The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • A2

Collins this week announced a bevy of new gifts of cash and art for the museum, which is set to open on Dec. 4. The gifts bring the $220 million capital campaign to 90 percent of its goal. Anumber of private donors have given recent contributions totaling about $8million, Collins said. In addition, museum trustee and Miami developer Craig Robins has pledged 102 paintings, photographs, sculptures and other works from his personal collection.

Also this week, Art Museum and its under-construction neighbor, the Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science, named the plaza connecting the two museums in honor of the Knight Foundation. The Miami-based John S. and James L. Knight Foundationhas given $20 million to the museums. the plaza after the Knight Foundation was one of the easiest decisions in the history of donor Collins said.

Said Knight Foundation president Alberto mission is to support informed and engaged communities, and having this community gathering space, this meeting space, designated in the name is really very special to Robins said the art he donated is meant to honor museum board chairman Aaron Podhurst and his wife, Dorothy, their time, leadership and The pieces all have some sort of Miami connection, Some are works by local artists who create in spaces that Robins has loaned to them; others are by international artists who have shown their work at Art Basel Miami. His donation includes pieces from Konstantin Grcic, Roberto Juarez, Clay Ketter, Byron Kim and Glexis Novoa. 1986, given studios to artists, which has led to a number of friendships and he said. and I very much wanted their work and others with meaningful connections to Miami to be apart of the Collins said he will integrate individual pieces of collection into the galleries. also the plan for other art donations, including those from developer Jorge whose $40 million gift of cash and art earned him naming rights.

works of art from local donors, created by artists who grew up here or lived here or worked out of spaces that Craig owns these are important stories that we are excited to Collins said. The cash gifts announced this week include $1million from developer Edgardo Defortuna and wife Ana Cristina, $1million from lawyer Matthew Gorson and wife Eva, and about $6million from unnamed donors. An anonymous donor contributed $15 millionin cash and art in May, and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross pitched in $1million. Collectors Debra and Dennis Scholl and Mimi and Bud Floback have also given substantive gifts of art. The Herzog de Meuron-de- signed space received $100million in public money, which Miami-Dade voters approved with a 2004 general obligation bond.

Verde, a restaurant from Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr, will operate during museum hours and will be open to the public. Knight Plaza is already accessible and will remain so while construction continues on the Frost Museum of Science. That project is set to be complete in 2015. PEREZ ART MUSEUM MIAMI Gifts pour in as PAMM prepares to open DONATIONS, FROM 1A DONOR: Art collector and real estate developer Craig Robins. CW HERALD STAFF Art Museum Miami Where: 1103 Biscayne Miami.

When: Opens Dec. 4. Regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday- Sunday and 10 a.m.

to 9 p.m. Thursday. Cost: Free to members, active-duty military, Florida teachers and children under $8 for students and seniors; $12 for adults; admission is waived on the second Saturday and first Thursday of each month. Contact: 305-375-3000; pamm.org Page: 1stSection, change MiamiHerald.com| MIAMI HERALD H1 2A NOVEMBER 21, 2013 FROM THE FRONT PAGE Analysts attribute the slowing of sales to various factors, ranging from rising home prices and interest rates that sideline some prospective buyers to the federal government shutdown and a simple lack of choices. In any case, the home sales remained strong by historic standards and prices continued to march higher at a rapid clip.

In Miami-Dade, the median price of a single-family home jumped 18.9 percent in October to $220,000 from $185,000 a year earlier, while the median price for a condominium rose 17.2 percent to $170,000 from $145,000, according to the Miami Realtors. In Broward, the median price of a single-family home rose 27.6 percent to $270,000 in October from $211,550 a year earlier, and that of a condominium jumped 29.2 percent year over year to $116,250 from $90,000, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Realtors said. definitely a said Eli Montag, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker in Miami Beach. good home in good condition in a desirable neighborhood is going to get multiple While mortgage interest rates will eventually rise further, creating headwinds for the current housing boom, for now the market outlook remains positive, according to Anthony Askowitz, a broker owner at Advance Realty in Miami. expecting November and December to be very strong months just like October was strong for our Askowitz said.

