Key Colony (condominium)

Last updated

Located adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, the Key Colony complex is a gated community of four independently operated condominiums located on Key Biscayne, Florida. The four buildings, Botanica, EmeraldBay, Tidemark, and Oceansound, were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s and are one of the larger complexes on the island. There are about 1,200 units. The complex features a private beach, tennis courts, and swimming pools. There is a small retail center within the complex, as well as a public shopping center, Key Colony Plaza, that is adjacent to the complex.

Contents

The complex is notable for its expanse—more than 50 acres (200,000 m2)—its unusual architectural design, and for its contribution to the history of development on the island of Key Biscayne—projects that have been the subject of citizen initiatives to limit further development on the island.

Architectural and landscape design

The Key Colony complex has won numerous awards from professional groups for its architectural and landscaping design, which blends its seaside location with tropical flora. Awards include the National Association of Home Builders Grand Award (1980), The Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association (six awards between 1982 and 1983), and two awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects (1982 and 1983).

History

The complex was the brainchild of developer Fritz Scharenberg, who paid to bring out a new water main from the Miami mainland to accommodate the project at a cost of $1.8 million in 1977. For three of the buildings, Scharenberg specified a "pyramid" design, on a 32-degree slope, to maximize privacy between floors. The fourth building, Botanica, was designed to integrate a living garden intertwined among the residential units. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islandia, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, United States

Islandia is an unincorporated community and former city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is located in the upper Florida Keys on the islands of Elliott Key and other nearby keys, such as Totten Key. It was the only municipality in the Florida Keys not located in neighboring Monroe County. The population was 18 at the 2010 Census. Most residents of the city were National Park Service employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key Biscayne, Florida</span> Village in Miami-Dade County, Florida

Key Biscayne is an island town in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 14,809 at the 2020 census, up from 12,344 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscayne National Park</span> American national park located south of Miami, Florida

Biscayne National Park is an American national park located south of Miami, Florida in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 172,971 acres and includes Elliott Key, the park's largest island and northernmost of the true Florida Keys, formed from fossilized coral reef. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand. The offshore portion of the park includes the northernmost region of the Florida Reef, one of the largest coral reefs in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biscayne Bay</span> Florida lagoon

Biscayne Bay is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is largely undeveloped with a large portion of the lagoon included in Biscayne National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Key Biscayne</span> Island in Florida, United States

Key Biscayne is an island located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, located between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. It is the southernmost of the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast of Florida, and lies south of Miami Beach and southeast of Miami. The key is connected to Miami via the Rickenbacker Causeway, originally built in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrienne Arsht Center station</span> Miami Metromover station

Adrienne Arsht Center station, formerly Omni station, is a Metromover station in the Arts & Entertainment District neighborhood of Downtown, Miami, Florida, United States. The station is adjacent to the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, just west of The Miami Herald building and the Venetian Causeway, and directly south of the MacArthur Causeway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park</span> State park located in Key Biscayne, Florida, USA

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Recreation Area occupies approximately the southern third of the island of Key Biscayne, at coordinates 25°40′25″N80°09′34″W. This park includes the Cape Florida Light, the oldest standing structure in Greater Miami. In 2005, it was ranked as having the 8th best beach in the country, and in 2013 Forbes ranked it at 7th.

The Florida White House was an informal name for a compound in Key Biscayne, Florida, used by U.S. President Richard Nixon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln Road</span> United States historic place

Lincoln Road Mall is a pedestrian road running east–west parallel between 16th Street and 17th Street in Miami Beach, Florida, United States. Once completely open to vehicular traffic, it now hosts a pedestrian mall replete with shops, restaurants, galleries, and other businesses between Washington Avenue with a traffic accessible street extending east to the Atlantic Ocean and west to Alton Road with a traffic accessible street extending to Biscayne Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rickenbacker Causeway</span> Bridge in Florida, United States of America

The Rickenbacker Causeway is a causeway that connects Miami, Florida to the barrier islands of Virginia Key and Key Biscayne across Biscayne Bay.

Soldier Key is an island in Biscayne National Park in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It is located between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, about three miles north of the Ragged Keys, five miles south of Cape Florida on Key Biscayne, seven-and-a-half miles east of the mainland and three miles west of Fowey Rocks. It lies on the Safety Valve, a sand bar that separates Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and moderates storm surges into the bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ten Museum Park</span> Residential skyscraper in Miami

Ten Museum Park is a residential skyscraper in Miami, Florida. It is located in northeastern Downtown, on Biscayne Bay along the west side of Biscayne Boulevard. It was designed by Chad Oppenheim of Oppenheim Architecture + Design. Completed in early 2007, it opened for residential occupancy in mid-2007. The building is 585 feet (178 m) tall, and has 50 floors with 200 units. The building itself is designed to reflect the heat from the sun while still keeping warmth, and designed to withstand 140 mph winds. As of June 2020, it stood as the 22nd-tallest building in Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1800 Club</span> Residential in Florida, United States

1800 Club is a residential skyscraper in the Edgewater neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. It was completed in 2007. The building is located east of Biscayne Boulevard and fronts Margaret Pace Park and Biscayne Bay. The building is 423 feet (129 m) tall, and contains 40 floors. Floors 1-5 are occupied by retail, while floors 6-40 are residential condominiums and apartments. The building is located at the corner of North Bayshore Drive and Northeast 18th Street. It was awarded the SARA Design Award in 2002 for its exterior architectural appeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">900 Biscayne Bay</span> Residential in Florida, United States

