A historic villa is turning into an exclusive abode by 2023 in this Surfside project

A historic Surfside villa is getting a new lease on life, thanks to a $200 milthe lion development project.

Fort Partners is moving forward with its plan for Seaway Villas, located at 9149 Collins Ave., according to the firm’s founder, Nadim Ashi. Built in 1936, two-story beachfront Seaway Villas is the first apartment house in Surfside and was deemed historically significant in 2014 by Miami-Dade County.

The firm will preserve the building’s façade as part of its extension of the Surf Club Four Seasons Residences.

After buying out unit owners in 2015, Fort Partners is tearing down the walls between the 28 units in Seaway Villas and creating two beachfront residential units, each with five bedrooms and six bathrooms. The units will be listed for $20 million. A restaurant will span most of the first floor and face Collins Avenue.

The project includes a new luxury condominium, sandwiched between the Four Seasons and Seaway Villas. The 11-story highrise will replace the existing four-story Surf Club Apartments at 9133 Collins Ave. The condominium will have a total of 25 units, ranging from a twobedroom, two-bathroom unit listed for $8 million to a seven-bedroom, eightbathroom penthouse listed for $50 million.

Residents at Seaway Villas and the Surf Club

Residences will have a gym, spa, pool, shared work spaces, and staff and guest suites in the new building. They will also have access to The Surf Club.

Construction starts in April; the project is slated for completion in 2023.

“We are strong believers of what historic preservation can provide for the community,” Ashi said. “I don’t know if we would have reached millions in sales [at the Surf Club Four Seasons Residences] if it wasn’t for the historic Surf Club building and being able to bring in the restaurant and open it up to the public. We’re replicating that at Seaway Villas.”

The developer hired French architect Joseph Dirand to design the new building and the Belgian firm Wirtz International for landscaping.

Fort Partners launched pre-sales in December and said the majority of the buyers thus far have been domestic, primarily from California, Illinois and

New York.

The developer completed the first phase of the Four Seasons at the Surf Club — consisting of two condominiums, a hotel and a renovated 1930 social club — in 2017.

Fort Partners The extension to the Surf Club Four Seasons Residences is anticipated to be completed by 2023. Above, a rendering of the entire project, including the existing residences and hotel to the left of the new project.

Joseph Dirand Fort Partners will launch construction on the second phase of its beachfront Surf Club Residences in April, according to Fort Partners founder Nadim Ashi. Above, a rendering of Seaway Villas on the left and the extension of Surf Club Residences to the right.