Engineers used explosives to implode the Mandarin Oriental Miami, a 26-year-old 23-story hotel in Brickell Key, in about 20 seconds on Sunday morning. Swire Properties, the real estate developer behind the demolition, worked with BG Group personnel and Miami police officers to close the Brickell Key Bridge, which connects the man-made, triangular-shaped island to Brickell. The deadline for residents to leave Brickell Key was 7 a.m.
“We are very grateful for the city of Miami and all of their assistance, the building department, the fire department, the police department, there was such close coordination again 2 years in the making that went off in 20 seconds,” said Jessica Chen, a member of the developer team. The bridge reopened at 1:30 p.m. Emergency vehicles were staged at 6:30 a.m. near 500 Brickell Key Drive, with vibration monitors installed at 6 a.m.
The Mandarin Oriental, designed by the former architecture firm RTKL, opened its doors in November 2000 and closed them nearly a year ago. The bayfront hotel, home to the MO bar and La Mar restaurant, was one of the top luxury hotels and spas for years. Swire Properties closed the hotel last May after having this demolition plan in the works for years.
The implosion reflects Miami’s new development market, where developers are working on dozens of new, glossy luxury condo towers that are replacing shorter, mostly older buildings that previously left a mark on the skyline and housed year-round residents. Implosions are pretty rare, and it’s somewhat uncommon for such a young building to be torn down. The final setup of barricades and signage to secure the exclusion zone on both land and water was completed at 4 a.m.
In place of the demolished hotel, Swire Properties is building a two-tower luxury condo and hotel project that will also bear the Mandarin name. The project represents a success story in the new development condo market, having presold two penthouses for nearly $50 million each, a likely Miami record at $6,300 per square foot once completed. Total sales volume at the project is more than $1.3 billion so far, according to the developer.
Unit prices at the new development range from $4.9 million to $100 million. The new project, called The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, is set to be completed by 2030. Swire has also developed much of the man-made island, which will also undergo a multimillion-dollar seawall replacement project that a number of residents expressed their concerns about last year in connection with the implosion.
The Mandarin is likely not the last building to be redeveloped on Brickell Key, with reports of a condo buyout in the works nearby on the island. BG Group personnel asked residents to keep windows closed and turn off their air conditioning units during the implosion. The demolition by explosives of the iconic Brickell Key property marks the end of an era for the luxury hotel that served Miami for more than two decades.
Swire Properties expects to complete the replacement project by 2030, continuing the transformation of Brickell Key’s skyline with modern luxury residential towers.