SLS South Beach Hotel

The SLS South Beach is a historic hotel, known for many years as the Ritz Plaza Hotel, in the Miami Beach Architectural District in Miami Beach, Florida. The 12 floor/62 meter hotel was the tallest building in the city for 30 years until it was surpassed by 5660 Condominiums.

SLS South Beach
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Hotel
Location	1701 Collins Ave Miami Beach, Florida, United States
Coordinates	25.792076°N 80.129667°W / 25.792076; -80.129667
Completed	1939
Owner	Sam Nazarian
Technical details
Floor count	12
Design and construction
Architect(s)	L. Murray Dixon

History

The Grossinger family expanded from their Catskill resort into Miami Beach in 1939. The Art Deco tower was designed by architect L. Murray Dixon and opened as the Grossinger Beach Hotel. It was the first air-conditioned hotel on Miami Beach.^[1]

The hotel was used by the U.S. Army during World War II to accommodate high-ranking officers. The property re-opened in 1946 as the Ritz Plaza.

In 1989, the hotel was purchased by Ignacio Contreras and Manuel Llerandi and restored to its Art Deco roots, reopening in February 1990. The hotel became a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Hotels of America in 1991. The Ritz Plaza was sold to developer Sam Nazarian in 2004 and closed for reconstruction as a luxury boutique hotel. The work took much longer than anticipated, and the hotel did not reopen until May 2012, as the SLS South Beach.

References

1. Brown, Phil (1998). Catskill Culture. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-59213-189-1., p. 42.

Preceded by Shore Club Hotel	Tallest Building in Miami Beach 1940—1970 62m	Succeeded by 5660 Condominiums