Underscoring strong demand amid tight supply, Broward single-family homes sold at a median pace of 30 days on the market, down from 40 days a year earlier. The median period condos were on the market dropped to 37 days in October from 43 last year, the Realtors group said. In Miami-Dade, the median days on the market for a single-family home inched up to 40 in October from 38 ayear earlier, still a brisk pace by historic standards, while the median pace for selling condos was 44 days compared with 43 a year earlier. Sellers in Miami-Dade and Broward counties fetched closer to their asking prices in October compared with a year earlier. In Miami-Dade, single-family homes sold at an average of 96.3 percent of the original list price, up 1.4 percentage points from last year; condos commanded 97.5 percent of their original asking prices, up from 96.9 percent in October 2012.

Single-family homes in Broward sold for an average of 95.8 percent of their original list prices in October, up 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier, while condos sold at 94.7 percent of their list prices, compared with 94.5 percent a year ago. First-time homebuyers Martin Casal and his wife Yaisy recently signed a contract on a three-bedroom, two-bath house in Kendale Lakes for $290,000 close to the asking price of $299,000. Casal, a sales manager for alocal company, said the couple knew they push for price cuts because of strong demand and tight inventory. is a lot of competition. The market has changed tremendously from a few years Casal said.

While still relatively tight, the inventory of Miami- Dade condos listed for sale expanded 23.5 percent in October to 9,322 units in October from year earlier. That amounted to a 6.5-month supply, compared with a 5.7-month supply a year earlier. Analysts typically consider a supply of less than six months of homes listed for sale that is, six times the number of homes sold as market, marked by rising prices. The inventory of single- family homes for sale in Miami-Dade increased 10.4 percent to in October from 5,046 a year earlier, which was a 5.2-month supply compared with a 5.5-month supply last year. The inventory of single- family homes in Broward listed for sale in the Multiple Listing Service inched up 2.7 percent to 4,829 from 4,700 in October 2012.

However, amid strong demand, the supply of single- family homes in Broward fell to 3.8 months in October from 4.1months a year earlier. The inventory of Broward condos increased 13.3 percent to 6,684 units from 5,898 a year earlier. That amounted to 4.7 months of supply, up from 4.4 months in October 2012. According to Miami Realtors, the October drop in single-family home sales in Miami-Dade was the result of fewer closings involving foreclosures and short sales, while traditional sales rose 13.5 percent year over year. For Miami-Dade condos, fewer short sales accounted for the slight dip in those closings in October, as both foreclosures and traditional sales posted year-over-year gains.

traditional sales showed strong gains, short sales greatly declined due primarily to the government shutdown delaying transactions requiring tax-return verifications. Delays in FHA funding and other government-related factors also contributed to fewer closings in Miami Realtors said in a statement. The government shutdown a little bit of an impact on said Liza Mendez, broker-owner of Pedro Realty International and chairman elect of the Miami Association of Realtors. REAL ESTATE Dade sales slow for first time since HOMES, FROM 1A the towers of downtown, over the Everglades and diving beneath the sea to offshore reefs. The ride would be similar to immensely popular and made by the same company responsible for said developer Jeff Berkowitz.

Berkowitz and Fort-Brescia said they set out to create a tower sharply distinct from its competitors, typically symmetrical towers containing an observation deck and restaurant topped by what the architect called unidentified flying The Miami profile instead resembles a jumping fish or a cresting wave that faces south to Latin America, continents that Miami reaches out Fort-Brescia said. The open sides would provide views stretching from the Gulf Stream west to the Everglades from indoor and outdoor observation decks. The southern would be covered in a perforated metallic screen. At ground level, a massive south-facing canopy the tip of the wave would frame a dramatic entrance and outdoor amphitheater. Though long rumored, the plan remained largely under wraps even as it advanced beyond a wild con- cept to a detailed, engineered and wind-tunnel- tested design by some of the top firms.

