Miami Art Museum and Science Museum

Have you ever noticed that, in Miami, everything that’s old becomes new? The Miami Art Museum is being transformed into the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County. The park in which the museum sits is morphing from Bicentennial Park (on Biscayne Boulevard) to Museum Park. In case you are wondering it is also located in front of Ten Museum Park and Marquis in Downtown Miami.

The Museum Park dream – that highly anticipated and amazing green space filled with gardens, majestic palm trees, pools and glass pavilions – while not dashed, has been drastically scaled back.

The reason? The same we’re hearing from cities across the country: a money crunch. The project has been scaled down from a $68 million mega park to a bare-bones $10 million one.

The current budget for the project covers some green areas and a bay walk and promenade running from Biscayne Boulevard to the Bay, according to the Miami Herald’s Andres Viglucci. Although it will be a lovely and functional park, it “will not have that Millennium Identity,” according to city Commissioner Marc Sarnoff.

Miami Art Museum
The good news in the area is that new Perez Art Museum is still on track and the project is half finished – slated for completion in about a year. Backers promise a world-class museum.

The museum’s namesake, real estate billionaire Jorge Perez, plans on donating bits of his personal collection of Latin American art – a bequest worth an estimated $40 million. 

Perez, a real estate developer, began his collection when he left his home in South American, hoping, as he told Forbes magazine’s Kerry A. Dolan, to “hold on to his culture.”

Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Taking a peek a little further into the future finds the new Miami Science Museum ready to open its doors in late 2014. Connected by a wide plaza to the Art Museum, the Science Museum project broke ground in February. If you’d like to follow the project you’ll find a construction cam live feed at the Miami Science Museum’s website.

With a pending opening date of 2015, the 250,000 square foot museum will make the list of sustainable science museums by harnessing solar and wind for the building’s energy needs. Permanent exhibits will include a 600,000 gallon shark-filled aquarium, a 3D planetarium, technology exhibits with which the public can interact and cafes and gardens so you can make a day of your visit.

Perricone’s – A Brickell Fixture

In these days when restaurants come and go, it’s nice to know that Perricone’s Marketplace & Café, a downtown Miami favorite for the past 16 years, is still around. 

Seated in Perricone’s rustic Italian dining room, or on the lush, tropical terrace, it’s hard to believe that you’re anywhere near the bustle of the big city.

Owner Steven Perricone bought the SE 10th Street building in the mid-1990s. During the renovation process, the existing building collapsed. Perricone then found a 120 year-old barn in Vermont, which he brought back to Miami in pieces, to reassemble in its current park-like location in the heart of Brickell. He built the dining room around the existing trees “so it’s like eating in a tree house,” Perricone claims.

Perricone describes the restaurant’s cuisine as “simple, basic Italian comfort food.” Although customers rave about the entire menu, two items on the dinner menu appear to be standouts: Grandma Jennie’s Meat Lasagna and the Fiocchi Gorgonzola.  

Perricone’s doesn’t have a wine list, per se, but offers up a weekly selection from which to choose. Or, you’re welcome to pick a bottle from the amazing selection in the marketplace. There is a small corkage fee. 

Perricone’s specialty food market carries everything they have in the dining room, plus signature cheeses, crackers and deserts.

Open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week, Perricone’s also features Sunday brunch and a rather large delivery menu with hot and cold sandwiches, appetizers, salads and hot entrees. You’ll find live music five nights a week. On Thursday nights, all pastas are only $10.00. Obviously, this is one of Perricone’s busiest nights, so get there early or make reservations.

Perricone’s is located at 15 SE 10th St., just east of South Miami Avenue. Reservations are accepted by calling (305)374-9449.

Sales office dissapearing? Icon Bay Case Study

I remember the glorious days of the real estate boom in Miami. I would go to parties every month where developers announced new projects one after the other. Along with the party came a spectacular sales office where they brought agents, media and clients to show them the building model and how finished units were going to look like. 

Not anymore. These things are not very common nowadays. Instead, social media and word of mouth are king these days. Real estate developers are relying more and more on technology to sell real estate, and social media is playing a very important role in this process.

The Related Group, one of the biggest real estate developers in Florida, released Icon Bay condos to the public at the end of July of 2012. Icon Bay will be located in downtown Miami facing the bay on 28th avenue, a block away east from Biscayne Boulevard. 

