A once-opulent Miami Beach hotel that entertained the Beatles and President John F. Kennedy during its heyday in the 1960s collapsed on Sunday due to years of neglect and abandonment.
After many explosions that produced significant dust were set off, the 17-story Deauville Hotel collapsed. Kennedy delivered a speech at the Young Democrats Convention in 1961 at the hotel, completed in 1957.
In 1964, The Beatles performed there and recorded six songs for “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which attracted an estimated 70 million viewers on television.
There were performances by famous people, including Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones, and Frank Sinatra.
The property fell into disrepair over the years and was closed in 2017 after an electrical fire.
Miami Beach officials and the family that owned the hotel sparred over millions of dollars in fines for various code violations.
What will now happen to the lot is unknown.
The 350-foot (107-meter) tall hotel and apartment skyscraper that wealthy New York developer and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross intended to erect on the site is currently in limbo.
On Tuesday, a city referendum item that would have enabled the development was defeated. The region has a 200-foot (61-meter) height limit.
According to city officials, Ross might still be interested in buying the lot if a different arrangement can be made.
The Deauville — the historic Miami Beach hotel where The Beatles performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" — was DEMOLISHED this morning after owners deliberately neglected the property for years so they can redevelop it #BecauseMiami pic.twitter.com/vY7VdurYha
— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) November 13, 2022
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