THE TALLEST BUILDING SOUTH OF NEW YORK CITY IS SET TO BREAK GROUND THIS SPRING, INTRODUCING A NEW CROWN JEWEL IN MIAMI’S EVER-GROWING SKYLINE

BY AMANDA MCCOY • PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARX SOLUTIONS

Miami is currently in the midst of a business and population boom of history-making proportions. According to a recent study by LinkedIn, Florida’s most populous city saw a 45% surge in new company formation during the pandemic, making it the second most popular city for new businesses nationwide. It also ranks second in population growth in large cities according to the U.S. Census Bureau, trailing only Austin, Texas (which has comfortably remained America’s fastest growing major metro area for ten straight years). As both established companies and start-ups, plus venture capitalists and top-tier talent in tech, real estate, and consumer industries, pour into the Magic City at unprecedented rates, cranes continue to y over the skyline to meet the surging residential demand. Dozens of new skyscrapers have either been announced or broken ground over the past year, but one in particular has ambitions to forever change Miami’s face.

Skyline-defining towers, such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Twin Towers, and even New York’s ever-iconic Chrysler Building, tend to rise during a significant period in a city’s existence to symbolize the metropolis’ stance in the world. That’s precisely what luxury hospitality brand Waldorf Astoria and real estate development firm PMG hope to achieve with Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Residences in Downtown Miami, an ambitious 100-story tower that will be the tallest building south of NYC when construction is completed in 2025. Though the project isn’t slated to break ground until the first quarter of this year, half of the 360 residences had already been nabbed only five months after hitting the market last May.

Rising 1,049 feet toward the sparkling Florida sun, the hotel and residence concept will be comprised of nine offset glass cubes that create a stacking effect, offering sweeping 360-degree views of the skyline, beach, and Atlantic Ocean. Carlos Ott, the Uruguayan concept architect responsible for iconic edifices like the Opéra Bastille in Paris and Libertad Plaza in Buenos Aires, is spearheading the design, while Cali-based BAMO is leading the interiors.

The private residences are housed in the top six blocks and range from studios to four-bedroom penthouses, each ornamented with luxury furnishings and finishes. ink Wolf and Sub-Zero kitchen appliances, TOTO washlets, Dornbrach & Duravit bathroom fixtures, fully built-out closets, and rain showers. Savant premium smart-home systems offer a full suite of customizable residence features, from automated mood lighting controls and natural light adjustment to complete temperature control for the high efficiency central air-conditioning and heating systems. Massive ten-foot floor-to-ceiling windows in cubes four through seven allow unobstructed views of the ocean and cityscape to pour in, flooding the residences in Miami’s eclectic energy.

The top two blocks are reserved for the most exclusive dwellings: the Sky Collection, located on floors 80 through 89 in block eight, and the illustrious Penthouse Collection, housed in the tallest stories in the city. The Sky Collection will consist of four residences per floor for a total of 40 units, ranging from two to four bedrooms with private east or west-facing terraces. They will span approximately 2,500 square feet and boast 12-foot ceilings and the same ultra-high end finishes as the penthouses.

But for a true palace in the clouds, enter the Penthouse Collection, comprised of only five full floor homes with private elevators. The homes will stretch a sprawling 13,155 square feet and feature 14-foot ceilings for the best damn views in the city, with each corner offering a different visual slice of Miami’s glory. Each mega-condo will also be equipped with both east and west-facing terraces, the latter finished with a summer kitchen and sky-high plunge pool.

Each owner will be given access to True Waldorf Service personal concierge through a mobile app to aid in a variety of needs, from arranging transportation to walking the family golden doodle. Hotel amenities like housekeeping, valet laundry and dry cleaning, personal chef and event catering, in residence spa treatments, personal fitness training, and personal assistant and secretarial services are also available by request. There will also be a private residential pool deck with whirlpools in cube four.
The bottom three cubes will house the hotel and a wide menu of amenities, including a private residential lobby and owner’s lounge with a billiard room and mail room. The spa promises to be a Shangri-La for the mind, body, and soul, featuring a panoply of wellness lounges, saunas, steam rooms, and treatment rooms along with personalized health, wellness, and fitness programs. Residents are further pampered with preferred spa access.

Peacock Alley, a longstanding hallmark of the Waldorf Astoria brand, will be centered around the Pendulum Clock and serve extravagant Sunday brunch along with panoramic city and ocean views. Additional R&R areas will include a library, all-day brasserie, public resort pool deck with a café and cabanas, and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Residences range in price from $718,000 for a studio up to $40,000,000+ for penthouses.

Waldorf Astoria Residences Miami
300 Biscayne Boulevard / 305.647.2650 / waldorfastoriadowntown.com