Tishman Construction, builder of both the first and the new World Trade Center, would be the general contractor alongside Coastal Construction, Berkowitz said. The Federal Aviation Administration, which must approve building heights along flight paths to and from Miami International Airport, has signed off on the tower, he said. The tower project marks adeparture for Berkowitz, who made his name and fortune pioneering stacked big- box malls like Dadeland Station and the Fifth and Alton shopping center in South Beach. Berkowitz, who plans to personally invest up to $50 million in the project, said he has already spent millions developing it. He expects the total project cost to fall between $300 million and $400 million.

view this as a legacy said Berkowitz, 65, who plans to publicly unwrap the plan on Dec. 2. will forever cement Miami on the list of great world Whether the tower gets built will depend in part on success in tapping into a U.S. visa program that grants residency to immigrants who invest a minimum of $550,000 in ap- proved projects. Berkowitz, who hopes to raise $250 million through the program, is traveling to China to meet with interested immigrant investors.

Though he acknowledged that competition for investment through the visa program is strong, Berkowitz added: think we will be the prettiest girl at the Cities have tried to raise their profiles, instill civic pride and draw visitors by building observation towers since engineer Gustave Eiffel built his namesake, and controversial, monument for the 1889 Paris Fair. Though some, like the Eiffel Tower, have no other purpose, some combine communications towers with observation decks. The most recent: Tokyo Skytree, which rises 2,000 feet and opened last year, displaced the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China, as the tallest in the world. Observation towers and observation decks in high- rise office buildings like former Sears Tower and New Empire State Building, Berkowitz said, are money-makers. According to projections developed by his consultants, the Miami tower could draw more than three million visitors a year, he said.

a proven said Berkowitz, who is not seeking any public funding. things are people magnets. I undertake this without a great deal of research. confident it will be profitable. If I build it, they will Berkowitz denied rumors he planned to finance the tower partly by placing electronic billboards on it.

The city permit he has applied for would prohibit them on the exterior. The proposal has drawn moral support from Miami- Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has long advocated for an observation tower. The tower, he said, would bring visitors downtown in combination with taxpayer-funded cultural attractions such as the Arsht Center, the under-construc- tion Miami Science Museum and the new Art Museum Miami, which opens in early December. really hope it gets off the Gimenez said. 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. But the prospects will hinge more significantly on city approval, though precisely what that will entail remains unclear. Berkowitz took over the project in its incipient stages after its originator faltered. But the tower concept had quietly received approval from the planning department before the current Miami 21zoning code went into full effect. Berkowitz has applied for approval of a modified design under the existing Class II development permit by the planning director, which means it would not receive a public hearing or City Commission vote.

Whether it goes forward could also hinge on ongoing discussions between Bayside operator, General Growth Properties, and its landlord, the city of Miami, over its long-term lease. Berkowitz said he has negotiated an agreement with GGP to sub-lease land where the harbormaster office now stands. But lease expires in 2030, with options for extensions until 2060. GGP wants to extend the lease beyond that, but city officials are demanding substantial renovations and updates to the 1987 complex, which they say is tired-looking. is 1970s thinking executed in the said Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, whose district includes downtown.

time for Bayside to come into the year 2015. If you want an extension, you need to upgrade your facility If the city and GGP can come to an agreement, the lease extension would require a referendum. DOWNTOWN MIAMI Developer reaches for sky with plans for tower TOWER, FROM 1A Call today to make an appointment! Clinic Hours and Location: Get a Facial for You and a Friend for Two Facials for just 15 00 each!) -or- Two Massages for just 12 50 each!) 2One for offer 0 1'' 2 2 0' a European facial for only Weekend Massage Clinic Hurry! Offer good thru December 7, be combined with any other offer or coupon. No cash value. Limit two (2) massages or facials per coupon.

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