Big boxes · Florida

Biscayne Boulevard Sears

Imported, unreviewedReinhabitedRetrofit builtMiami, FL

Retrofit completed: Sears (1929-1983) now Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center (civic use), 2.1km from Omni Int’l Mall, median rent $1,731 cited as opportunity. · summary, model-written

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Site profile6 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors

Sears

This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this

Place

County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a year

This site: 8,068 units, Miami-Dade County census-bps · all sites with this

County typical rent $2,000+

This site: $2,789/mo zillow · all sites with this

Shrinking county

This site: -1.1% census-acs · all sites with this

Strategy

Reinhabited

This site: Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center record · all sites with this

New use

Civic and government

This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

Status	Retrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
Strategy	ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New uses	civicWikipedia no source
What is there now	Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Centernewtypes-extraction reported

Site context

Housing permits, Miami-Dade County (FL), 2024	8,068 units in 5+ unit buildings, 309 in 2–4, 2,231 single-family; 2023: 10,980 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby	2 within 10 km, 8 within 25 km: Omni Int’l Mall (2.1 km); Miracle Center (6.2 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)	141,088 jobs in 11,887 establishments; average annual pay $52,073; employment location quotient 1.12; employment -0.3% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022	19,513 jobs; 630 in retail trade, 830 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 12086003704)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)	children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 44th income percentile as adults; 3.6% incarcerated at the 2010 count (8 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)	not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 19.2%; median family income $61,509; 97 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
Schools	Dade County School District (PK-12); 10 public schools within 1 mile: FREDERICK R. DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY; SOUTHSIDE PREPARATORY ACADEMY; NEW WORLD SCHOOL OF THE ARTS; SCHOOL FOR ADVANCED STUDIES-WOLFSONNCES EDGE
Elevation	6 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025	305 county-logged events: 104 flood, 75 thunderstorm wind, 43 hail, 33 flash flood; $7,202,500 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 33132, 2026-09	median list price $627,225 (-3.4% on the year); 823 active listings; median 95 days on market; 10% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023	10,826 establishments (+4%); 139,904 jobs (+12%)Census CBP
Housing market in the county	typical home value $523,240 (+1% 1 yr, +35% 5 yr); typical rent $2,789/mo (+1% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)	11,500 vehicles a day on NW 3 ST (major collector, 3 lanes); 655 trucks; 14 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Former Sears (1929-1983) at Biscayne Blvd. in Miami was retrofitted into the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center (civic use), confirmed as 'built' with no vacancy. The site uses a 'reinhabit' strategy, matching 5 peer projects in Florida. Median rent $1,731 is cited as a positive factor. Housing market data shows ZHVI $523,240 (2026-09) and ZORI $2,789. It is 2.1km from Omni Int’l Mall (built) and 6.2km from Miracle Center (unknown status). Traffic: 11,500 ADT on NW 3rd St (major collector, 3 lanes, 2024). No details on arts center operations or tenant mix. Unknown: Reason for Sears closure, specific retrofit costs, or arts center occupancy.

Why. Status is 'built' with no vacancy, peer projects confirm strategy viability, and housing/rent data supports market readiness. Proximity to existing retail cluster (Omni Int’l Mall) is noted. No data on current tenant demand or operational challenges.

Where it stands. Retrofit completed. No further development needed. Market metrics align with regional trends (4.4% retail establishment growth, 11.7% employment growth 2012-2023). Traffic volume supports accessibility.

For a planner

Already repurposed
Civic use aligns with peer conversions
2.1km from active retail cluster

For a developer

No construction required
Median rent $1,731 cited as opportunity
Peer projects in same state confirm strategy

What we do not know yet

No data on arts center tenant mix or revenue
Miracle Center status unknown
No details on retrofit costs or timeline
No vacancy rate or demand metrics provided

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

Omni Int’l Mall, Miami, FL · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in FL; 2 km away
Sofia, New York City, NY · Other · opened 1930; closed 1983; same strategy: reinhabit
Hoffman Building, Plantation, FL · Other · same strategy: reinhabit; also in FL; 39 km away
East Lake Square Mall, Tampa, FL · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in FL

Elsewhere on the web

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

retrofit already built
median rent $1,731

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened	1929newtypes-extraction
Closed	1983newtypes-extraction reported
Anchors	Sears
County	Miami-Dade County
Census division	5 · South Atlantic
Notes	Draft from miamiherald.com, model-extracted, unreviewed: The Art Deco entrance tower of the former Biscayne Boulevard Sears in Miami, Florida, which closed in 1983, was preserved and incorporated into the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in 2001.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Timeline

1929 Store opened
1929 Opened
1983 Store closed
1983 Closed
2001 Art Deco entrance tower incorporated into new center

Sources

Plans revealed for Coral Gables Sears redevelopment project
4 quoted sentences
Biscayne Boulevard Sears
opened in 1929
closed in 1983
The Art Deco entrance tower was preserved and incorporated into the design of the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in 2001.

Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Biscayne Boulevard Sears, Miami, FL." Record n-944da8fae5, imported, unreviewed. Built on the public Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed. https://retrofitatlas.org/big-box/fl/miami-biscayne-boulevard-sears/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

BibTeX

@misc{retrofitatlas_miamibiscayneboulevardsears,
  title = {Biscayne Boulevard Sears, Miami, FL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/big-box/fl/miami-biscayne-boulevard-sears/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record n-944da8fae5, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}

How to cite, versioning

Link back

Paste on a project page: <a href="https://retrofitatlas.org/big-box/fl/miami-biscayne-boulevard-sears/">Biscayne Boulevard Sears on Retrofit Atlas</a>