Miami 'Housewife' can raze historic home for new mansion
The Miami Beach Design Review Board approved Lisa Hochstein's application to demolish a 1925 home and construct a new 14,000-square-foot dwelling.
"Got approval today to tear down and rebuild our dream home on star island. It's a great day!" "Housewife" Lisa Hochstein tweeted.
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The Miami Beach Design Review Board recently voted to approve the plans for the new home, plus guest house and five-car garage, submitted by Hochstein and her plastic surgeon husband, Dr. Leonard Hochstein, known as the "boob god."
Whether this ends the fight is up for debate. Preservationists told The Miami Herald before the meeting occurred that they would protest a decision to let the Hochsteins demolish the home. But an attorney for the Hochsteins said the board's decision would end the dispute.
The Hochsteins have argued that the 8,117-square-foot home that they bought for a reported $7.6 million can't be saved. It was designed by Walter DeGarmo, one of early Miami’s most prominent architects.
"This is all kind of patching jobs," Leonard Hochstein told The Miami Herald last month, pointing out cracks in the outside walls. "And it’s even cracked through that. There’s absolutely nothing holding this home together." You can see a video of the tour they gave The Herald here.
But the Miami Design Preservation League hired its own expert, who disagreed with the Hochsteins’ expert. However, the fact that the design review board ruled first, before the city’s historic preservation board, makes it likely the home will be demolished before the application to declare it historic can be considered.
While the pace of demolition of Miami Beach’s older homes has sped up in recent years, the city has taken no real action to encourage preservation. Years ago, city officials were slow to warm up to the idea that Miami Beach’s Art Deco District should be saved, and preservationists fought an uphill battle to save the area now known worldwide as South Beach.
The Hochsteins’ property is on a prime waterfront lot in Star Island, which is or has been home to Gloria Estefan, Donald Pliner, Shaquille O’Neal, Sean Combs, Don Johnson and Lenny Kravitz, among others. The house next to the Hochsteins’ is owned by Rosie O’Donnell, who has it listed for sale for $17.5 million.
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Again, another historical home is to be torn down and we lose another piece of our past. I am so sad this is happening. Miami ought to have learned from the past that tearing down beautiful homes is so disrespectful of our heritage and culture but many now just do not care. This couple lack the good taste and not enough people to really care which I find amazing to say the least..
I'm sure tht there is someting else around that they can purchase instead, and sell this home to someone who will appreciate it and restore it. I don't care how much money you have or don't have. If you don't want a historic house.....DON'T BUY ONE!!!! I don't care how much money someone has, if they worked hard for it. But it is the people like this couple that creates the bad name for others who have money.
So it is on prime waterfront. So what! Miami has many more prime waterfront homes that would fit their needs (but I guess not their arrogance ). And if the house was THAT bad, why did they even buy it?
And why do 2 people need all that space? I'm only one in a home, and I downsized from 3000sq ft because I didn't need all the space.
And shame on Miami and all the other cities and towns who have no appreciation for their history.
STAR?!?!?!really?!?!?! Look...first of all...NO ONE who "acts" in "REALITY" show is a "STAR"! And when it comes to the various "Housewives" shows...they aren't stars...they are just tramps with money who spend way too much time being narcissistic and looking for the next tube steak to inhale and/or ride.
Just because cable & the satellite systems now have more channels than quality programming to put on them, does not make people like this wench, and "Snooki" The Kardashian sluts, Paris Hilton and all the rest of that garbage "stars".
Is this where we have sunk to when it comes to TV viewing? If so...then that explains an awful lot about some other choices people have been making recently about their so-called "Leaders" as well!
About Teresa Mears
Teresa Mears is a veteran journalist who has been interested in houses since her father took her to tax auctions to carry the cash at age 10. A former editor of The Miami Herald's Home & Design section, she lives in South Florida where, in addition to writing about real estate, she publishes Miami on the Cheap to help her neighbors adjust to the loss of 60% of their property value.
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