The New York Times has a compelling story on the latest high-end architecture in Miami Beach, in high demand as an event space, and drawing the attention of the local community and the architectural world. No, it’s not a museum or a new performing arts center. It’s a parking garage.
Real estate developer and contemporary art collector Robert Wennett developed 1111 Lincoln Road (the website is really worth a visit) with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (best known in the art world for their work on London’s Tate Modern). Instead of the traditional, calculated approach to parking (minimize cost, maximize utility per square foot), Wennett and the architects focused on dramatic space and extraordinary views. As a result, the garage charges four times as much per hour as local competitors, and does increasing business as a rental venue for weddings and corporate events.
”This is not a parking garage,” says Mr. Wennett in the article. ”It’s really a civic space.”
It used to be that parking was a support amenity for other ends — a night on the town, a visit to the museum, a day to go working or shopping nearby. Wennett’s garage, and the buzz that’s surrounding it, suggest that parking itself can be the destination. Which should lead any nearby civic spaces with aspirations of event rentals to worry…a lot.
