactly like?
http://www.restainer.com/skyscrapers/w_ivyRenderings_povSWcorner.jpg
Check CBD thread for a color rendering of Ivy. The 45 story building is almost entirely glass. There is very sparce use of concrete, and the ends are cantilevered. It will look fantastic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/miami17/freedomtowerplazawithmagiccity.jpg

This was the scale model for The Freedom Tower Plaza proposed by Venture Development Corp headed by Mr. Ron Fine, in 1982.

It was a project way ahead of its time in vision and scope. Market forces would not allow this project to get off the ground in 1982. Are there similar market forces now in the year 2005? Will the project now proposed be built?

Only time will tell....if the forumers like this image I can post others of this very important and historic site which was the original site of Miami's Florida East Coast Depot from 1898 to 1912

Here is a 1982 Fact Sheet on the Project that never was.

Description:

"Freedom Tower Plaza is a mixed-use project located in Downtown Miami. It includes renovation of the 17-story historic landmark Freedom Tower building and construction of a new 69-story hotel-condominium next to it. The new tower of reflective glass will feature a 500-room delux Hilton International Vista Hotel, 529 Luxury condominium, 30,000 square feet of retail shops, a conference and office center and a 600-car parking garage. Construction is scheduled to begin in 1983 and should take 30 months to complete. Opening is slated for winter of 1985." Architect for the project was Welton Becket Associates. This project included the use of the air rights over the railraod tracks to the north of the property.

Doesn't this sound like today -- Will history repeat itself, or will there be enough demand to build the new Project.

What are your thoughts??

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/miami17/freedomtower.jpg

Take a look at this 1946 advertisement that was placed in the Program for Miami's 50th Anniversary.

Look what they had envisioned for the Tower! Can you imagine if they would have bulked up this landmark.

Wow...Thank God None Of These Went Through...I really hope this new desing doesn't take away from this beauty!

luv the first one, big glass box, woulda been nice, we really dont have that many major international style buildings... hope our new one is as great

Take it away MC!!!!
You have some excellent material!
Just make sure to tag it, if you share your goods with some in the forum, they will take it repost it all over the place...no need to mention any "reactions".

thanks for bring that up bhk because i think its starting to become a problem with other forums stealing our stuff,i don't mind places like urbanplanet or skyscraperpage but its these new forums that i don't like,there stealing are renderings,info,website and pictures.and taking cradit for it.

again i don't mind urbanplanet and skyscraperpage taking some of our stuff because they usually give us some info to,but there a some new forums which have members who come in here,don't post and take our info.for example i saw miaballinboi's website for heights and some of his pictures and a rendering i had posted on another site and they were posted by some other guy

who cares? It is not like we own info or renderings

who cares? It is not like we own info or renderings


you might not care because its not you spending your gas,your money,and your time taking pictures from some other person who doesn't even belong to this forum just to come here take every single picture and just say here i spent may day taking pictures and post them on another site.

but of course you don't care because it wasn't you.huh

well we have different goals
you want recognition
i want to exchange information on projects.

^^recognition that makes no sense to me.so you're telling me i;m spending money,time and effort for recognition.why would i want recognition from ppl on a website.i take pictures and look for info because i like to and because i want to know whats going on.,but all i'm asking for is that if someone else puts it on another forum to give credit to the person who they got it from..whenever i use someone else's pictures,renderings or something of that nature i usually say there not mine,and if i know who did it i'll mention there name.

NICE MAGIC CITY :) , That was it !!! :cheers: , THE TOWER Proposal Back in 1982, That was NEVER Built, What a BEAUTY that would Have BEEN. 69 STORIES !!!, NO F.A.A. :bash: Restrictions back in the Early 80's TO STOP this TALL TOWER :) , it could of been OVER 750 FEET. :cheers:
THIS TIME it Has to be BUILT, and the Interest Rates are still HOLDING, RENNER :) , lol. :cheers:

uptown if u have photo shop from now on just write ur name or ssc across the pictures like the realtors do with their renderings.

great pics magic city, thnx alot,

well the link i posted on the city miami report, even though i found it its not like i own it w/e its on the city of miami page, and its cool let the people know what miamis got in store!

Well guys, I'm presently back in Chicago and I just stopped off at Northwestern's medical facility in downtown. While approaching downtown from Lake Shore Drive, You see the old Palmolive/Playboy Bldg. with Drake hotel in the foreground with the lumbering John Hancock Center right behind it- over twice its height. It complements it nicely. Chuck should agree with me on this.

If done right, the Freedom Tower project could have a similar effect from street level.