900 Biscayne Bay is a skyscraper in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located in northeastern Downtown, on Biscayne Bay along the west side of Biscayne Boulevard. It opened for residential occupancy in early 2008. The tower is 650 feet (200 m) tall and has 63 floors. The building currently stands as the 7th-tallest building in Miami and in the state of Florida, behind the Four Seasons Hotel Miami, Southeast Financial Center and Marquis Miami. It also stands as tallest all-residential building in the city and the state. 900 Biscayne Bay is located across the street from Ten Museum Park, another recently completed Miami residential high-rise, near Museum Park and American Airlines Arena in northern Biscayne Boulevard. It is also adjacent to the Park West Metromover station. Originally planned to rise 712 feet (217 m) and 65 floors, the building went through a height reduction during its construction, with a decorative rooftop spire and two floors being removed from the final plans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Icon Brickell</span> Residential in Florida, United States

The Icon Brickell complex is an urban development center in Miami, Florida, United States. It is located on the south side of the Miami River in Downtown's northern Brickell Financial District. The complex consists of three skyscrapers and the Icon Brickell Plaza, connecting the towers at their base. The first two towers, the Icon Brickell North Tower and Icon Brickell South Tower, are twin buildings. Each one is 586 feet (179 m) tall with 58 floors. The third phase of the complex is the W Hotel Tower, which is 500 feet (150 m) tall with 50 floors. The complex is on the east side of Brickell Avenue between Southeast 5th and 6th Streets. The architectural firm Arquitectonica worked on the project, while the design was done by Philippe Starck and John Hitchcox's design company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Eastside</span> Neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States

The Upper Eastside is a neighborhood in Miami, Florida. It is north of Edgewater, east of Little Haiti, south of the village of Miami Shores, and sits on Biscayne Bay. In geographical order from south to north and east to west, it contains the subdivisions of Magnolia Park, Bay Point, Morningside, Bayside, Belle Meade, Shorecrest, and Palm Grove. The MiMo District along Biscayne Boulevard in the area is host to many art galleries, shops and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Bayfront Plaza</span> Proposed supertall skyscraper approved for construction in the U.S. city of Miami, Florida

One Bayfront Plaza is a proposed supertall skyscraper approved for construction in the U.S. city of Miami, Florida. If completed, the building would stand at 1,049 feet (320 m), with 93 floors, becoming the tallest building in Miami and Florida. One Bayfront Plaza would primarily consist of offices and hotel space, but also would include a retail mall, condominiums, and parking garage on the lower levels, as well as possibly an observation deck at the top. The entire project consists of over 1,400,000 square feet (100,000 m2) of Class A office and hotel space, as well as a total building area of over 4,000,000 square feet (371,612 m2) including the large podium. One Bayfront Plaza is the first skyscraper over 1,000 feet (305 m) to be approved for construction in Miami. The building's primary advocate is real estate developer Tibor Hollo, who has won several awards for his 55 years as a developer in Miami, and is currently the president of Florida East Coast Realty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Bay at Edgewater Square</span> Residential in Florida, United States

Paramount Bay is a high-rise condominium building in the Edgewater Neighborhood, adjacent to the Arts & Entertainment District of Miami, Florida, United States. It stands 554.92 feet (169.14 m), with 47 floors. The building was topped off in late 2009. It was designed by the Arquitectonica architectural firm, with creative vision by Lenny Kravitz for Kravitz Design Inc. I-Star Financial and ST Residential have taken control of the project and are reinventing the property to bring to market in the second quarter of 2011. Fortune International is the current asset manager and Fortune Development Sales has been retained for Sales and Marketing. As originally envisioned, Paramount Bay would far surpass the standard residences in this neighborhood on the Biscayne Bay. Ownership and Fortune International are currently interviewing the top designers in the World to finish the residences and public spaces. Paramount Bay is designed with three towers seamlessly connected and flowing with a curvature reminiscent of Miami Modern Architecture from the 1950s and 1960s. With this design, the building offers direct views of Biscayne Bay from every condominium unit. The building has been designed with many luxury and state-of-the-art features. These include private elevator foyers for each unit, touch-screen hospitality service panels, individual garden terraces for penthouse units, technology concierge, membership in the Grand Bay Club at Key Biscayne, and many more amenities and services unparalleled in any building in Miami or the world. The 10 Penthouse residences all offer in excess of 2,500 square feet (230 m2) of entertaining space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matheson Hammock Park</span>

Matheson Hammock Park is a 630 acres (2.5 km2) urban park in metropolitan Miami at 9610 Old Cutler Road, just south of Coral Gables, Florida. The park surrounds the north and western ends of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grove Isle</span> Place in Florida, United States

Grove Isle is a 20-acre (81,000 m2) island lying off the north-east coast of Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood. Three waterfront hi-rise residences have been built on the island which were master-planned to include a resort hotel, restaurants, marina, club amenities and services.

References

  1. "The Islander News" Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2008-11-4

Coordinates: 25°41′50″N80°9′34″W / 25.69722°N 80.15944°W / 25.69722; -80.15944