Grove at Grand Bay is a pair of twisting condominium towers under construction in Coconut Grove, that have reached their full height and are beginning to look like their final forms. The idea behind them is simple but bold, and has become even bolder in real life. Basically the twist is meant to maximize views for both towers, but the result is a pair of balcony-lined glass rods that torque and twirl as they dance together in a backdrop of jungly green trees and the bright blue bay. The reality was a surprise to everyone, probably no less than it was to Bjarke himself, who told Gridics they are “way more dramatic than I thought.” To get a good look at the bend we went on a tour from penthouse to parking garage.
When Micky Wolfson, Jr. still lived at “his parents house” in Miami Beach, at the family manor on 5030 North Bay Road, I spent a day shopping with him, starting with an early Cuban breakfast at a greasy spoon in Little Haiti and ending at John “Jakey” Astor V’s vast estate sale on Pinetree Drive. It was on the Miami River, at Micky’s favorite hunting ground, Stone Age Antiques, an outpost of nautical treasure one might call a junkyard, that he turned to me and said in his distinct sing-songy storyteller voice: “Nobody gets it. This is what I want the museum to look like!”, meaning the museum he was currently in the midst of creating, the Wolfsonian.
Good thing he didn’t get his way. Good thing his architect Mark Hampton did. And, therein lies the rub, the wacky dynamic of the galloping decorative propaganda collector and his modest modernist architect, the tug of war between The Serial Supershopper vs. The Minimalist Perfectionist. Yet, it seemed to work. Mark’s sensible yang tempered Micky’s excessive yin. A visit to Hampton’s masterwork, Wolfson’s FIU-Wolfsonian Museum, is testament to his keen attention to detail — the intricate symmetry and placement of every plug, air vent and light fixture so as not to interfere with the beauty of the room.
Not so much at the iconic Palm Bay Tower, where Micky has kept a bachelor pad since 1972. There’s more evidence of Micky here than Mark, though the architect’s interior transformation of the original three bedroom into a lofty home for his favorite client and his favorite things is perfect — a princely perch for the merry magnate to look out on his turf — Miami Beach to the east; Miami to the west.
You’d expect the lair of a man who’s constantly collecting historical eclectica all over the world to come home to a staid private museum, but, no, Micky’s pied a terre (he has three — one in New York, one in Paris) is more like an antiquarium filled with fond objects from his past — Mother’s Thirties cabinets, a geometric glass table designed by nephew Michael, a ceramic platter fired by childhood friend, artist Michele Oka Doner, a nomadic secret cabinet of keepsakes, and the key to Micky’s madness, his first collection as a boy — a wall of hotel key souvenirs brought home by globetrotting mom and dad, Colonel Mitchell & Frances Wolfson, Sr.
Miami’s Museum Park may be about to undergo a transformation, another twist in the long, rough history of the bayfront park that has the potential to make it an outstanding public space. Of course, in its current simplicity, the park isn’t too bad. Let’s appreciate Museum Park for what it is, while considering what it could be.
Jugofresh is a homegrown Miami juice bar famously known for their organic, cold-pressed juices that can hit $12 a bottle, smoothies, and health foods. Jugofresh has rapidly expanded throughout South Florida since its outset only three years ago, opening 10 storefronts (several at various Whole Foods supermarkets through a recent partnership), and one new headquarters, with two more stores on the way, and no signs of slowing down. Matthew Sherman, CEO and founder of Jugofresh, was first to Miami’s cold-pressed juice scene, strategically opening his first location in 2012 in the budding Sunset Harbour neighborhood, paving the way for yogis and Flywheel junkies alike.
Jugofresh is more than just a juice bar, however. It’s obvious that above all, the company is selling an experience — from the moment you walk in to the moment you leave and post a photo of your açaí bowl on Instagram (Jugofresh has become so Instagram-worthy, Beyonce couldn’t even resist). Toting around a bottle of juice from Jugofresh has become one of Miami’s “luxury status symbols.” Branding is clearly a major part of their success, all part of the plan to #raisethevibe and to get Miamians to #drinkmadjuice.
