Westdale Properties, King Street Capital Management, and Cedar Capital Partners announced plans for “Shelborne South Beach by Proper,” located at 1801 Collins Avenue in South Beach. This significant renovation and redesign of the hotel’s guestrooms, food and beverage venues, pool deck, cabanas, and meeting and event spaces have begun. Following the renovation, the hotel will be managed by Proper Hospitality and will be the company’s first hotel in Florida.
The development team is dedicated to preserving the hotel’s 1940 Art Deco distinction and authentic charm while modernizing the hotel through a comprehensive $85 million renovation. The design will embrace Miami’s Art Deco and MiMo architectural history, originally crafted by Igor Polevitzky and later improved by Morris Lapidus, two celebrated architects of the mid-20th century.
Credit: Westdale Properties, King Street Capital Management, and Cedar Capital Partners.
“Our role with our partners and Proper Hospitality is to serve as custodians of the past while preserving the rich heritage of this iconic hotel,” says Mitchell Cohen, Chief Operating Officer of Westdale Properties. “Our intention is to retain and restore all the original heritage elements and embedded history to make Shelborne South Beach by Proper capable of ushering in, and once again elevating, the famous Miami Beach Art Deco destination. Proper Hospitality shares our objective of ensuring the heritage of the Shelborne South Beach continues and will be protected and enjoyed by future generations.”
All heritage elements in the hotel will be saved and restored. “After decades of being hidden, the magnificent two-story windows along 18th Street will once again be brought back to life, flooding the new lobby with natural light, as originally designed,” adds Cohen.
Westdale’s real estate portfolio includes extensive properties in Florida and investments in local Miami hospitality businesses, such as Swan and Komodo. They are also developing Frank Gehry’s first residential towers in Canada, Forma Toronto.
The development team has worked closely with the City of Miami Beach and local preservation agencies to ensure the restoration honors and cares for the architectural legacy and history of the hotel. Daniel Ciraldo, Executive Director of the Miami Design Preservation League, expressed excitement about the renovation project and gratitude for the investment in preserving the landmark.
Credit: Westdale Properties, King Street Capital Management, and Cedar Capital Partners.
Mark Van Zandt, Managing Director and Co-Head of Real Estate at King Street, comments on the partnership with the Development Team and the City of Miami Beach for Shelborne South Beach’s next chapter. “As South Beach continues to transform, we believe the hotel will further cement the area’s reputation as a premier global destination.”
Ben Leahy, Partner of Cedar Capital, notes that Proper Hospitality’s success in locations such as Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Austin, Palm Springs, and Maui will bring new life into Shelborne South Beach, restoring it to its grandeur of half a century ago.
The hotel will feature 251 guest rooms and suites and is set to reopen in early 2025. In the coming months, Proper Hospitality will announce details surrounding the design, programming, food and beverage concepts, and spaces that will establish the hotel as an exciting new destination.
Brian De Lowe, co-founder and president of Proper Hotels, looks forward to returning to Miami and introducing Proper’s take on luxury to the South Beach market. “Shelborne South Beach by Proper will showcase our unique design, signature service, vibrant food and beverage outlets, and dynamic guest experiences,” he says.
Shelborne South Beach by Proper is set to usher in a new level of hospitality, merging immersive design with thoughtfully crafted experiences and programming to become a defining feature of Miami’s South Beach.
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In 1994 I stayed there while atttending the American Booksellers Association convention. The place was a dump; the air conditioning cooled the air, but didn’t take the humidity out. The first room I was taken to was literally missing a wall, with nothing between you and the outside air but a billowing curtain. The upgrade is long overdue!
Russell Galbut and his family of grifters did a cheap dumb renovation in the 1990’s. They sold homes as condos. Every buyer and every renter had problems. Galbut even chopped up the lobby and put up sheetrock creating more condos he could sell.