Chic Boutique
The Rebirth of The Angler’s
As a native Miamian, I attribute the rebirth of South Beach directly to Gianni Versace and his mansion on Ocean Drive. His international appeal resulted in the fashion and entertainment industries embracing South Beach, and the Versace Mansion became a symbol of the new Miami.
And now J. Wallace Tutt, the mansion’s acclaimed interior designer, is a part of the team responsible for the rebirth of another iconic South Beach building: The Angler’s.
Tutt – together with developers Gregg Covin, Marc and Eric Lawrence, and architect Allan Shulman – has created a subtle and elegant hotel on the corner of Sixth Street and Washington Avenue.
“I was going for an old-world design with modern touches,” explains Tutt. “The design of the club chairs in the rooms, for example, was by England’s King George III. His reign began in 1760, and he was quite a stylish man. His designs were perfect for the custom-made chairs. In fact, all of the furniture is custom-made in South Florida with comfort as the emphasis.”
Comfort is indeed one of The Angler’s defining characteristics. The king beds feature 400 thread count Egyptian cotton sateen linens. It’s like sleeping on a cloud. The furniture, towels and bathrobes are all extra soft and complimentary shower products are from Aveda.
The audio/visual components are fantastic as well. Villas have either one or two flat screen televisions, iPod docking stations, surround sound and DVD players with a healthy selection of DVDs from which to choose.
Equal to the comfort is the service. From the moment of arrival, guests are treated like royalty. At the helm of the hospitality management team is Keith Space. Space has been affiliated with such high profile hotels as The Delano, Royalton and Paramount. The savvy veteran has also worked with chic independent hotels like The Abbey Hotel and St. Augustine.
When fully complete, The Angler’s will consist of four buildings. Three of the four structures have already been fully restored to meet the demands of modern luxury living while still maintaining the vintage Art Deco construction. The fourth structure rises two floors higher than the original three and is slated for completion in January, 2008.
The lead architect for The Angler’s is Allan Shulman. An expert in historical restoration, Shulman’s impressive list of projects includes Browns Hotel (home of Prime One Twelve steakhouse), Ritz Carlton Dilido, Sagamore Hotel, The Savoy Hotel and many others. His design challenges for the Angler’s included both the restoration process of the existing buildings and construction of a new building that worked in conjunction with the original three.
“The buildings are staggered in height,” says Shulman. “The Tower is the new building and the tallest of the four. It is the southernmost building and each of the buildings drop in height respectively from there. Many of the units have private spas and rooftop sundecks. When the project is entirely complete, the hotel’s front area that overlooks Washington Avenue will be transformed into a plush garden that is perfect for al fresco dining.”
With most of South Beach’s historical buildings having already been restored, The Angler’s is one of the final pieces in the area’s continuing evolution. This chic boutique hotel will usher in a new era for Washington Avenue, an era that caters to those with sophisticated needs who value subtle environments. The Angler’s is all of that and more, destined to become a hotel of choice for those in the know.
