The Historic Deauville Beach Resort Miami Beach Set to be Demolished

January 21, 2022

The Deauville Beach Resort located in Miami Beach, will be finally be demolished after years of neglect and decay, the mayor of Miami Beach announced this week.

The order for demolition was delivered in a letter to the Miami Beach City Commission on Wednesday, after a report by the building’s owners concluding that the structure is hazardous to the public. An assessment was completed after the letter by the city that confirmed the results to the demolition order.

The hotel forced to close in 2017 due to an electrical fire, and it has been closed ever since.

The hotel was purchased in 2004 for only $4 million by Deauville Associates LLC, a business managed by Belinda and Richard Meruelo. For years, the 540-room hotel at 6701 Collins Avenue has been the subject of lawsuits and other disputes between the city and its owners.

According to a Miami Beach Historic Preservation Board meeting last week in which the board considered options for moving forward, the North Beach hotel has piled up fines totaling roughly $1.8 million since last year.

According to the Miami Beach’s deputy city manager, Eric Carpenter, said that the demolition process may take one to two months to complete once the permit is issued. Approval will come after the Miami-Dade County’s Department of Environmental Resources Management Department determines that the site is safe for demolition, which will include the process of asbestos removal.

Some locals have stated that the property was purposely left unattended and that there was no maintenance ever completed on the hotel.

There are currently no plans for the 3.8 acre site after the hotel is demolished but the property will no longer be considered an historic site once the hotel is removed.

The Deauville features many historic components from 1957, including a large swimming pool, hairdresser, ice skating rink, ballroom and radio station.

This historic hotel housed some of the most iconic performances ever made. The Beatles’ in 1964 on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and Frank Sinatra. The hotel was also a spot for big names like Joan Rivers and President John F. Kennedy.