March 13, 2013
The Real Housewives of Miami star, Lisa and her husband Dr. Leonard Hochstein recently received approval to tear down the home they recently purchased in Miami Beach. They bought the 8,117 square foot home for seven million and six hundred thousand dollars.
This is another example of a million dollar waterfront home purchase with the intent to tear it down and build something more modern. The Hochsteins say that there are many issues with the house. The claim is that there are cracks in the outside walls and that the house itself can’t be saved.
The Miami Design Preservation League has been fighting to keep this luxury home intact, and they plan on continuing this fight. This elegant home was originally built in 1925 and has recently been noted as historic due to the preservation league’s efforts. It looks like it was done a bit too late though. The original house was designed by Walter DeGarmo, a prominent Miami architect.
William Cary, the city’s historic preservation director, states that the house wasn’t declared historic until after the Hochsteins purchased the home, which makes it unethical to deny their application.
“This is the most God-awful position that our staff can be placed in,” Cary said. “It would be ethically inappropriate for another board to intervene at this time.”
The new owners of the luxury waterfront estate plan on replacing the home with a 14,000 square-foot mansion that includes a wine cellar and five-car garage.
“I’m ecstatic,” Lisa Hochstein said after the approval. “I’m hopeful it will be done before this summer.”
The Hochsteins still need to get building permits for the demolition of the old house and for the building of the new house.
Source: The Miami Herald