There was no party and they still do not have a sales office for Icon Bay. When we were contacted by the developer the first question I asked, in addition to the regular one about pricing, was about the launch party and they said "no, there is no party, just start selling". They explained further and stated that they were contacting brokers and clients to tell them about pricing and that they were starting to take reservations right away. Brokers started spreading the word immediately using word of mouth, emails and social media.

To date, they have 211 reservations out of 300 units in total. Out of those 211 reservations, 117 have full deposits of 10% of the purchase price and 30 have partial deposits. This is remarkable given the fact that they started only a couple of months ago and that prices started at $468 per square foot. As you might have noticed, $468/foot is not cheap, most condos in downtown Miami are currently selling between $350 and $450 per square foot.

Therefore, there are two important conclusions from this analysis. The first one is that the Miami real estate market is experiencing a solid recovery. And secondly, developers are relying on technology more and more to streamline the selling process. If social media helped people in the middle east bring down their autocratic governments, why can't we use it to improve the real estate business?

The Five Most Expensive Condos for Sale in Brickell

Miami homebuyers seeking amazing views, amenities that cater to their every whim, or just the convenience of living amidst the hum and hustle of the city, have no shortage of luxury condos from which to choose. Although there are plenty of condos priced at or near the median price for the region, several on the high-end stand out. You might call this list “The Best-of-the-Best in Brickell Luxury Living,” and you would be correct.

The top of the luxury condo market in Brickell features two communities: Asia Brickell Key and the Four Seasons Brickell. 

The Asia tower stands 483 feet tall, with 36 floors, and only three to five units per floor. Asia’s 123 units offer two, three or four-bedroom floor plans. 

Some of the amenities you’ll find at Asia include:

• A fitness center
• Several swimming pools
• Tennis courts
• Valet
• Concierge
• Private storage facilities

The best-of-the-best units at Asia, currently offered for sale, include #3003. This home features four bedrooms, five and one-half bathrooms in 3,813 square feet of living space. It boasts 12-foot ceilings, a gourmet chef’s kitchen, and luxurious bathrooms with imported marble. It’s offered at $6 million. 

If you want to be located further above the bright lights of Miami, and require one of the city’s most spectacular views, view PH-3402 at Asia. This penthouse unit is being offered at $7,900,000 and features six bedrooms, five bathrooms and two half bathrooms in 5,000 square feet of living space. Views of the bay and the river, private elevator access and exquisite designer finishes are just a taste of what this home has to offer.

The next step up in price is yet another Asia penthouse, number 3401. This home offers 4,635 square feet of living space, with five bedrooms and six and one-half bathrooms. It also boasts a maid’s room and the entire unit has been freshly decorated. Water and city views from the dining area, an interior elevator and marble floors are a few of the unit’s other distinctive features. Penthouse 3401 is offered at $8,800,000.  

Another penthouse offers Asia’s most spectacular views. A three-story stunner, this unit has four bedrooms and five and one-half bathrooms, in 4,834 square feet of living space. Enjoy the ultimate in privacy with a private elevator to the unit. The 2,496 square-foot terrace holds a private pool and a wet bar. This unit holds maid’s quarters and you’ll find private storage on the same floor. This home is offered at  $8,830,000. 

At the top of the price range you’ll find an incomparable luxury home at Four Seasons Brickell. Live on top of the world in the highest penthouse in Florida.  This unit is a combination of three units and contains 7,458 square feet of living space. Enjoy panoramic views from each of this home’s four bedrooms. Features of this penthouse are numerous and include:

• A state-of-the-art Crestron system
• Lutron system
• Imported marble
• Swarovsky crystal chandeliers
• Oversized kitchen
• Wine cellar
• Media room

This Four Seasons penthouse is on the market for $15 million. 

All of these homes are available for private showings with a 24-hour notice.

TIKL Raw Bar and Grill

With all of the amazing restaurants in the Brickell neighborhood in Miami, it’s hard to imagine that yet another new eatery would create much excitement. TIKL Raw Bar and Grill (pronounced "tickle"), across from the Four Seasons Brickell building, may have you rethinking that assumption.

Brought to us by the same team that created Altamare, TIKL offers affordable small plates with indoor and outdoor dining.

Owner Claudio Giordano was born in Venezuela but grew up in Naples. As a teenager he took various summer restaurant jobs in Rome, Tuscany and Munich to nurture his burgeoning desire to work in the hospitality industry. At a young age he was offered the opportunity to become a partner and owner of Taverna Fra’ Diavolo, in Venezuela.

Upon his move to Florida in 1984, Giordano purchased Coral Gable’s La Bussola where he offered Italian cuisine. The eatery’s almost instant success allowed Giordano to expand the restaurant from 60 seats to 120.

