MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--What the Eiffel Tower has meant to Paris, SkyRise Miami will represent for Miami. 124 years after its daring construction, Gustav Eiffel’s staggering monument has welcomed 271 million visitors and become the instantly recognizable icon of Paris and France and the most-visited paid attraction in the world. Now Miami has a golden opportunity to capture the world’s focus and to create a single instantly recognizable symbol as Miami takes its rightful place on the global stage as a World Class City.
SkyRise Miami will soar to 1,000 feet and be the tallest building in Florida and the 83rd tallest building in the world. It will stand as the tallest tower on the Eastern Seaboard and the second tallest tower in the United States after the 1,148-foot Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.
Great year-around weather, top-ranked beaches and the sparkling waters of Biscayne Bay are the backdrops for SkyRise Miami, which is located minutes away from one of the busiest international airports in the world (27 million annual passengers) and next to the Port of Miami, known as the Cruise Capital of the World (4 million annual passengers).
SkyRise Miami is the cornerstone of Downtown Miami’s Bayfront Entertainment Center. Standing on the water’s edge of Bayside Marketplace, a shopping and dining destination for over 23 million annual visitors, SkyRise Miami is walking distance from a variety of other entertainment venues including: the American Airline Arena (820,000 annual visitors), home to the world champion Miami Heat; Museum Park, with its two brand new venues, the Science Museum (550,000 projected annual visitors) and the Miami Art Museum (200,000 projected annual visitors); and Bayfront Park with over 500,000 annual visitors.
SkyRise Miami is minutes away from the “Riviera of America,” world-renowned South Beach, crowned by Ocean Drive, the worldwide catwalk of see-and-be-seen shops, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. As seen from SkyRise Miami’s towering observation deck, there’s no place on earth like Miami.
“I really hope it gets off the ground,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. “It would be a signature structure for Miami. The thing I also like is that it works with all the investments in museum park and the performing arts center. It’s synergistic.’’
Orchestrated by developer Jeff Berkowitz, and conceived and crafted by a world-class team of professionals with global experience, SkyRise Miami is scheduled to break ground in 2014 and thrill its first visitors three years later. This all-star team includes the design team of Arquitectonica, contractors Coastal Construction and Tishman (the contractor for the World Trade Center), structural engineers Magnusson Klemencic Associates, environmental designers gsmprjct°, MEP engineers Cosentini, amongst others.
“A world-class attraction such as SkyRise Miami will be an iconic, exciting, and enriching addition to Greater Miami; commanding attention, investment and jobs,” said Barry E. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Miami Chamber.
Every major financial center in the world has an architecturally significant observation tower — New York, Chicago, London, Berlin, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo — as do most of the world’s most important cities. These structures are so loved that more than 55 million visitors enjoy the world’s 41 most impressive towers every year.
SkyRise Miami will include a flying theater, similar to Soarin’™ at Disney; Sky Plunge, a ten seat – 800-foot sky drop; and a 600-foot controlled bungee jump. Among other things, SkyRise will house multiple observation decks, a fine dining restaurant, an elegant 500-seat ballroom, meeting and board rooms, and several clubs and lounges that will offer breathtaking views.
As towers have evolved into vertical amusement centers, they have become powerful magnets for tourists and locals alike. Not only do they affirm a city’s position in the global hierarchy, but they are significant economic engines for their communities.
According to Bill Talbert, president of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, “Miami is a destination of superlatives — the largest boat show, the richest art show, the biggest outdoor art festival, the best weather, the newest museums, the most beautiful people, the most exquisite beaches. And now the destination everyone wants to visit will be home to the attraction everyone will want to visit. SkyRise Miami. It’s So Miami!”
For images and more data, visit http://www.skyrisemiami.com
