Grove Isle is a island lying off the north-east coast of

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...

neighborhood. Three waterfront hi-rise residences have been built on the island which were

master-planned A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

to include a resort hotel, restaurants, marina, club amenities and services.

Origins

First known as Fair Isle, its land was dredged out from

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is large ...

in 1924 by the Corps of Engineers and subsequently subdivided in 1925.Voss G. (1974) Biological survey and development recommendations for Fair Isle, Biscayne Bay, Fla. Unpublished manuscript. University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL. 15 pp. and A. Cantillo, K. Hale, E. Collins, L. Pikula and R. Caballero (2000) Biscayne Bay: Environmental History and Annotated Bibliography
NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS CCMA 145
, p.65 Many

artificial island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...

s of the period, such as Fair Isle, were formed when artificial inlets were cut into Biscayne Bay's coastline. The isle was then sold to investors at the height of the Florida Land Boom in less than four hours and for over $1.5 million. A combination of real estate crash, freight

blockades A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, Contraband, supplies, Materiel, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or I ...

and

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

damage during 1925–26 stalled further property development of Miami and the island.

Development

The island remained largely untouched—a large

sand bar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

covered with Australian Pines—until large scale development came to

in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The island was purchased for $6 million and restrictions on the island's development were finally agreed after protracted

litigation A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. ...

over its size was settled in July 1977.The local community had been in total opposition to the development and expressly the over-development of the island with a plan to build four 40 story towers with 2000 units and 1500 parking spaces. Further detail regarding these policy and political discussions may be found a
GI DOCS
Note: large document (accessed Jan 30 2016. See also terms set out i
Final Settlement of 27 July 1977
, Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Dade County, Florida
Case No. 73-6449
Moore Parks, A. and Bennett, B. (2010
Coconut Grove
, Florida: Arcadia Publishing, p. 119-122 Cabot, Cabot and Forbes of Massachusetts were one of the principal sellers of the island.

Martin Margulies Martin Z. Margulies is a real-estate developer and collector of contemporary art and photography. Margulies Collection For many years, Margulies maintained a publicly accessible sculpture garden on Grove Isle, a small, private island with condomi ...

and Sun Bank of Miami were its eventual buyers and subsequently invested $100 million to develop the property. Burton Goldberg, the notorious Miami nightclub impresario, had previously hoped to make the island's "sailboat key" club and residential project the largest in South Florida. His development ended in foreclosure having been stalled by legal battles with stakeholders and residents. The design was significantly reworked and Margulies' scaled-back development was finally completed in 1982. Off-island Club membership was also agreed so its

amenities In property and land use planning, amenity (lat. ''amoenitās'' “pleasantness, delightfulness”) is something considered to benefit a location, contribute to its enjoyment, and thereby increase its value. Tangible amenities can include the ...

would be enjoyed by the wider community. The project finally consisted of three residential towers, a hotel and club,Ronald John Gee, a London-born Coconut Grove resident of Gee & Martinez Architects, designed many of the buildings on Grove Isle. Fernandez-Rocha, P. (1997) Ronald John Gee, Designed Public Buildings, Miami Herald, The (FL) - March 9, 1997 deep-water marina, pools, professional tennis club, original 55 piece sculpture gardens. The Grove Isle development set the standard for high-end Miami property. Grove Isle lies in parts three feet above sea level. Its drainage system was surveyed as part of the condominium's 40 year re-certification project.

Character

Grove Isle provides one of the most secluded spots to live in Miami and is highly prized "by residents for its tranquility and panoramic bay views". Its residents have included past Heads of State, Senators, judges, lawyers, doctors, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. Grove Isle has been described as one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the United States. The Palmeiras Beach Club and Hotel, Spa, Grove Isle Marina and

Cliff Drysdale Eric Clifford Drysdale (born 26 May 1941) is a South African former tennis player. After a career as a highly ranked professional player in the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a tennis announcer. Life and career Born Eric Clifford 'Cliff' Dry ...

