Residents view Miami Beach Convention Center designs

2 development teams compete to overhaul center

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. ā€“ Miami Beach residents saw designs on Wednesday from the two development teams competing to overhaul the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Portman CMC and South Beach ACE are vying to transform the aging, lackluster, 1980s-renovated building into a world-class convention center.

Built in 1957, the building has been home to political conventions, pageants, art shows and industry meetings.

The 52-acre site, on which the building sits, will be overhauled into a complex that will likely include a hotel, 160,000 square feet of ballroom space, and an outdoor exhibit area, according to the city.

Wednesday's meeting was open to the public and began at 6 pm inside convention Center Hall A, Level 2, room A204/205.

"We have to make this facility much more interactive with the community than to have it be an impediment to the community," said developer DanĀ  Tishman.
"We want to make it interesting, fun and inviting to create an overall urban environment that makes it feel like the community's living room," said developer Jack Portman.Ā 

A workshop is planned for members of the Miami Beach Commission on Thursday from 3pm-6pm at commission chambers inside City Hall. Thursday's meeting is also open to the public.

Click here for more information on Portman Group's designs. For more information on Tishman Group's designs, click here.