Wolfsonian plans five-story addition on Washington Avenue with event hall and rooftop terrace

The Wolfsonian–FIU wants to build a five-story, roughly 21,000-square-foot addition next to its 1927 home at 1001 Washington Ave., with a double-height event hall, a rooftop terrace and an education space, according to an application on the city Planning Board’s Dec. 8 agenda.

The addition would go on the north side of the museum, across the three parcels the museum owns between 10th and 11th streets, according to the letter of intent filed Oct. 4 by attorneys for the Florida International University Board of Trustees. The building at 1041 Washington Ave., which the letter describes as a non-contributing structure now used as a bakery and restaurant, would be vacated and demolished. Part of the historic facade of the museum’s Design Store at 1035 Washington Ave. would be kept. Machado Silvetti is the design architect.

With the addition, the site would grow from about 63,000 to about 78,900 square feet of floor area, the letter says. Plans include a new flood-resilient, accessible entrance, two new elevators and new exit stairs for the whole museum.

What the Planning Board decides

The board’s vote is on a conditional use permit for the event business. The museum proposes to rent the new Grand Hall, the rooftop terrace and a ground-level porch and courtyard as one venue for weddings, galas and other private events, with a combined occupant load of 679 people. That size, and a rooftop bar within 200 feet of homes, make it a “neighborhood impact establishment” under city code.

According to the letter, events would end by midnight, with vendor load-out done by 2 a.m. Indoor amplified sound would end by 11:30 p.m., and occasional low-level outdoor entertainment on the terrace and courtyard would end by 11 p.m. The museum says it will not host DJ-driven or nightclub-style events. Its sound study projects levels at neighboring properties about equal to existing street noise on Washington Avenue, and its traffic consultant projects a small drop in peak-hour car trips.

The addition itself needs a separate certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Board (HPB26-0704), and a related code change on rooftop additions and parking (PB26-0839) is pending, the letter says.

The Planning Board meets at 9 a.m. Dec. 8 at City Hall, 1700 Convention Center Drive. Agendas and application files are on the city’s meeting portal.