Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Estefans’ renovated SoBe hotel revealed
Fans of Emilio and Gloria Estefan who have wondered what’s inside their Miami Beach estate may get a glimpse when they visit the Cardozo South Beach hotel.
The Estefans have completed a four-year, $15 million renovation of their Art Deco hotel at 1300 Ocean Drive. Part of that interior makeover included adding some personal accessories from their Star Island estate including furniture, chairs and art work.
“It is a lot of art that was hanging in my house. It’s a lot of furniture that was in my house,’’ said Emilio Estefan. “I wanted to remodel and instead of throwing it out, we brought it here and it looks good.”
The Estefans held an official ribbon cutting of the venerable hotel Wednesday. Miami Beach
Mayor Dan Gelber attended and said that hotel “starts a new life” while proclaiming June 12 as Cardozo South Beach Day in the city.
For the top-to-bottom renovation, the Estefans worked with architect Aldo Ducci of Arkiteko Co. to update the hotel with contemporary flourishes while celebrating the property’s deep history.
“You find that the Art Deco is very preserved and you have all these curves that are very organic,’’ said Ducci as he stood in the hallway that overlooked the lobby which has new marble floors, tiled columns, a restored fireplace, orange-hued lighting and matching chairs. Because the hotel is designated as a historic property, the exterior of the remained intact but with awnings also in orange and walls in white.
Ducci said he used orange “because it’s more appealing for food.” The hotel now features BiCe Cucina Miami, an Italian restaurant which is also featured at the Estefans’ Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa in Vero Beach.
The Cardozo in South Beach tell its own story through panels and photographs. On the first floor, a framed article details how the hotel was built in 1939 and designed by Henry Hohauser. The hotel also served as a housing facility for recruits and trainees during World War II.
In 1979, the hotel was purchased by Andrew Capitman whose mother Barbara became president and founder of the Miami Design Preservation League, the nonprofit that began preserving and restoring Art Deco hotels in the 1980s including the Cardozo. The group’s first office was located in one of the rooms in the rear of the hotel, said Ducci.
“This was the first building to ever be used in Art Deco history to make
awareness about preserving the district,’’ said Ducci.
The hallways, which have carpets with geometric patterns, feature black and white prints of movies that filmed scenes in and
outside the Cardozo. They include Frank Sinatra’s “A Hole in In The Head’’ and more contemporary flicks “Marley & Me,” “There’s Something About Mary” and “The Birdcage.”
Guests won’t forget who owns the hotel. Flanking the end of each hallway are enlarged magazine covers featuring the Estefans.
The rooms are about 160-square-feet with the addition of a 1,500-square-foot penthouse suite on the third floor. In all, there are 41 rooms, splashed in white from the matte walls and beds to tiled bathroom floors and cabinetry.
“It was a lot of work but we have the commitment to South Florida,’’ said Emilio Estefan of the renovation. “We don’t want to put the money someplace else. We want to put it back home.”