The Hotel Deauville, a historic building in miami beach where the Beatles performed, was demolished this Sunday after years of disrepair. Hundreds of people gathered to watch the fall of a giant with more than 500 rooms, an icon that has also hosted John F. Kennedy and Frank Sinatra.
The hotel had 17 floors and 540 rooms. It was built in 1957, designed by architect Melvin Grossman in the MiMo style (transition from Art Deco to modern style). It was located in North Beach at 6701 Collins Ave, one block from the beach. It functioned in all its glory in the 1960s, but has fallen into disrepair lately.
Perhaps his most illustrious day was February 16, 1964, when he welcomed the cockroaches. The four from Liverpool performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, at the Napoleon Ballroom. They played six songs: she She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me to You and I Want to Hold Your Hand.
Nail 70 million people gathered in front of the television to listen to the presentation of the group formed by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
The Beatles were on their first US promotional tour. A week earlier they had been on the same show, but broadcast from New York, and had their first concert in Washington.
The Deauville Hotel has also received the President of the United States John F. Kennedywho gave a speech at the Young Democratic Convention in 1961. In addition, he hosted celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Sammy Davis Jr.
The fall of the Deauville Hotel, icon of Miami
Over the years the complex fell into disrepair and was closed in 2017 following a fire due to electrical faults. Miami Beach authorities and the hotel’s owning family contested million-dollar fines imposed for various code violations. It is not known what will happen to the land now.
The process of dismantling the hotel began last March, despite campaigns by environmentalists who wanted to keep the historic building standing. Finally, this Sunday hundreds of people came to the beach to see live the implosion that brought down the giant and generated a cloud of dust that affected several blocks around.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, a billionaire real estate developer from New York, wanted to buy the property and build a 107-foot hotel and condominium tower, but that plan is in limbo.
The zone has a height limit of 200 feet (61 meters), but a ballot measure that would have allowed construction did not pass Tuesday.
City officials say Ross may still be interested in buying the land if an alternative plan can be worked out.
With information from agencies
Source: Clarin
