Demolition of historic Deuville hotel in Miami Beach began

538 rooms on seventeen floors above Miami Beach's iconic Collins Avenue, with direct access to the beach. A MiMo style building (as it is called the transition between Art Deco, so traditional of South Beach, and the modern style), whose red letter sign was an emblem of Miami Beach since it opened its doors in 1957.

For decades, it was the Miami Beach home of celebrities. Frank Sinatra was a regular at the hotel. Comedian Joan Rivers visited him on vacation, and performed several shows in his salons. President John F. Kennedy himself, the first president to also achieve celebrity status due to the interest he aroused in the press of the heart, stayed in those rooms. But without a doubt, the peak of fame came on February 16, 1964, when a week after their debut in the United States on Ed Sullivan's television show, the Beatles played a concert at the hotel that was televised on CBS. And unlike their brief visit to the cities of New York and Washington, in Miami the Beatles stayed for a week's vacation, staying at the Deuville.

Due to its architecture and history, Deuville is the cultural and historical heritage of the city of Miami Beach. But that story has begun to be demolished.

In 2017, after years of low brightness, a fire in the hotel's power lines forced the owners, the Meruelo family, to close their doors. Since then, both city inspectors and an engineer privately hired by the owners recommended demolition because they found that the structure was not safe. The city sued the Meruelos for not being able to maintain a building that is historical heritage, but that does not change the fact that the recommendation was to demolish it.

The Miami Design Preservation League also sued the Meruelos to prevent demolition, which the owners publicly indicated they wanted. While that lawsuit is still ongoing, this did not prevent a judge from granting the demolition permit last Wednesday, March 9.

On Saturday, two bulldozers began to tear down the roofed entrance to the building. Some neighbors complained that they were not notified of the demolition, but according to the city of Miami Beach statutes, it is only necessary to notify neighbors if the demolition is of a building larger than three floors. The entrance, which is the only thing they are tearing down for now, is less than three floors.

But there will be time for the relevant notifications to arrive, as the first of June is the expected date for the implosion that will bring down the 17-story main building.

Miami Dade County regulations also state that neighbors should be warned if a building containing asbestos is being demolished due to air pollution. While the Deuville has reports of asbestos on its walls, there is no indication that these carcinogenic minerals existed at the entrance that is being demolished.

In short, despite opposition from conservationists and some neighbors, the demolition of Deuville is absolutely legal and was even indicated as the way forward. The splendor times of one of the first beach resorts that made Miami Beach an international destination will remain in memory and in the photos.

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