The company’s rapid expansion has demonstrated Sherman’s commitment to the company’s branding through savvy real-estate moves and a strict attention to design and detail. It has served to strengthen and reinforce the Jugofresh experience; they are often praised for producing store designs just as fresh as their juices. This achievement can be attributed to Sherman’s dedication to this trademark, making known on several occasions that it’s important for the storefronts to be inviting and mirror the neighborhoods they inhabit. The first store in Sunset Harbour was designed by Allison Almeida, Stephanie Tatum, and Robert Gallagher (founder of Gallagher/AP, and former Vice-President of Interior Design at Oppenheim Architecture + Design) reported Gallagher. In a conversation with Gallagher, he mentioned that the design was mostly “client-driven” with Matthew “playing around with very out-of-the-box concepts” (one being a “theatrical” display of produce and juice-making). The final concept was determined as a “grab-and-go” storefront to accommodate the needs of the urban, dense neighborhood, allowing for ease and efficiency, as well as room for storage.
Jugofresh used Architect Allan Shulman and his firm, Shulman + Associates, as the Interior Designer and Architect for their stores in Wynwood, South Beach, and Coral Gables. Their ambitious headquarters in Lemon City, also designed by Shulman + Architects, has recently completed Phase I, which houses a kitchen and their corporate offices. Phase II was to be an elaborately designed 22,000 square foot addition with a hydroponics lab, commercial and juicing kitchens, office space, a 500-square-foot yoga studio, and vertical garden. According to Shulman + Associates, these plans will not come to fruition.
Jugofresh has a “commitment to natural organic materials and high-tech production,” two things that don’t always go together.
As stated on Shulman + Architects’ website, the design for the company concentrates on “transparency as both a way to reveal how the juices are made, and as a way to make the stores more public.” His stores feature reclaimed wood, luxurious white marble, and stainless steel finishes to showcase the “commitment to natural organic materials and high-tech production.” The stores also feature graphic wallpaper by Flavor Paper “used extensively to introduce color and depth, a nod to the complexity and flavor of the company’s juices,” all contributing to a sustainable, cool, clean ambience, pleasing the aesthetically-inclined juice drinker. As for each store, you’ll have to stop by and experience it yourself. Not only is this interesting design-wise, but it’s also a clever marketing strategy.
So, what’s next for Jugofresh? There were reports of a new store opening on 7501 Biscayne Boulevard. Matthew Sherman recently released a statement to The Real Deal, however, indicating that they were unable to dedicate the time and effort to this store. According to The Real Deal, Sherman bought the property in June 2013 for $960,000, and two years later, he sold it to Alexander Karakhanian for $1.4 million, making a solid $440,000 profit. Sherman told The Real Deal that Jugofresh may become a tenant of this property in the future.
Jugofresh’s increasing popularity and heaps of press has turned their stores into destinations, which help to attract residents and tourists to their neighborhoods, arguably paving the way for more commercial investment. With a couple stores opening soon, a fruitful partnership with Whole Foods, and host to many community-wide events, it appears Jugofresh has successfully convinced Miami to #drinkmadjuice.
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
Jugofresh Headquarters Expansion, by Shulman & Associates
A quaint little wooden house on Loquat Avenue in Coconut Grove was listed on the market this year for $1.775 million. The house is old Floridiana at its most darling with with a few subtle but transformative modernist touches, including a big black gate out front that somehow almost disappears even though it’s the only part of the house that solidly proclaims ‘a very modernist architect once lived here.’
GLASS, the boutique and very luxurious condo tower South-of-Fifth that architect Rene Gonzalez designed for Terra Group, has just been completeted, and yes it’s pretty darn glassy. A protege of the late, great Mark Hampton—an icon of Floridian modernism even though he only did a few extant things in Miami—Gonzalez’s style has fully evolved into its own.
To oversimplify the difference, Gonzalez’s style is like Mark’s but shinier. And where Mark’s modernism was so strictly restrained, Gonzalez’s is more exhuberant and dramatic. “I think my work is based on rigor, as is his, but also relies on intuition.” says Gonzalez.
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
Photo by Michael Stavaridis/ courtesy Rene Gonzalez Architect
