Date is set for implosion of Deauville Hotel tower in Miami Beach

The 17-story tower of the historic Deauville Hotel is set to be imploded Nov. 13, according to a memo Tuesday from Miami Beach City Manager Alina Hudak. The implosion will mark the final moments of a 1957 building that once famously hosted The Beatles but was shuttered after a 2017 electrical fire and fell into disrepair in recent years.

Miami Beach has approved an implosion permit for contractor BG Group LLC, according to the memo. The implosion will take place at 8 a.m. or shortly after.

The implosion will happen just five days after a Nov. 8 election in which Miami Beach voters will weigh in on a proposed up-zoning of the site, where Miami Dolphins owner and real estate developer Stephen Ross is proposing a new hotel and condo tower designed by architect Frank Gehry.

The Deauville’s demolition has been a source of controversy among Miami Beach residents and activists, with some saying more should have been done to save the historic hotel or preserve some of its character.

BG Group has received a host of permits to allow for the implosion at 6701 Collins Ave., according to Hudak, including a city building permit, FDOT road closure permit, demolition permit and Miami-Dade County blast permit.

At 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, a Sunday, Miami Beach police and fire officials will establish an “exclusion zone” between Collins Avenue and Harding Avenue, from 65th Street to 70th Street. Traffic on Collins Avenue will be closed at 65th Street and diverted to Indian Creek Drive.

After the implosion, the contractor will begin to clean up the dust and the roadway is expected to reopen around 10 a.m., according to the city manager’s memo.

BG Group has begun notifying residents who live within 750 feet of the tower about the plans, officials said. The notice to residents notes that the tower will be demolished “down to an elevation where BG Group can safely access the debris and better control dust” while clearing the site.

The notice advises residents to keep their windows and doors closed to prevent dust from entering homes and other buildings at the time of the implosion. The contractor also recommends turning off exhaust fans and bringing “dust-sensitive plants” and furniture indoors.

“There will likely be a significant amount of dust in the block immediately surrounding the demolition site,” the notice says. “People with respiratory issues or those who are otherwise sensitive to dust or even loud noises should stay inside their structures until dust from the implosion clears and the area is cleaned up. Or they may wish to plan on being ‘elsewhere’ during the implosion for their own comfort.”

BG Group is overseeing the implosion along with Maryland-based Controlled Demolitions Inc. The same two firms handled the successful implosion of the still-standing portion of Champlain Towers South in Surfside after the catastrophic building collapse last June that killed 98 people.

Demolition crews began tearing down the lower portion of the Deauville building last month. Officials first completed asbestos removal from the shuttered hotel, which allowed demolition of the building’s pool, pool deck, ballrooms and lobby to begin.

The city of Miami Beach has sparred in court with the hotel’s owners, the Meruelo family, over millions of dollars in code violations imposed by city inspectors.