Fit for a King
Words: Michelle Wallace IG @my.michelle.w
Photography: Sergey Yusin @sergey_yusin
Wardrobe: Jaxson Maximus @jaxsonmaximus
Make-up: Julia Brig @juliabrigmia
style | June 01, 2021
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June 14, 2021
Top 3 abandoned places in Miami That You Should Know
Word / Miami Vibes Magazine | IG: miamivibesmag
Miami is known for its heat, surf, vibes and a truly fascinating past, which has resulted in a plethora of abandoned locations begging to be explored.
Miami may be known for its glitz and glitter, but the Magic City has a seedy underbelly underneath the South Beach sheen. Oddity hunters with a keen eye can find a number of bizarre encounters around town, but trespassing into one requires a certain kind of recklessness.
Miami Pepsi Company Bottling Plant
Although its permanently closed, the Miami Pepsi Company Bottling plant was one of Miami’s abandoned spots worth seeing. The Pepsi Company factory, which is located in Doral, was built in 1964 and includes a 145,000-square-foot bottling plant, offices, and a special Brutalist-style theatre shaped like a soda bottle cap. The plant was extended to 232,919 square feet after many expansions over the years. The plant was designed by Grand Rapids, Michigan-based architectural firm Daverman Associates, under the supervision of Miami architect Robert J. Boerema. Boerema was the chairman of the National American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on Public Architecture, as well as the President of the Florida Association of AIA and an AIA Fellow.
The property was acquired for just over $40 million by local real estate development company Terra and commercial real estate property manager Terranova Corp. In late 2017. District 79, a mixed-use site, is the name given to the partnership's plans for a retail-and-warehouse complex.
The District 79 plans were shelved, and the former Pepsi plant was sold to GLP Capital Partners, a Santa Monica-based logistics investment company, for $55 million in February 2021, consisting of 500,000 square feet of retail/commercial space and 60,000 square feet of warehouse space. The space to this date remains empty and is slowly crumbling away.
Beach Resort in Deauville
Joe Elsener, a real estate investor, founded the Deauville Beach Resort in 1926. The resort was a luxury casino and beach club at the time, with Florida's largest swimming pool.
Elsener filed for bankruptcy a few years later, and the Deauville was sold at a public auction. The Deauville Casino Corporation bought the resort, and Elsener was retained as general manager. In 2017, the hotel mounted an air conditioner without obtaining the required electrical permits. They were told to avoid using it by the county, but they refused. As a result of the defective wiring, a fire broke out. The only room that was affected was the electrical room, but the guests were evacuated and moved so that the hotel could make repairs.
Since then, the hotel has remained closed. Hurricane Irma wreaked even more havoc on it. The abandoned structure is rumoured to be flooded. The city of Miami has filed a lawsuit against the owners because the abandoned hotel attracts homeless and vandalism.
Academy of Arts & Minds
Bridgeprep Academy of Arts and Minds Charter High School (BAAM) was a Coconut Grove-based performing and visual arts school.
The state of Florida awarded the school an "A" in 2010 and 2011. While enrollment had risen to 450 students, there was a shortage of resources and a high staff turnover. It came into notice that the school was charging students to attend basic lessons, which is illegal, the school became embroiled in controversy. Parents also wanted to abolish the school's governing board.
The school's reputation deteriorated over the years with several students and parents complaining about a shortage of textbooks, teachers, bullying, bad lunch, and nonexistent clubs that the school advertised. Students scored 40-44 percent proficient in Reading/Language Arts in the 2016-2017 school year, which was lower than the state average of 54 percent. Students also scored 28 percent proficient in Math, well below the state average of 57 percent.
After several years of controversy, the school was officially closed in 2018. The school building which is now vacant has been vandalised during the last year. There are currently no plans for the building.