Grove Isle Tennis Club were located on the island. The world-class Grove Isle

Sculpture Garden A sculpture garden or sculpture park is an outdoor garden or park which includes the presentation of sculpture, usually several permanently sited works in durable materials in landscaped surroundings. A sculpture garden may be private, owned by ...

once comprised part of the island's landscaped design. The three residential towers' interior designs were unique in the area for their Asian themes and accents. The island club restaurant, operating under the name of Baleen and then Gibraltar, were well regarded in their time. The island's wide open spaces and expansive

tree canopy In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only p ...

are valued highly by its residents. The gardens and decks of Grove Isle were replanted after damage received from

Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma was an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria, Maria two weeks later. At the time, it was considered ...

in September 2017. Major renovations to improve the structural and aesthetic integrity of the three towers, their decks and the gardens were also undertaken. The retention of the island's tree canopy and its mature trees remain a priority for many on Grove Isle and in Coconut Grove. A further residential development on the site of the Island's hotel and club was first proposed in 2013.

Controversy

Grove Isle Residents Meeting with Developer 20 October 2014

Competing visions for Grove Isle's future have at times embroiled the island in controversy. Its 1980 development was only permitted under a landmar
settlement
after the project was significantly scaled back over a decade of litigation and protest. A further proposal to develop the island's yacht club also ended up in court due to concerns about its environmental impact. The residents association also worked to protect the island against the impact of a high-rise project on an adjacent Mercy Hospital site. More recently, attempts to close the island's club were halted by

court order A court order is an official proclamation by a judge (or panel of judges) that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying o ...

in August 2015. This was linked to efforts, first started in 2013, to build a further residential development on the island. Residents' efforts to retain the island's hotel, which was put at risk by the new development plans, resulted in litigation in 2017.PRESERVE GROVE ISLE, LLC VS GROVE ISLE YACHT & TENNIS CLUB, LLC ET AL
, 2017-007277-CA-01, 03/27/2017 The Grove Isle club and hotel were demolished in 2020. The development project then underwent a change in ownership and was rebranded the following year. Issues regarding club membership rights, the quality of club amenities, city planning laws, bridge safety and further development plans for the island (at 4 Grove Isle) have involved lengthy legal intervention.

Gallery

File:Grove Isle Miami Florida 03.jpg, Grove Isle Condominium, Hotel & Club File:Grove Isle 2015.gif, Grove Isle gardens with its bay views File:North Coconut Grove w Fair Isle 1940.jpg, Grove Isle (then Fair Isle) lying off Miami's

in 1940 File:Grove Isle Scupture Decks and Gardens 1.jpg, Original Grove Isle Sculpture Decks and Gardens (now moved) File:Grove Isle Miami 5.jpg, View of Grove Isle &

from

File:Mr M Margulies at Sculpture Garden Deck on Grove Isle.jpg, Image of

taken on the Sculpture Deck on Grove Isle File:Grove Isle garden path along Biscayne Bay.jpg, Grove Isle gardens along

File:North Coconut Grove without Fair Isle 1923.jpg,

coast before Fair (Grove) Isle was dredged out of the bay in 1923 File:Grove Isle Sea Wall destruction from Hurricane Irma.jpg,

hits Grove Isle in September 2017 File:Grove Isle facing Coconut Grove with Rowing Team.jpg,

Rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

Team off Grove Isle Beach

References

Bibliography and further reading

*Final Settlement of 27 July 1977, Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Dade County, Florida
Case No. 73-6449
copy accessed January 11, 2016 *Margulies, M., Harper, P., & Varon, M. (1986). Contemporary sculpture from the Martin Z. Margulies collection: Grove Isle, Coconut Grove, Florida. Coconut Grove, Fla: Martin Z. Margulies Collection. 144 pp. M and FIU Libraries Special Collections*Moore Parks, A. and Bennett, B. (2010) Coconut Grove, Florida: Arcadia Publishing, p. 128 *Nepomechie, M., & Brooke, S. (2010). Building paradise: An architectural guide to the Magic City. Miami, FL: AIA Miami. *Voss G. (1974) Biological survey and development recommendations for Fair Isle, Biscayne Bay, Fla. Unpublished manuscript. University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, FL. 15 pp.

External links

Grove Isle HOA web site

Palmeiras Beach Club at Grove Isle

Cliff Drysdale Club at Grove Isle

Preserve Grove Isle web site

Save Grove Isle Complaint : Circuit Court of the 11th Judicial Circuit in and for Miami Dade County, Filing 98205191 Oct 2019
{{authority control 1920s establishments in Florida Artificial islands of Florida Atlantic Coast barrier islands of Florida Coconut Grove (Miami) Gated communities in Florida Islands of Florida Islands of Miami-Dade County, Florida Islands of Miami Planned communities in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Residential condominiums in the United States