Dupont Towers and Dupont Plaza -Miami Preconstruction CondosDowntown's Dupont Plaza makes way for two luxury towersCall: 1-877-915-9990 |
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Alvaro Santistevan - BRICKELL POST History is about to repeat itself. In 1957, on bay front land rich in Indian heritage, Miami 's first mixed-use building, the Dupont Plaza , was erected, cementing itself over everything Tequesta. Now, the development that in its time was billed as the first “three purpose building,” housing the International Architect's Bureau of Building Products, a 14-story office building and a 301-room hotel, is coming down. One of downtown's newest mixed-use projects, The Dupont Towers , is slated to become the next occupant of 300 Biscayne Blvd. Way, one of Miami 's prime pieces of real estate.When the building on the north side of the mouth of the Miami River implodes in clouds of gray soot, all traces of the once classy Dupont Tarleton Hotel will disappear. Few will mourn its passing. The building was never architecturally significant, however innovative it may have been in its heyday, and it has little legendary value in the eyes of local historians. The history came much earlier. Before the Dupont Plaza , before the birth of the City of Miami , the land was a trading post for Seminole Indians. Archaeologist Bob Carr has already uncovered abundant evidence of that fact through excavations in the parking lot next to the Dupont —a site that will soon become Metropolitan Miami. His collection of Tequesta relics from the area includes pottery shards anywhere from 500 to 2,000 years old, “all in very disturbed condition.” Although the Dupont property is historically significant, Carr thinks any remaining relics will be in fragile condition. “It was an area rich in artifacts, but when they built the Dupont Plaza , they dug a basement,” he explains. “What we don't know is if any [artifacts] survived, so we are going to be monitoring it and if we see any evidence, we will be doing additional excavation there.” He points out that less than half of the Dupont parcel is on original land, the rest was filled in by material dredged from the bottom of the bay in the early 1900s. Historian Paul George says that after the Tequestas, the land housed two slave plantations in the 1830s, as well as the army's Fort Dallas in the 1840s and 50s. Additionally, three Jesuit missions once existed just north and west of the Dupont and Miami pioneer Julia Tuttle built her house just west of the site in the 1890s. When the Dupont went up, it was a $10 million one-of-a-kind building. Now it's viewed as ugly architecture. “It really personifies resort architecture. I've always hated it,” said George, who especially dislikes the fact that no space was left on the riverfront to enjoy the view; instead, the building hugged the river. Regardless, many Miamians fondly recall the Dupont's halcyon days as the place to stay in downtown Miami . “I would not say that it is historical,” remarks historian Arva Moore Parks, “but when it opened it was considered a really big deal. There weren't a whole lot of hotels in Miami and it was a very fancy hotel when it was built.” Over the years a number of businesses occupied the office portion of the building,
including the City of Miami 's law department, labor relations department and
budget department. The Dupont Towers is
a joint undertaking by CMC Group, composed of Ugo Colombo (developer of the
exclusive Bristol Tower and Santa Maria , and co-developer of Porto Vita and
the Grovenor House) and Lionstone Hotels & Resorts, headed by Alfredo Lowenstein,
developers of the Ritz Carlton on South Beach and hotel properties in the Caribbean
. With groundbreaking expected sometime next year, talks are already
underway with W Hotels, owned by Starwood Hotel & Resorts Wolrdwide, Inc. Two towers planned for Dupont site by Paola Iuspa-Abbott real estate/international business piuspa@bizjournals.com Plans to replace the run-down Dupont Plaza at the mouth
of the Miami River are taking shape. The 48-year-old Dupont Plaza building,
at 300 Biscayne Blvd. Way, would be torn town. The Italian-born Colombo is known for his exclusive Bristol Tower and Santa Maria high-rises built in the Brickell area in the 1990s. Lionstone, headed by an Argentinean family, bought the Dupont in 2001. County records don't show a price for the sale, but the land was valued at about $15.8 million, property records show. Since the sale, the office and hotel portions of the 11-story tower have been operating. But its residential wing was closed nearly two years ago, when Lionstone unsuccessfully tried to convert apartments into a hotel. While construction could begin in 14 months, demolition of the Dupont hasn't yet been scheduled, said Bruce Lazar, a Lionstone principal. Riverwalk insures public access
For the past four years, the city, the commission and several nonprofit organizations
have been seriously pushing developers to provide a riverwalk to guarantee
public access to the water. One Miami consists of 896 units. The planned Metropolitan Miami across the street from the Dupont will have 1,347 units. There is concern that so many units cornered against the water would create a traffic nightmare. The city and the state are studying the possibility of converting some of the existing one-way roads surrounding the building into two-way streets. The Florida Department of Transportation this week worked out a deal with the developers to approve an extra lane coming off the Brickell Bridge , Revuelta said. For now, area developers say the proposed buildings seem to be compatible and stay away from blocking most of one another's views. "The first Dupont Towers won't
block our view," said Tim Weller, president of development with MDM Group,
planning the Metropolitan. "The second tower will have some impact. But overall,
the project is a positive thing. It is important to have a critical mass [of
units] for the success of the area." "It is the Eastward-Ho movement," said Robert Parks, the commission's chair. "We can't build west, so we build east and have to go vertically." |