Over the years, Giordano has helmed amazing restaurants such as Claudio’s Restaurant Bar & Club (which he sold in 2001) and Altamare (originally named Altamar) on South Beach.

Giordano says that TIKL chef Simon Stojanovic’s farm-fresh small plates are meant to be shared, much as one finds in a tapas restaurant. TIKL’s menu is seafood-focused and divided into the following sections:

• Snacks – includes items such as garlic bread, chili chicken thighs and bloody Mary bruchetta 
• Raw – snapper or lobster salad and spicy tuna bomb highlight this section
• Small – small plates of short rib soft tacos, fried squid and thai curried mussels are meant to be shared
• Robata – octopus, asparagus prepared in miso truffle butter and Korean hangar steak are a few of the offerings here
• Skewers – try the bacon-wrapped enoki, chicken thighs or local shrimp
• Large – a 24 oz. Porterhouse steak or a whole fish-of-the-day

TIKL’s prices range from $4 to $6 for snacks; $10 to $16 for the raw menu items; $10 to $18 for items from the “Small” section; from $5 to $14 for Robata and Skewers items and $45 for the Porterhouse (subject, of course to change).

Favorable reviews are already mounting, with the grilled scallops, pork belly and tuna bomb coming out as early favorites. Add to that the rave reviews for the eatery’s modern décor and personable servers, and Brickell seems to have another winner. 

You can find TIKL at 1450 Brickell Avenue, across from the Four Seasons. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from noon to 1 am and Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Happy Hour is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Miami Real Estate Market Update - Brickell - August 2012

In the following table you can see all closings in the brickell area for the month of August 2012. There were a total of 83 closings. The main statistics are:

• Average price per square foot: $364
• Lowest price per square foot: $127 (Four Ambassadors unit 1505)
• Highest price per square foot: $687 (Four Seasons unit 52B)

There were units that went pending in just one day at The Courts Brickell Key and The Plaza on Brickell.

