Now that the Witkoff Group, owners of New York City's Woolworth Building, own the Wyndham Garden Hotel - a collection of small historic buildings connected as one hotel complex - on Washington Avenue, they've hired Kobi Karp and Raymond Jungles to put their creative caps on to whip up a few changes. On the top of the bucket list: transform the hotel's ho-hum front pool area into a lushly landscaped public plaza and garden along Washington Avenue, creating what looks to be a much more interesting and entertaining public area than the blah 'chain hotel' pool deck and wavy concrete wall that was previously there.
The Jungles office describes the project as thus:
The Garden South Beach inspires to contribute to the unique, vibrant setting of South Beach and the Flamingo Park Historic District. With a totally new identity, The Garden South Beach will embrace its surroundings and provide hospitality services at a very desirable location. The theme is "Park with a Hotel." With increased visibility to its distinctive, historic architecture, The Garden South Beach will enrich the civic experience while providing sanctuary for guests within its private garden environment. Private will meld with public as The Garden South Beach will be the hub of the 1000 block of Washington Avenue. Views to the iconic, dramatically-illuminated Wolfsonian-FIU will complement the well-lit, pedestrian, park-like, and popular spaces. There will be expansive views to the historic tower of Miami Beach's Old City Hall. With substantial public parks to the west, the beach and Atlantic Ocean to the east, and position on the 1000 block of Washington Avenue, The Garden South Beach will capitalize on its strategic location.
Ideas for a cross-island pedestrian thoroughfare along 10th street are in the early planning stages, as are improvements to the Coconut palm-canopied Washington Avenue, Wolfsonian-FIU and Police Station/Historic Old City Hall Plaza. The Garden South Beach will be the catalyst to enhance the public pedestrian environment with fountains, plantings and enhanced paving within and adjacent to its boundaries. High occupancy, due to its inviting garden-centric environment and strategic location, will encourage commerce for adjacent business and cultural establishments.
The Garden South Beach will be a pearl in a string of Miami Beach pearls, connected by the Washington Avenue Corridor.
The Skinny:
Client: The Witkoff Group
Architect: Kobi Karp Architecture and Interior Design, Inc.
Design Landscape Architect: Raymond Jungles, Inc.
Landscape Architect of Record: David Odishoo
Interior Design: Malcolm Berg|Edge of Architecture Group
Renderings by: Landscape DE, LLC
Status: Design Development
UPDATE: A tipster tells us that the hotel, which disassociated itself with the Wyndham name early this year, will be independently run by Miami based Trust Hospitality (they're doing the Langford Hotel too) and will be called The Washington Park Hotel. When purchasing the hotel, the Witkoff Group also partnered with the Carlyle Group for funding.
· Witkoff Group buys South Beach hotel for $25 million [Real Deal Miami]
· The Garden South Beach [Jungles]
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