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Metropolitan Miami (development)

Archaeological sites in FloridaHotels in MiamiOffice buildings in MiamiResidential condominiums in MiamiTequesta

Metropolitan Miami is a mixed-use development consisting of four skyscrapers in the central business district of Downtown Miami, Florida. It was considered at the time one of the largest mixed-use project in the city’s history, given its scope and budget. Developed by M.D.M. and designed by Nichols Architects, the project was divided into 4 phases that were developed over a period of 15 years. The first phase, known as Met 1, consists of a 40-story, 447-unit condominium tower with views of Brickell Key and Biscayne Bay. It was completed in 2008 and features over 30,500 square feet of commercial space on the first two levels. This stage went relatively undisturbed, with most press reporting on Shaquille O'Neal participation on the development, in a joint venture with M.D.M. Development Group.The second phase of development, initially known as Met 2, has become the Wells Fargo Center after a 20-year lease for 250,000 sq foot of office space was signed in 2010. This phase comprises two prominent towers, the first, Wells Fargo Center, has 47 stories, encompassing 750,000 sq foot of office space and an additional 10,000 square feet dedicated to retail. The second tower hosts two hotels, JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts, boasting 80,000 sq foot of meeting space, 313 guestrooms, 44 ultra luxury rooms, a fitness center, spa facilities, and four on-site food and beverage options. These towers are conjoined by a shared podium featuring 1,400 parking spaces. Noteworthy accolades for MET2 include LEED Gold certification and the 2012 Urban Land Institute Vision Award.Met 3 is the second residential tower of the complex, a 32-story luxury rental property with 462 apartments and a 36,000 sq foot Whole Foods supermarket. Although the initial design asked for a much taller structure (76 floors) the final project opened completely reimagined opening in 2015 after multiple delays caused by the subprime mortgage crisis. The final phase, Met Square was finally completed in 2018. Initially a lifestyle complex, the project evolved to include another residential tower, with 188 luxury apartments on top of a 16-screen 80,000 sq foot Silverspot Cinema. The delays and reconfiguration of the project happened after important archaeological ruins were found on the site. Several holes carved on the limestone align to form circles that could indicate a village structure. Radiocarbon tests placed ruins and artifacts from A.D. 650 to 1500 years. There was also a portion of Miami’s first hotel, built in 1897 by Henry Flagler, uncovered by the construction. In 2014, the Met Square site was being considered for a National Historic Landmark status, and possibly UNESCO designation given the importance of these findings. In a landmark mediation process between public and private entities, the developers worked with archaeologists and government officials to find a solution for the site. The building was redesigned to include indoor and outdoor observation areas for the public as well as a museum for the history of Miami. However, not all preservationists are happy with the outcome, as the Museum was never completed. As Miami developers keep pushing for urban renewal on the Downtown and the River, other sites on the same area now face similar challenges.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Metropolitan Miami (development) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Metropolitan Miami (development)
Southeast 3rd Avenue, Miami

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N 25.771364 ° E -80.188608 °
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Southeast 3rd Avenue 301
33131 Miami
Florida, United States
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Royal Palm Hotel (Miami)
Royal Palm Hotel (Miami)

The Royal Palm Hotel was a large resort hotel built by railroad magnate Henry Flagler in Miami, Florida. Opened on January 16, 1897, the Royal Palm Hotel was one of the first hotels in the Miami area. It sat on the north bank of the Miami River where it overlooked Biscayne Bay. Five stories tall with a sixth-floor salon, the Royal Palm Hotel featured the city's first electric lights, elevators and swimming pool. Almost thirty years later, The Royal Palm Hotel was grievously damaged by the 1926 hurricane, and infested with termites. In 1930, it was condemned and torn down.: 187  The hotel was built on the site of a Tequesta village. A large mound was removed to make way for the hotel veranda. Between 50 and 60 skulls were found in the mound, and tossed into barrels and sinkholes. Some were later given away as souvenirs. Construction crews also removed evidence of the Spanish mission and slave plantation that existed on the site decades earlier.: 65  The hotel stretched 680 feet (210 m) along the Miami River's north bank. A veranda surrounded the hotel, about one-sixth of a mile in length. The hotel was described as "modern Colonial", with an air of "decorous opulence". There were 450 guest rooms and suites. The average guest room was twelve feet by eighteen feet, and 100 of the rooms had private baths. The main dining room would seat 500 guests. A second dining room was for maids and children. There were also private dining rooms. There were parlors, a billiards room, other game rooms, a 45-foot (14 m) by 50-foot (15 m) ballroom, and 100 dressing rooms at the swimming pool. The boiler room, electric plant, kitchens, laundry and ice-makers were in a separate building. The hotel had a staff of 300, including sixteen cooks. Although, at the insistence of Julia Tuttle, a clause prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages had been included in all land deeds for the new city of Miami, the Royal Palm Hotel had an exemption to serve alcohol to its guests during the three months of the tourist season.: 60, 70, 154 

Brickell Avenue Bridge
Brickell Avenue Bridge

The Brickell Avenue Bridge is a bascule bridge in Downtown Miami, Florida, that carries U.S. Route 1 (US 1; Brickell Avenue) over the Miami River. The original Brickell Avenue Bridge was built in 1929, and replaced in 1995.Brickell Avenue Bridge was widened by one additional northbound lane in 2006 to reduce the traffic bottleneck through downtown. Before this there were three southbound but only two northbound lanes. Currently there are three lanes in each direction as well as a pedestrian walkway on both sides. Still, the bridge causes frequent traffic delays on the busy Brickell Avenue when it opens. According to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), the bridge opened 4,990 times in 2010.The statue is a 53-foot bronze monument commissioned by the Florida Department of Transportation and created by Cuban dculptor Manuel Carbonell in 1995. The Pillar of History is a 36-foot high carved bas-relief column that graphically narrates the lives of the Tequesta Indians, Miami's first inhabitants, and features 158 figures. At the top stands a 17-foot bronze sculpture, "Tequesta Family" portraying a Tequesta Indian warrior aiming an arrow to the sky, looking for space in eternity, with his wife and child by his side, while the son covers his face in expectation of their extinction. top.Carbonell also created four bas reliefs, measuring 4-feet by 8-feet, which were installed in niches on the bridge's supporting piers. Each relief honors Miami's early founders and pioneers - William and Mary Brickell, Henry Flagler, Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and Julia Tuttle.