Building	Unit#	Bed/Bath	Living Area	Days on Market	List Price	Sale Price	Price per sq ft
FOUR AMBASSADORS	1505	1/1	990	11	$93,500	$126,000	$127
FLAGLER FIRST CONDOS	702	1/1	603	238	$96,540	$103,615	$172
Fortune House	711	1/1	640	73	$164,500	$160,000	$250
THE WIND BY NEO	2215	1/1	698	264	$219,000	$210,000	$301
THE MET	1803	1/1	640	294	$225,000	$205,000	$320
Brickell Key One Condo	A812	1/1.5	836	139	$229,000	$210,000	$251
The Club at Brickell	3822	1/1	825	28	$230,000	$215,000	$261
The Loft Downtown II	2113	2/2	1153	28	$239,000	$225,000	$195
QUANTUM	3119	1/1.5	865	241	$242,000	$225,000	$260
Isola Condo	14	1/1	735	141	$245,000	$230,000	$313
BRICKELL SHORES	605	2/2	1045	49	$259,000	$233,000	$223
One Tequesta Point	801	1/1.5	780	46	$259,900	$255,000	$327
Brickell on The River S	705	1/1.5	981	122	$260,000	$235,000	$240
THE PLAZA	303	1/1	702	39	$263,000	$255,000	$363
Met 1 Condo	T-1905	1/1.5	733	249	$265,000	$255,000	$348
1060 BRICKELL	815	1/1.5	1053	171	$265,000	$250,000	$237
THE PLAZA 901 BRICKELL	801	1/1	838	89	$265,000	$236,000	$282
ONE MIAMI EAST	3802	1/1.5	846	125	$269,990	$268,000	$317
BRICKELL ON THE RIVER SOU	506	1/1.5	1056	290	$279,000	$245,000	$232
500 BRICKELL W CONDO	3200	1/1	901	161	$279,900	$276,000	$306
ONE MIAMI	3205	2/2	1227	14	$280,000	$280,000	$228
FORTUNE HOUSE	2410	2/2	930	78	$280,000	$240,000	$258
1060 BRICKELL CONDO	615	1/1.5	1053	127	$285,000	$265,000	$252
500 BRICKELL EAST	2806	1/1	738	57	$290,000	$270,000	$366
1060 BRICKELL AVENUE	2204	1/1	731	850	$295,000	$280,000	$383
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	3709	1/1	674	38	$297,452	$293,500	$435
BRICKELL KEY II	921	2/2	1030	172	$309,900	$309,900	$301
1060 BRICKELL AVENUE	2202	1/1	843	841	$319,000	$300,000	$356
THE CLUB AT BRICKELL BAY	3615	2/2	1030	70	$319,000	$318,000	$309
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	4708	1/1	674	108	$319,052	$315,000	$467
Jade at Brickell	904	1/1	895	22	$325,000	$290,000	$324
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	1702	1/1	739	50	$333,256	$300,000	$406
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	4103	1/1	739	29	$340,452	$329,000	$445
Brickell Key II	422	2/2	1400	213	$350,000	$310,000	$221
Brickell Key II	1617	2/2	1030	146	$350,000	$340,000	$330
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	5200	1/1	847	21	$350,452	$346,000	$409
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	5108	1/1	674	28	$350,452	$339,000	$503
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	5001	1/1	847	5	$355,452	$355,000	$419
ICON BRICKELL	4106	1/1	842	16	$360,000	$352,500	$419
Atlantis	502	2/2	1304	18	$360,000	$320,000	$245
ONE MIAMI WEST CONDO	3922	2/2	1169	24	$365,000	$355,000	$304
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	5401	1/1	847	1	$365,000	$365,000	$431
Brickell on The River	2110	2/2	1110	165	$374,999	$250,000	$225
ICON BRICKELL	1908	1/1	732	77	$375,000	$325,000	$444
1060 BRICKELL	3405	1/1.5	963	159	$379,000	$376,000	$390
500 BRICKELL	1607	2/2	1197	132	$380,000	$365,000	$305
MET 1	2206	2/2	1005	1	$385,000	$385,000	$383
ICON BRICKELL TOWER I	2406	1/1	940	90	$395,000	$390,000	$415
BRICKELL KEY ONE CONDO	A1505	3/3	1625	534	$399,000	$389,900	$240
1060 BRICKELL	2911	2/2	1103	162	$399,000	$375,000	$340
ST LOUIS CONDO	901	2/2	1000	92	$399,000	$360,000	$360
COURVOISIER COURTS	805	2/2	1236	15	$399,000	$395,000	$320
BRICKELL ON THE RIVER S	1308	2/2	1402	22	$399,000	$360,000	$257
500 BRICKELL	1205	2/2	1124	146	$400,000	$380,000	$338
WIND BY NEO	1802	2/2	1385	168	$408,000	$370,000	$267
CARBONELL CONDO	1102	1/1.5	1076	58	$415,000	$400,000	$372
Plaza on Brickell	2004	2/2	1101	108	$429,000	$405,000	$368
1060 Brickell	1514	2/2.5	1278	285	$438,000	$410,000	$321
ST LOUIS CONDO	1304	2/2	960	813	$439,000	$410,000	$427
BRICKELL KEY ONE	A1114	2/2.5	1976	46	$439,000	$415,000	$210
JADE	411	1/2	1293	548	$465,000	$450,000	$348
Courvoisier Courts	2411	2/2	1267	100	$499,000	$490,000	$387
ICON BRICKELL	5507	1/1	984	37	$520,000	$475,000	$483
ICON BRICKELL	1913	2/2	1144	24	$525,000	$510,000	$446
THE PLAZA ON BRICKELL	5204	2/2	1192	93	$532,452	$520,000	$436
COURTS BRICKELL	604	3/3	1493	0	$535,000	$535,000	$358
Skyline on Brickell	1106	2/2	1367	420	$550,000	$535,000	$391
ONE MIAMI	1512	3/2	1416	28	$579,900	$542,900	$383
The Courts	1509	3/3	1488	14	$595,000	$525,000	$353
Viceroy	3910	2/2	1347	146	$630,000	$620,000	$460
JADE RESIDENCES	2002	2/2	1529	228	$659,000	$635,000	$415
ICON BRICKELL I	602	2/2	1433	195	$679,000	$635,000	$443
ICON BRICKELL TOWER 2	3904	2/2	1666	139	$695,900	$695,000	$417
ASIA ON BRICKELL	1605	2/2	1600	315	$925,000	$830,000	$519
THREE TEQUESTA	2604	2/2.5	1919	767	$949,000	$920,000	$479
CARBONELL	308	2/2	1916	155	$975,000	$945,000	$493
FOUR SEASONS	55A	2/2	1749	628	$1,150,000	$1,026,000	$587
JADE	1211	2/2.5	1878	15	$1,174,900	$1,130,000	$602
EPIC	4307	2/2.5	1598	6	$1,190,000	$1,020,000	$638
ICON BRICKELL	2301	3/2	1870	34	$1,250,000	$1,175,000	$628
THREE TEQUESTA POINT	3601	3/2.5	2353	26	$1,300,000	$1,150,000	$489
FOUR SEASONS	62B	2/2.5	2185	255	$1,600,000	$1,500,000	$686
FOUR SEASONS	52B	3/3.5	2547	294	$1,899,999	$1,750,000	$687

