Rendering of World Trade Center at 340 Biscayne Blvd
November 20th, 2015
The Holiday Inn at 340 Biscayne Boulevard in downtown Miami was sold for $65 million to make room for the World Trade Center of the Americas. The World Trade Center has been approved for a height of 953 feet and 77 stories. The FAA has approved the proposed height.
As a frame of reference, the Sears Tower in Chicago is roughly 500 feet, or 31 stories, taller than the proposed plans for the World Trade Center of the Americas in Miami. However, Chicago does not have to contend with hurricanes.
The Holiday Inn structure was built in 1950 according to the Miami-Dade County property appraisal web site. In 1953, it was the Biscayne Terrace Hotel and was one of the many memorable hotels located along Biscayne Boulevard from the 1950s through the later decades of the twentieth century.
In the 1980s, it became the Best Western Marina Park Hotel, but gave way to the Holiday Inn in the early 1990s. Although it is unclear when the 1950s era building will be demolished, its fate with the wrecking ball is imminent.
Postcard of Biscayne Terrace Hotel in 1950s
Read more information at the Miami Herald