Miamism

The question of buying old or buying new in Miami Real Estate always comes up.  Some people have a misconception that because the South Florida Building code (SFBC) was updated in 2005, you should buy real estate built after that to make sure it's built right.

The South Florida Building Code

Well.....I could not disagree more.  Construction methods, through the years, have gotten worse and worse. Many Developers, in order to make more money, have found ways to cut corners and decrease the quality of construction.  The Building code many years ago was used as a minimum standard, but it got to a point that the same building code started being the top of the standard instead and contractors used it as a maximum.  In order to protect the consumer, that building code became stricter and so the change of the SFBC was inevitable.  Every time you complain about an inspector giving you a hard time and not approving a job done by a contractor, you should thank them instead, because they are there to protect you.

Sturdy Old Construction

Now that the building code question is out of the way I have to tell you that older established neighborhoods in Miami are known for their old construction.  From Miami Beach to Miami Shores, Coral Gables, Miami Springs....these neighborhoods were developed in the 1920's and their construction is as solid as it gets.  They have homes built in the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's while Miami was evolving. These homes that have been there for at least ½ a century have withstood numerous hurricanes and most of them without even shutters!!   Please don't misunderstand this to mean that you don't have to get hurricane protection for your homes, it means that those old homes have lived through many storms with little damage and we can attribute that to the superior methods of construction of those times.

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This week's Miami Luxury Real Estate Pick is located in Historic lake Belmar just South of Miami Shores in Miami's Upper East Side. Lake Belmar is a neighborhood on Biscayne Bay that people confuse with Davis Harbor and Miami Shores, but it is unincorporated Dade-County and has fabulous waterfront homes, historic properties and Luxury real estate. It is a hidden treasure that is centrally located and full of great architecture.

One of Lake Belmar's interesting landmarks is the "Historic Lake Belmar Canal". From this map you can see that there are no homes directly on the canal but have to cross the street to reach their waterfront properties. These canal front properties are literally "waterfront" - their water frontage is located on the front of their property rather than the back. The canal has open access to Biscayne Bay and the Ocean.

1036 NE 89th Street - Miami, Florida 33138

Listing Price $2,299,000

This is what the MLS description reads:

One of a kind home in South Florida. This was the famous Phillips Home in Miami and is registered as a historic Dade Landmark! This beautiful property boasts many of the original features that have been masterfully restored such as wood flooring and hand blown glass. Updated kitchen featuring granite. Four bedroom, 3 bathroom house with pool and dock with no fixed bridges. Home includes gorgeous Florida room, large dining room, large bedrooms. Truly a must see!

Features include:

• 4 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms
• 3,410 square feet of living space
• 19,125 sq. ft. lot (125 X 146)
• canal front with dock
• barrel tile roof
• pool
• Dade-County Landmark
• Mediterranean Revival Architecture

Because Miami Historic Homes are my specialty, I will add that this Mediterranean Revival home with Moorish influence is definitely one of a kind. From the window details in the front to the meticulously restored casement windows, you can tell that this residence has been someone's pride and joy. Notice the exposed wood beams in the family and living rooms, the woodwork, interior and exterior stucco and gorgeous hardwood floors. In addition, to be located across from the Historic Belmar Canal says enough about the historic relevance of this property and although I was not able to find out about the "Phillips Family" that first owned the property, I can't wait to find out more about it.

**property information courtesy of South East Florida Multiple Listing Service and The Keyes Company **

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You know I love old homes and have a passion for historic preservation. Cuban Tile is one of the popular flooring materials of the known "Spanish Mediterranean Revival" homes found in Miami - not to be confused with Historic Cuban Barrel Tile used for roofs (see article).

*photo courtesy El Nuevo Herald - FOTOSGALERIA - losas de la Habana*

Cuban Tile flooring is popular in South Florida and found in historic 20's homes as well as 30's, 40's and 50's and although the patterns are not as intricate as their historic counterparts, it's a great material nevertheless.

Trying to find the history of Cuban Tile, my mom brought me an article written by Sarah Moreno for El Nuevo Herald that gives great information from a gentleman by the name of Arturo Hernandez who has researched and documented these beautiful historic floors. Hernandez claims that Cuban Tile known also as cement tile, Encaustic Cement Tile or Hydraulic Mosaic Tile can be traced to Cataluña back to mid 19^th century where The Industrial Revolution allowed for the technical innovation and mass production of these tiles that did not need to be fired. Even known architect Gaudi, designed floors with cement tiles that looked like Persian rugs.

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As an architect, I love historic homes and the historic real estate market is one of my favorites. For those of you coming from other places in the US and even Europe or South America, historic homes in Miami will refer to homes built in the early 1900's all the way to the 50's (mid-century architecture).

I will be doing a series of articles identifying the different historic home periods and what to look for when buying.

There are 2 types of buyers of historic homes, the ones interested in historic preservation and finding homes that have not been butchered through the years with the purpose of restoring them to their original state or those buyers that love the charm but really don't care about preservation or restoration.

Whichever buyer you are, there are some things to look for when buying a Historic Mediterranean Revival Home in Miami:

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This weeks Miami Luxury Real Estate Pick is located in Historic Morningside within Miami's Upper East Side, where you can find bayfront estates as well as more modest historic residences.

510 NE 56 Street - Miami, Florida 33137

This fabulous 1934 historic home was designed by famous architect Lawrence Murray Dixon known for his Miami Beach Hotel design like the The Victor Hotel, The Tides Hotel and The Ritz Plaza Hotel to name a few. His attention to detail are visible throughout this home including his signature curves and use of circles. The home has over 3,000 square feet of living space and sits on a 12,000 square foot lot which houses an impressive 75 lap pool with mosaic mural with Bizassa glass designed by Edouard Duval- Carrier.

In my opinion, the photos of this magnificent house do not do it justice because the details have to be seen in person, from the custom French doors, column details, mosaic terrace floors, decorative quarry tile and more.

Its being offered for $999,000 and although it is in immaculate shape, anyone with interest in historic restoration would be lucky to get their hands on this impeccable home.

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