Graffiti-Riddled Abandoned Hospital Finally Going To Be Demolished In Miami Gardens
MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) – For decades, an abandoned hospital has stood as a highway eyesore, riddled with graffiti, just off I-95 near the Golden Glades but now there are plans for the building and the valuable land it sits on.
A new owner has spent $11 million for the 11-story building, which was once the Parkway West Medical Center.
Abandoned since 2002, the building has been a graffiti magnet, a crime scene, an attraction for urban explorers and a scene of tragedy when a young man fell to his death in 2020.
"That stairwell does not have any railing so if you don't pay attention, you go straight down," explained David Bulit.
Bulit, a photographer and author, has two books out on South Florida abandoned structures. He has photographed the building interior, ravaged by weather, mold, and illegal scrappers who have stripped anything metal out of the facility.
"It is a whole tear down, there is no way that place is salvageable," said Bulit.
Over the years, developers failed plans, multiple ownerships, liens, and code violations have plagued any solution to the building's fate. It has been sitting there for 20 years rotting.
"I took a security guard with me," said Aaron Haimov from the Miami Beach based Haimov Group. "It wasn't as bad as they say, but there was graffiti everywhere."
Haimov often drove by the property and liked what he saw because he saw opportunity.
The building has been purchased, liens have been cleared, and development strategies are being finalized. However, one strategy is for sure, the old hospital will be demolished.
"We are looking to tear it down," said Haimov.
What are the possibilities for the three and half acre prime property?
The still-evolving plan is a 20-story hotel, an 800-rental apartment tower, and a high-end event ballroom.
"There is not really a lot of places in Miami to get married, to do events, like super nice super clean modern, not a lot out there," he said.
The news here is the building is coming down which is something the city of Miami Gardens has wanted for years.
The new owners say they are currently negotiating with a demolition company.
