Ritz Plaza Hotel

Ritz Plaza Hotel
General information
Type	hotel
Location	1701 Collins Ave Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Coordinates	25°47′31″N 80°07′47″W / 25.792076°N 80.129667°WCoordinates: 25°47′31″N 80°07′47″W / 25.792076°N 80.129667°W
Completed	1939
Owner	Sam Nazarian
Technical details
Floor count	12
Design and construction
Architect	L. Murray Dixon

The Ritz Plaza Hotel is a closed 12 floor/62 meter hotel in Miami Beach. It was the tallest building in the city for 30 years until it was surpassed by 5660 Condominiums. It is located in the Miami Beach Architectural District.

History

The Grossinger family expanded from their Catskill resort into Miami Beach in 1939. The Art Deco tower was designed by architect L. Murray Dixon and opened as the Grossinger Beach Hotel. It was the first air-conditioned hotel on Miami Beach.^[1]

The hotel was used by the U.S. Army during World War II to accommodate high-ranking officers. The property re-opened in 1946 as the Ritz Plaza.

In 1989, the hotel was purchased by Ignacio Contreras and Manuel Llerandi and restored to its Art Deco roots, reopening in February 1990. The hotel became a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America in 1991. It was sold to developer Sam Nazarian in 2004 and immediately closed for a planned reconstruction as a luxury boutique hotel, but numerous plans stalled and the building remained closed through 2010. In May 2012, it opened as the SLS Hotel South Beach.

References

1. Brown, Phil (1998). Catskill Culture. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-189-1., p. 42.