Superior Apts - Affordable Housing + Historic Resource Designation

The building is an excellent example of MiMo architecture along the 79th Street thoroughfare and is noteworthy for incorporating elements of post-World War II automobile culture. It is the last extant example of a 1950’s/1960’s MiMo motel/apartment composed of a U-shaped footprint within the Little Haiti neighborhood. 

The Superior Apartments represent an excellent example of the vernacular interpretation of the Miami Modern (MiMo) architectural style within the City of Miami. Originally constructed as a motel with efficiency apartments, the property’s continued use as affordable rental housing has preserved the majority of its original architectural elements and overall design integrity. The building also underscores the importance of recognizing underrepresented communities and their contributions to the architectural and cultural evolution of the City of Miami.

The Superior Apartments are a notable example of post–World War II MiMo motel architecture along the 79th Street corridor and demonstrate the value of preserving both vernacular architectural forms and affordable housing stock within the City. Through participation in the Miami-Dade County Surtax Program, the property is currently undergoing rehabilitation to maintain long-term affordability in the Little Haiti community, secured through a 30-year restrictive covenant.

Over time, the Superior Apartments experienced deterioration due to deferred maintenance under previous ownership, as the property transitioned from an efficiency motel to condominium units and ultimately to affordable housing. The building is now undergoing a substantial historic rehabilitation. As a distinctive representation of Miami Modern–era development near the significant 79th Street Causeway corridor, any future alterations or additions should be carefully designed to respect and preserve the property’s historic character.

Adoption by the City of Miami of Florida Statutes Section 196.1961—which allows for a 50 percent reduction in the assessed value of historic properties—would further support the project’s objectives by facilitating historic rehabilitation while maintaining economic affordability for current residents. A related interpretation of this statute has recently been adopted by Miami-Dade County, providing a 25 percent tax reduction.

In addition to the ongoing rehabilitation, which conforms to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, the owner intends to leverage the economic benefits of historic designation to restore the Superior Apartments’ monumental sign wall, replace the existing second-floor concrete balustrade with a metal railing that matches the historic ironwork of the side floating staircases, and reinstate an artistic interpretation of the phone booth and central patio area, both of which are documented in historic postcards.