HISTORY:
In the January 11, 2017 Commission meeting, the issue of potential use and activation of the Rotunda in Collins Park was referred to the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee in order to discuss possible options for activating the space. On February 17, 2017, the Neighborhood/Community Affairs Committee recommended further exploration of three proposed options, which include activating the Rotunda as a café, public art installation, or climate change station. The Rotunda is the last standing piece of the prior Public Library of Miami Beach in Collins Park, designed in 1962 by Albert Vrana with a sand-cast concrete façade, named “The Story of Man”.
In preceding conversations, the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee initially discussed food and beverage concessions at Soundscape Park, Collins Park, and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden at the June 20, 2014 meeting and recommended pursuing food and beverage concessions through the pop-up concept or food trucks for both Soundscape Park and the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The Finance and Citywide Projects Committee recommended waiting for a broader master plan for activating Collins Park before pursuing a concession operation at this location. This matter was further discussed and developed at the January 7, 2015, March 18, 2016, May 20, 2016, June 17, 2016, and December 16, 2016 Finance and Citywide Projects Committee meetings. At the January 11, 2017 Commission meeting, the Commission approved authorizing the Administration to negotiate with the Bass Museum to provide an outdoor café in conjunction with their indoor café. The Commission direction was to explore possible options for the use of the Rotunda.
On April 26, 2017 the City Commission discussed four options for potential uses for the Rotunda including a full-service food and beverage café, an art installation implemented by the Bass, a climate change station and an artist design performing arts venue. Based on estimates provided by Capital Improvement Projects the cost to convert the Rotunda into a full-service food and beverage café with commercial kitchen, restrooms, finishes, mechanical, electrical, fire alarm/suppression, means of egress/accessibility, etc. was $929,000 (Attachment 1), Without the need for a full commercial kitchen, the cost to renovate the Rotunda would be less than the $929,000 estimated for a full-service food and beverage cafe, but could possibly still require upgrades such as finishes, mechanical, electrical, fire alarm/suppression, means of egress/accessibility. The conversion of the Rotunda into an art installation by the Bass was estimated between $600,000-$800,000; the renovation into an artist designed performing arts venue was estimated at $800,000; and no cost estimates were provided by the design firm of Sapient and Nitro to convert the Rotunda into a Climate Change Station
During the April 26, 2017 City Commission meeting, a motion was made to proceed with the Cultural Arts Council’s plan to convert the Rotunda into an artist designed performing arts space. Funding for this project was allocated on September 13, 2017 when the City Commission approved by Resolution 2017-29969 the use of $800,000 from the Cultural Arts Council Endowment to fund the transformation of the space.
The Art in Public Places Committee issued an invitational Call to Artists to internationally recognized professional artists with experience in architectural-scale projects which involve highly specialized transformation of existing structures and interior spaces. Based on the above estimates, it was stated in the Call to Artists, that the scope for the total allocated amount of $800,000 from the Cultural Arts Council Endowment to convert the Rotunda into a functioning performing arts venue, included design, engineering, fabrication, installation, and all code and building requirements associated with the renovation including restrooms, accessibility and life safety systems, among any other necessary requirements.
After discussion and review of the artists’ previously completed works, on December 18, 2017 three artists were recommended by the Art in Public Places Committee to develop site specific project proposals. The artists were as follows:
Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture (Brooklyn)
Frida Escobedo (Mexico City)
Gia Webb (New York City).
On February 20, 2018, the three artists presented their site specific project proposals to the Art in Public Places Committee, members of the Cultural Arts Council, community representatives and staff, despite not meeting the requirement of providing a restroom solution that would meet accessibility requirements, as described in the solicitation. With the exception of the restrooms, other stated requirements were addressed, including design and budget line items to accommodate for accessibility and life safety system requirements for the Rotunda.
Following discussion of all three proposals, the Art in Public Places Committee made a motion and unanimously recommended the proposal presented by Mexico City based Frida Escobedo. On March 2, 2018, the Cultural Arts Council also made a unanimous motion to recommend Frida Escobedo’s design. A second motion was made by the Cultural Arts Council directing staff to identify a solution for restroom facilities to serve the Rotunda. Recommendations included identifying funding for the construction of new restroom facilities as part of the City’s capital budget process or request funding for purchase of pre-fabricated portable restrooms as part of the City’s capital budget process. Any of the above solutions should be realized in collaboration with the recommended artist.
Frida Escobedo received a Master’s in Art, Design and Public Domain from Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was selected to design the 2018 Serpentine Pavilion, London, and will be the youngest and second female following Zaha Hadid to receive the honor. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; MAXXI, Rome, Italy; Venice Biennale; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, among others.
The three proposing artists were able to design and budget life safety and accessibility requirements for the Rotunda; however, none of the three proposing artists were able to include an accessible restroom facility within the originally allocated budget of $800,000. Upon further research conducted by each of the proposing artists, all of the proposing artists concluded that an accessible restroom facility should be located outside of the existing interior rotunda space, as the incorporation of an accessible, interior restroom would require a significant amount of square footage, greatly reducing capacity and performance space. Attachment 2 references a possible location, as presented by the recommended artist