Leonard and Lisa Hochstein have no intention to stop the fight to demolish their Manor for something a bit more in keeping with their tastes, and neither do preservationists seem to have any intention of letting up on their fight to stop the Hochsteins from doing so. Meanwhile, architect Walter DeGarmo's 1925 masterpiece sits there, withering away like the memories of the grand lives that were once lived within its spalling walls. The Hochsteins are in love with the neighborhood, an extremely expensive island of luxurious houses just off the Miami Beach landmass. They want a corner lot, but not one too close to the bridge because those lots look directly at the MacArthur Causeway, and all of the other corner spots are otherwise completely unavailable. (There next door neighbor,Rosie O'Donnell's was, but now it's not.)
Leonard took Curbed Miami on a tour of the house, and boy is it a fixer upper. It's really beautiful, but also in really bad shape. Even if the structure is sound (which it may or may not be), the house needs tons and tons of work. Historic preservation is often a labor of love, but if 42 Star Island Drive was in the hands of someone who loved it enough (and that's a lot of love) to fix it up, the results would be extraordinary. Do check out the photo tour.
· 42 Star Island Drive coverage [Curbed Miami]
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