Al Capone's Miami Beach Mansion Rescued from Progressive Deterioration

Miami, March 19, 2015 (Newswire.com) - As the City of Miami Beach prepares to celebrate its 100th Anniversary, MB America, an integrated property investment company, unveils a restored Al Capone’s former mansion in Palm Island, after an intensive refurbishment. Built in 1922 and bought by the prohibition-era gangster in 1928, the property, now renamed 93 Palm, is one of Miami’s oldest and most notorious estates. With its team of real estate, architecture and marketing experts, the company represented an overseas property investor in the purchase of 93 Palm, rescued and restored it as an exclusive venue available for video and photo productions.

“93 Palm has been a landmark in Miami Beach for more than 90 years. Whilst we are proud to continue to strengthen our presence in Miami, we are also particularly respectful when working with heritage buildings,” said Marco Bruzzi, MB America co-founder and CEO. “Especially in view of Miami Beach’s 100th Anniversary, our aim is to keep the essence of 93 Palm while creating a sophisticated environment, offering premium service whilst steeped in history”.

The colonial-style, seven-bedroom property features three houses - the gate house, the main villa and the pool cabana - as well as plenty of historic architectural details and suggestive scenarios. Unique features include a pond with a grotto lighthouse and a bridge made of red coral, a two-story cabana, a black-and-gold Art Deco powder room and a 30’x60’ swimming pool. Sealed inside security gates and encircled by a tall masonry wall, the property occupies a 30,000 sq ft lot with 100 ft of water frontage on Biscayne Bay.

“With 93 Palm we wanted to remain true to the property’s era and existing architecture,” said Monica Melotti, MB America co-founder and Chief Design Officer. “While the estate retains its original characteristics and heritage, we reinforced its infrastructures and selected design elements that offer a historical context with a 21st century twist. The final result gives a refined sense of modern elegance combined with an old world charm”.

Despite previous maintenance, 93 Palm was in a state of progressive deterioration and had reached a point where it needed a thorough repair. Before renovation, mud and water were piled up under the house foundations. This caused three main issues: grade beams were constantly submerged in water, the stucco facade and the framing behind the stucco were starting to rot and the flooring wood structure was caving in.

The construction team spent several weeks removing mud, water and cleaning all the foundations before being able to perform any repair work on the structure. The biggest challenge was working in a space no higher than five feet. Once cleaning was completed, the team performed the repairs on the grade beams by replacing them with new ones, where needed and possible. MB America went a step further and added a new draining system at foundation level. This provided a new ventilation system to provide clean air and added a new sump pump to remove water when water-table reaches potentially dangerous levels.

MB America’s team reinforced all the wood beams and brought the structure up to code to withstand future hurricanes and to be able to work safely on top of it. The existing roof had several leeks that were previously repaired with band-aid solutions. New ownership elected to replace in its entirety the roofing membrane, the barrel tiles and further more added a nice accent with the copper flashing around the perimeter.

The house settled two inches in the centre of the footprint. This was causing the wood framing to shift downward, the flooring to buckle and the windows and doors to shift in their opening. “We removed all the dry walls and finishes to access the structure of the wood framing”, continued Monica Melotti. “We replaced all the damaged and rotten wood members. We treated against termites all the members and installed the sub flooring true to plumb”.

The design team upgraded the existing structure to be able to withstand most of the hurricanes that could potentially hit this prime property. The first floor structure has been connected with the ground floor structure trough an ingenious system of stainless steel cables and anchors.

“Since it became Al Capone’s retreat, this house has played an important role in South Florida life and has been a true inspiration with its fascinating history and architectural significance,” said Dr Paul George, Professor of History at Miami-Dade College. “Thanks to MB America and the private investor who owns the property, one of Miami’s most iconic buildings is back to its original glory and preserved for generations to come”.

“I visited my uncle Al in this house for the first time when I was 1 year old. Here is where I learned to swim, where I learned to ride a bike and where I said goodbye to him just before he died” said Deirdre Marie Capone, the last living relative of Al Capone to carry his name. “I am touched by how MB America has faithfully restored this property to maintain its historic integrity, features and ambiance.”

Since its inception in 2013, MB America has invested in and managed a portfolio of multi-million dollar properties such as the Orchid House luxury retreat in Miami Beach, SPACEBY3, an industrial-chic event venue in Wynwood Art District, and offices in Miami’s Downtown.

Editors Notes

For Media Enquiries:
MB America
Tel: +1 (305) 988 2843
E-mail: communications@mbamerica.net Web: www.mbamerica.net

About MB America

With Headquarters in Miami’s Downtown, MB America develops business and real estate investment plans for individuals and organizations, provides architecture and interior design services from conception to completion and manages luxury events and productions venues in Italy and the US. Founded by Marco Bruzzi and Monica Melotti in 2013, today MB America manages a portfolio of multi-million properties, including 93 Palm, Al Capone’s former villa in Palm Island, the Orchid House Hotel in Miami Beach and SPACEBY3, an event venue in Wynwood.