Swire Properties is scheduled to conduct the controlled implosion of the former 23-story Mandarin Oriental, Miami at 8:30 a.m. this Sunday, April 12, bringing down the hotel and its adjacent parking structure in what the developer is describing as the largest implosion event in Miami in more than a decade.
The operation follows nearly two years of planning and coordination with specialized contractors and the City of Miami. Swire said implosion was selected as the safest and most efficient demolition method after evaluation with BG Group, Controlled Demolition Inc., Moss Construction, Pepper Engineering Group, and Thornton Tomasetti in collaboration with city officials.
The developer cited worker safety, minimized disruption to Brickell Key and surrounding areas, and adherence to the construction schedule as the determining factors. The hotel, which opened in 2000 at 500 Brickell Key Drive, closed permanently on May 31, 2025. Post-implosion remarks are expected from Swire Properties President Dave Martin, Vice President of Construction Jessica Chen, and BG Group Managing Member Ivy Fradin.
The site will be redeveloped as The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Miami, a two-tower ultra-luxury residential and hospitality development designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and planned for the southern end of Brickell Key, with completion targeted for 2030. The 66-story South Tower will contain 228 private residences. The 34-story North Tower will include 70 private residences, 28 Hotel Collection residences, and a new 121-key Mandarin Oriental hotel, which Swire has positioned as the brand’s future North American flagship. South Tower interiors are by Tristan Auer, North Tower residences are by Laura Gonzalez, and landscape architecture is by SHMA.
The two towers will share a landscaped podium with more than 100,000 square feet of amenity space. The project has recorded more than $1.3 billion in total sales across both towers, including two penthouse transactions at $49.9 million each atop the South Tower, representing the highest-priced condominium sales on record for mainland Miami at approximately $6,300 per square foot. Groundbreaking is anticipated in late 2026.
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The building they’re tearing down looks better than the blob that’s replacing it.