30 July 2026
Prophesies do not come true when properly heeded
by David Arthur Walters
PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS THIS SUBJECT
The plaque placed on this building by the Owner Developers (1) fails to honor in any way the South Beach resident nearby who saved it from the demolition originally planned because it sat at the alleyway entrance to the parking area of the planned development. She was anguished by the mind-boggling earthshaking and deafening foundation work.
She pleaded in vain with city officials at a large, wealthy neighborhood meeting for relief. "A matronly woman rose at that meeting to describe how she was being tortured by the horrible noise and vibrations at the corner of Fifth Street and Michigan Avenue. She was quite distressed and could not stop sobbing as she described how she suffered in the home wherein she had expected quiet retirement. She assumed the egregious insult was being caused by David Mancini’s construction company, as if it had a monopoly on city construction. He was sympathetic, but that was not his project." My own request to provide her shelter from the noise was ignored. Despite her personal anguish, for which she was deemed a "crazy lady" for wandering the alleyway of the property screaming, she desired the salvation of the structure, then occupied by a huge iguana.
Thankfully, a decision was ultimately made to honor her suffering and her struggle for preservation by moving the building to the front of the property and finely restoring it. I am glad officials somehow got that building saved although no one would tell me what happened so I could give them credit deserved. A contractor on site did "criticize" the decision to me.
The Iguana Residence
Alas, the plaque adorning the restored building, apparently given a false address, shamefully fails to honor her as requested and refers to a tradition not actually intended by the developers i.e. the relocation of the building intended to be destroyed. The building itself should be named The Iguana Residence.
The city has not responded to my request for her name, wherefore I ask the developers, who should be concerned by the travesty, to somehow honor her on the plaque, and to either rename the building with her name, or, in the alternative, name it The Iguana Residence. If that is not done, may the project be cursed in perpetuity.
Existing Plaque
This property lies within the Ocean Beach Subdivision Addition No. 3, one of the early platted neighborhoods that helped shape South Beach's architectural fabric in the 1920s and 1930s. The subdivision was designed with narrow lots intended for modest cottages and small commercial buildings, a contrast to the grander hotels rising along Collins Avenue.
In 1933, a permit was issued for a rear "Garage-Residence," set deep on the lot and facing the service alley. Its utilitarian form reflected the practical building culture of the depression era, when secondary structures often combined storage with living quarters. The following year, the front building was constructed as two apartments, set back from the street behind a generous lawn. Its simple stucco façade, modest fenestration, and flat roof were characteristic of the transition from Mediterranean Revival ornamentation to the clean, functional lines that fore-shadowed Miami Beach's emerging Art Deco style.
By 1954, as Miami Beach entered its postwar boom, the garage was remodeled into an apartment, signaling the city's density shift and the demand for small rental units. Later, in 2000-2001, the property was adapted into a medical clinic, demonstrating Miami Beach's long tradition of reusing its historic building stock for new purposes.
In 2022, both buildings were carefully relocated on the lot as part of The Fifth Miami Beach development, preserving their modest but meaningful role in the layered architectural history of the Ocean Beach Historic District.
THE FIFTH FIFTH MIAMI BEACH
GEMINI RESEARCH FOR NAMES
The development generally known as The Fifth (or The Fifth Miami Beach) is a joint venture.
- Developers & Co-Owners:
- Sumaida + Khurana (New York–based luxury real estate development firm co-founded by Saif Sumaida and Amit Khurana).
- Bizzi+Bilgili (a partnership between international real estate firm Bizzi & Partners and Turkish investor Serdar Bilgili).
- Backed by: Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (through his investment entity).
- Architectural Team:
- Designed by Spanish master architect Alberto Campo Baeza (his first commercial building in the United States).
- Interior design by Gabellini Sheppard Associates.
- Executive architecture by Cube 3.
(Note on the address: While the project sits along 5th Street at the entrance to South Beach, its official site tax parcel and project addresses are recorded at 944 5th Street and 411 Michigan Avenue
Developers and Owners Behind Bars
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