MIAMI BEACH (CBSMiami) – “Here come the Beatles, here they come!” 7,000 faint-hearted fans greeted the Fab Four on the MIA tarmac back in 1964.
“He kissed my hand, kissed my hand!” one adoring fan shouted.
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The Beatles, who say they’d never seen palm trees before landing in Miami, eventually made their way to the world-famous Deauville Hotel for an unforgettable appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where they performed, among several songs, “Saw Her Standing There.”
But, barely standing now, the world famous Deauville Hotel, where the Beatles played that February night in Miami Beach, worn over the years, shuttered five years ago – an electrical fire finally too much for its current owners.
“There was an electrical fire that caused it to be abandoned, and its been neglected ever since,” said David Winker, an attorney for the Miami Design Preservation League.
Leaving a sour note for so many in Miami Beach — until now.
“We’re excited that there’s now someone else taking over the stewardship. We remain committed to preserving our history,” added Winker.
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Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber just announced Dolphins owner and real estate developer Stephen Ross is teaming up with world-famous architect Frank Gehry, who designed Miami’s New World Symphony, to reimagine and rebuild the Deauville.
“Much like the new world symphony, which is also another frank Gehary building, what’s amazing is it will become an iconic area of the city, a cultural area of the city,” added Gelber.
But, one that Winker and the Miami Design Preservation League insist needs to be preserved, despite engineering reports that recommend the Deauville’s demolition.
“It has to be demolished,” said Gelber.
Winker added, “We disagree, and we have a peer report that says that’s just not true, it’s really a matter of cost.”
A battle the Miami Design Preservation League says it will continue to fight.
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Just enjoying, for now, that the future of the Deauville might once again soon look like its rich past.
