Dr. Daniel Andai, dean of music at the New World School of the Arts; first vice president Shirley Pardon, and treasurer Clora Atkins.
Gathering on the historic bayfront lawn, The Miami Woman’s Club hosted guests and officials to celebrate “Building for the Future,” an event marking the restoration and transformation of the 1926 four-story clubhouse just north of Downtown Miami at 1737 N. Bayshore Dr.
The Miami Woman’s Club has partnered with developer Heafey Groupe to lead the complete refurbishment of the building. The future plans announced at the event included the Miami Woman’s Club sharing the building with two world-class restaurants. The iconic clubhouse had served as the City of Miami’s library until 1938 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
“This event celebrated the progress of this monumental restoration project and recognized our partner, the Heafey Group,” said Linda Joseph, president of the 118-year-old club. “We are looking forward to once again making our home the beautiful and popular destination it was years ago.”
The inside of the Mediterranean Revival building designed by architect August Geiger icurrently s undergoing a complete refurbishment for the Miami Woman’s Club and the restaurants.
“Tens of millions of dollars will be invested in the restoration, including $10 million exclusively allocated for the opening of the London-based restaurant, The Beast,” said Heafey Group vice president Carmine Zayoun. “These new additions to this historic property have made the Miami Woman’s Club project a very special one and we are committed to bringing this gem back to life.”
Civic Construction will be leading the restoration of the building.
During the evening event, the Miami Woman’s Club took the opportunity to present a $1,000 donation to Dr. Daniel Andai, dean of music at the New World School of the Arts. A student string quartet from the school entertained guests at the event. A City of Miami proclamation declaring May 10, 2018 as “Miami Woman’s Club – Building for the Future Day” was presented to the club by Adam Old, planning and policy director from the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The Omni CRA previously had provided a grant to assist the Miami Woman’s Club in completing the building’s 40-year certification.
The Miami Woman’s Club has been a an active member of the Florida General Federation of Woman’s Clubs for more than 110 years and in attendance was the GFWC Florida executive board member at large, Anita Jenkins, as well as district director Elizabeth Fisher and the immediate past director Lynda Randolph.
