Reservation nearly booked for Miami hotel’s demolition date

Media outlets in the Miami area are reporting little organized opposition to the demolition of a 97-year-old, 15-story hotel on Biscayne Boulevard.

Citing a September Miami Herald report, The Next Miami writes in October that a proposal to demolish several buildings to make way for a 104-story "supertall" isn’t being opposed by preservationists.

The Next Miami report lists the 1920s-era Yve Hotel as one of two buildings potentially headed for demolition, along with a structure currently known as 1923 Exchange.

Both buildings have been renovated several times in their lifespans, with the 1923 Exchange having been renovated and converted from office to hotel and back again.

The Yve Hotel has been a steadier fixture as a hotel, although it experienced a modernization and façade overhaul in the early 1960s at the same time it underwent one of several name changes.

According to a detailed history of the property from Miami-History.com, “The hotel had featured a Spanish style exterior that many felt was dated. During the early 1960s, there was an urban trend sweeping the nation to update a building’s façade with three-dimensional colorful tiles.

“While the exterior may have been modern and artistic in 1961 when it was installed, it certainly lost a lot of charm from its original Spanish motif. It would add a lot to today’s downtown if ownership decided to remove the three-dimensional tiles and restore it to its original façade.”

The construction of the original iteration of the hotel, as portrayed by Miami-History, describes an edifice that will present a solid structure for any demolition contractor. “The immense pilings had to be driven deep into poured concrete and spaced close together to ensure the long-term stability of the building,” the report says.

One local report from last year refers to the Yve Hotel as having more than 129,000 square feet of space under roof. While some reports refer to it as a 15-story building by that measurement, the Yve Hotel website says the hotel has 17 floors.

The Next Miami report says a combined demolition permit for both buildings has been filed with the city of Miami and a permit for the new building was filed in August.

The construction project planned for the site would result in a new 104-story tower that would have 1,074 residential units on its uppermost floors, 252 hotel rooms below that and a parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces in its lowest levels, according to The Next Miami.