Miami Says Goodbye to the Beachfront Deauville Hotel

Miami officially turned the page on one of its most legendary hotels on Sunday, Hotel Deauville, a historic property that traces its roots back nearly a century.

The hotel, closed since 2017, was imploded on Sunday, marking the official end of an era for one of Miami Beach’s most iconic properties.

The 17-story hotel dates back to 1957 and is perhaps most known for its Miami Modernist architecture (MiMo) that the city became known for during the boom after World War II. The building goes back even further than that, to the 1920s, when the original Deaville Hotel and Casino opened on the site.

Its history included hosting The Beatles in 1964 when the group recorded six songs for their second appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Throughout its history, the hotel also hosted other legendary performers, including Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.

What is in store for the site's future is not yet known. It is still owned by the Meruelo family, a Cuban-American billionaire family that owns, among other things, the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, the Sahara Las Vegas, and the Arizona Coyotes NHL team. It has not been operational since 2017 after it closed due to an electrical fire and the site had fallen into disrepair since.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross had sought to take over the site in order to build a luxury hotel and condo tower, a bid that included building taller than current city regulations and one that was rejected by local voters during election day last week. According to the Miami Herald, the future of the site now “sits in limbo.”