April 18th, 2017 6:34 PM by Nour Ailan
Construction of the Langford Hotel in Downtown Miami is racing towards completion, with a revised estimated opening date of 'winter 2015,' exteriors basically finished, and the interiors extremely close to being done. Located in an historic bank building, the name refers to the surname of the building's builder in 1920s Miami, a Mr. Langford.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the beaux arts building' interiors were sadly mostly already gone, but remaining elements have been meticulously preserved and often replicated or recreated when missing. The original cornice in the lobby has been recreated from a salvaged scrap. The sculpted three lintels above the street-fronting doors were duplicated from the one remaining original. The elevator doors are being preserved and restored. The original letter box, an elaborate vault-like vessel hanging from the wall, is an ode to the onetime supreme importance of the US Postal Service.
The hotel will have two restaurants, on the first floor as well as the roof, both operated by the Pubbelly Group, a small first floor lobby and a larger second floor lobby with lobby bar and library. The building was originally 11 stories, but a twelfth has been added containing the rooftop restaurant, an outdoor dining terrace, and the upper level of the two-story penthouse. Rare for Miami, the building even has a basement, albeit a very small one.