Miami turned heads when the world's first Porsche-themed condominium tower opened in 2017 — and all the units sold. Ever since, other luxury automakers, Italian fashion houses and hotels have slapped their names on high-end South Florida residences as developers try to add allure.
Now the city is set to be home to the first branded condo from Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. While the 60-story Porsche Design Tower wooed luxury buyers with personal car elevators letting residents park in their own garages hundreds of feet in the sky, the Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences is also trying to create a pampered atmosphere through its brand, this time with a culinary focus.
"Luxury buyers are attracted to brands that they know and love," said Douglas Rill, a longtime Florida broker at Century 21 America's Choice in West Palm Beach, in an interview. "When you have a brand that's good and has value, it can help you sell anything, including condos."
The 48-story tower at 3501 NE 1st Ave. is steps from Miami's Design District, with its luxury interior design stores and galleries that also appeal to the wealthy buyers who are increasingly purchasing high-end condos in the area. With that growing condo demand, it's no surprise the neighborhood is the site of the first residential project for the chef, who developed his culinary skills over decades running some of the world's most highly rated restaurants.
Developing the new tower alongside Jean-Georges Management are South Florida's Terra and Lion Development Group. Plans for the 329-unit tower include one, two, three and four-bedroom units, and some penthouses. A spokesperson for the developers declined to say how large the units would be. Prices at Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences begin at $1.6 million.
The project is expected to be a "first-of-its-kind lifestyle offering" in South Florida that aims to create "a true cosmopolitan experience at the center of Miami’s cultural hub,” said David Martin, CEO of Terra, in a statement.
The property is planned to be built along the border between Midtown Miami and the Design District.
Lifestyle projects
Condo sales in Miami-Dade County for units priced over $1 million were up 122.2% in August compared to the same time in 2019, according to figures from the Miami Association of Realtors.
In the city's Brickell financial district, German automaker Mercedes-Benz, Italian hospitality company Cipriani and fashion powerhouse Dolce & Gabbana have each given their stamp of approval to brand new luxury condos with their names. And they come with a hefty price: Prices at the Dolce & Gabbana tower begin at $3.5 million.
Branded properties "are built to higher finishes" and the branding component allows the developer to charge more, said Juan Arias, CoStar's director of market analytics, in an email. "Not everyone will be able to say they live in the Dolce & Gabbana tower in Miami, just the select few who are able to buy in."
Meanwhile, just a few blocks away in Downtown, Aston Martin opened its luxurious sail-shaped tower earlier this year after almost a decade in development.
And farther north in Wynwood, the city's arts neighborhood, NoMad Hotels' first residences recently reached a construction milestone. On Biscayne Bay, the island community of North Bay Village is set to receive a new condo bearing the mark of Italian hypercar-maker Pagani, while in Sunny Isles Beach, the team behind the Porsche Design Tower is at it again by aiming for a more luxurious project. The Bentley Residences are under construction with units starting at $5.6 million.
Chef-inspired condos
Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences will feature 41,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces. The ground floor is set to include 27,500 square feet of retail space with a restaurant from the chef that blends his different concepts.
In addition to the restaurant, Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences will have an indoor-outdoor private dining room, chef’s kitchen, bar and lounge, outdoor recreation areas with ping-pong tables and squash court, and a podcast recording studio. A juice bar, salon and spa with treatment rooms and cold plunges are also planned.
Residents at the condo are also planned to have access to gardens, food by Jean-Georges, hospitality services and resort-style offerings.
The tower's interiors were designed by Yabu Pushelberg to cater "to the sophistication and spontaneity of Miami buyers," according to the statement. The units will feature floor-to-ceiling glass windows and kitchens that were made to be both functional and compelling with high-quality finishes, the statement said.
Terra and Lion Development Group acquired the plot in Midtown for the project in 2023 for $40.6 million. The group filed plans for the new condo in May. A groundbreaking is anticipated next summer, with an expected completion sometime in 2027, a spokesperson for the developers told CoStar News.
The Miami condo project “represents a longtime dream of mine to open residences that blend my culinary passions with my interest in creating lifestyle spaces,” said Jean-Georges in the statement.
Jean-Georges was born in 1957 in Strasbourg, France, and started at 16 at Auberge de l’Ill. Afterwards, he worked at L'Oasis in southern France before working in Asia at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Le Meridien Hotel in Singapore, and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong, according to the biography on the chef's website.
Today, the chef is responsible for 27 restaurants throughout the United States with locations in New York, Philadelphia, Miami and Las Vegas. In all, he owns or manages over 60 restaurants globally, with the flagship restaurant, Jean-Georges, in New York City, holding two Michelin stars and considered by some to be among the city's five best French restaurants.
For the record
Jean-Georges Miami Tropic Residences was designed by locally based Arquitectonica. Interior design was led by Yabu Pushelberg. Douglas Elliman is exclusively handling sales for the project.
CoStar News' Reporter Paul Owers contributed to this article.