Bal Harbour Shops

While pockets within the City of Miami have buzzed with development and redevelopment over the past decade, bringing new retail centers with ever more glitz, Bal Harbour Shops, a mainstay in Miami for more than 45 years, remains a local favorite.

If you’re new to the area, we’d like to introduce you to this gem of Bal Harbour, an upscale Miami suburb.

First, if you’re hoping to open a business at Bal Harbour Shops, get ready to wait in line. There is a two-year waiting list of business owners eager to locate in the open-air shopping mall.

Bal Harbour Shops sits on what once was an army barracks and World War II prisoner of war facility. In the early 1960s, Stanley Whitman purchased the property for $2 a square foot, hired an architectural firm and, by 1965, with FAO Schwarz as the first tenant, Bal Harbour Shops opened the doors.

Bal Harbour Shops was populated with mainly big-name department stores until Gucci opened its fifth U.S. store there. This move opened the flood gates and upscale fashion designers quickly followed suit, including Dolce & Gabanna and Chanel.

Today, the 500,000 square foot center includes 100 tenants, including retailers such as:

• Balenciaga
• Carolina Herrera
• Escada
• La Perla
• Michael Kors
• Miu Miu
• Oscar de la Renta
• Valentino
• Fendi
• Versace
• Yves Saint Laurent
• Bulgari
• Tiffany & Co.

Dining opportunities abound at Bal Harbour Shops with nine unique eateries from which to choose. 

In addition, the St. Regis Bal Harbour condos and hotel just opened a couple of months ago in front of Bal Harbour shops.

Shuttle service to Bal Harbour Shops is available from South Beach and Miami Beach.

Midtown Miami

Just south of the Miami Design District sits an area known as Midtown Miami, a mixed-use urban development. Although construction of the development began in 2005, the real estate crash forced the developers to scale back on some of their plans in 2007. By the summer of 2011, however, new plans were announced for the building of an entertainment center, a hotel, cinema and additional shops.

The Shops at Midtown are probably the area’s biggest draw and include national chain stores such as Marshalls, Target and Guess, as well as popular local stores. If the Shops at Midtown remind you of New York’s SOHO district, there’s a reason: the shopping area was designed to do just that.

Midtown Miami is also a draw for residents seeking an upscale lifestyle in an urban setting. Let’s look at some of Midtown’s real estate offerings.

2 Midtown Miami
Also known as Midtown 2, this residential complex was built in 2007 and contains 336 units with 60 floor plans. The Mews offer 18 first-floor, live-work residences, Midrise contains 62 live-work residences with distinctive warehouse-style windows, and Tower units offer 327 residences with stunning bay and city views. All units offer floor-to-ceiling windows, custom cabinetry in the kitchens, high-end appliances and walk-in closets.
Amenities at 2 Midtown Miami include a concierge, on-call 24 hours a day; 24-hour security; a private fitness center; swimming pool; private storage; a valet and shopping just steps away.
Current offerings range in price from $225,000 to $905,900. At the lower end of the price range is a 589 square foot one-bedroom unit with tile floors throughout.

At the top of the 2 Midtown Miami price range is a 3-bedroom unit with three and one-half bathrooms in 3,730 square feet of living space. This residence offers a European kitchen with stainless steel appliances.

4 Midtown Miami
You’ll find more than 40 floor plans at 4 Midtown. Units feature private terraces, whirlpool tubs and security systems. The community offers amenities enough to keep even the most active Miamian happy:

• Beach towel service
• Pool towel service
• Boating
• Fitness Center
• Access to golf
• Playground
• Pool
• Tennis courts

4 Midtown also offers 24-hour security, a movie theater, a breakfast café, concierge services, a wine cellar, steam room and sauna.

Prices at 4 Midtown start at $239,000 for a studio unit (with a den). At the top of the price range sits a two-bedroom condo with partial bay views, offered at $375,000. 

If you think Midtown developers are finished, think again. Earlier this year they announced the sale of 22 acres to another developer. Look for more retail and additional residences in the future.