Washington Avenue Then & Now - A Conversation with Saul Gross

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Q: Saul, when did you first arrive in Miami Beach?
A: I came to Miami Beach in 1984. I was working with a group that invested in renovating buildings in historic districts. At that time, there was very little happening in South Beach. On Washington Avenue, there was a nightclub called Club Z, and on Ocean Drive there was essentially one restaurant and bar at the Carlyle Hotel. It’s hard to imagine today just how undeveloped South Beach was back then.

Q: That really puts things in perspective. What did Ocean Drive and Washington Avenue look like in those early years?
A: Around 1986–1987, I remember only three places on Ocean Drive: Tropics International, which I’ll talk about in a moment, the Carlyle Hotel with a lively piano bar, and the News Café. Washington Avenue had just a handful of places as well—The Strand restaurant in the 600 block, which attracted a very hip crowd, Toni’s Sushi (which is still open today), and Club Z at 1235 Washington Avenue. Club Z was a fantastic dance club and occasionally hosted special visiting performers like Tina Turner and Grace Jones.

Q: What kind of work were you doing in those early South Beach years?
A: From 1984 to 1988, I was renovating eight historic apartment buildings in the Flamingo Park neighborhood. Many of these beautiful Art Deco and Mediterranean Revival buildings had been neglected for decades. Some were abandoned, and the neighborhood struggled with safety concerns. I believed Flamingo Park could be a great place for urban pioneers, but it took time. We rented our first renovated one-bedroom apartments for $400 a month, and while it was successful, it took years for the neighborhood to fully turn around.

Q: You’ve mentioned the influence of art and design during that time. Can you talk about that?
A: One of the most interesting people I became friends with was Leonard Horowitz. Leonard created what became known as the Art Deco tropical color palette—light blue for the sky, yellow for the sand, sea green for the ocean, and flamingo pink. He selected the paint colors for the buildings I renovated, as well as for Tony Goldman’s projects. Those colors later became famous through the Miami Vice TV series. We used to gather and watch each new episode together, celebrating the positive attention Miami Beach was finally getting.

Q: You were also involved in the early live music scene. Tell us about Tropics International.
A: In 1986, I partnered with Arthur Barron, a jazz saxophonist from New York, to open a restaurant and music club in the Edison Hotel at 10th Street and Ocean Drive. We shared a love of live music. Tropics International opened on New Year’s Eve 1986 and was an immediate success. We hosted live bands nightly—musicians like Nestor Torres, Little Nicky and the Slicks, and Mike Gerber played regularly. We also held poetry nights, art shows, and fashion shows. It became a cultural hub.

Noise complaints were an issue even then. We installed custom Memphis-style acoustical panels, but the historic lobby space made it impossible to eliminate sound completely. Eventually, we sold the lease back to the hotel owner, but it was a great run.

Q: With all that work, how did you unwind?
A: After construction crews left for the night, Arthur and I often went to Hyperspace, a two-story art gallery on Lincoln Lane run by Victor Farinas. We played music there late into the night. It was the first time I had ever played the saxophone that intensely and consistently. Arthur taught me a lot about music, and to this day, he still works with me at Streamline, leasing office space and managing a building.

Q: You have a memorable story involving Victor and historic preservation, don’t you?
A: Yes. Victor designed a Memphis-style paint scheme for a building I renovated at 11th Street and Euclid Avenue. When the state review committee in Tallahassee saw photos of the bold design, they denied a $300,000 historic tax credit. We repainted the accents for $2,000 to secure the credit. Victor was furious and called a reporter at the Miami Herald, which resulted in a front-page story titled “The Color of Money.” Coincidentally, that same day I was before the zoning board for a Washington Avenue project. A board member congratulated me on the “great publicity.” In truth, it was all Victor.

Q: When did you begin investing on Washington Avenue?
A: In 1988, I purchased 15 storefronts in the 1100 block of Washington Avenue, and in 1990 another 15 stores in the 900 block. I believed the new Flamingo Park residents would need places to shop and eat. We brought in tenants like Uncle Sam’s Music, Reggae Wear, Flashback, and restaurants such as Al Amir, Prima Donna, and Folia. By 1992, Washington Avenue had become the hottest street in town. Lincoln Road’s rise came later. I opened the Streamline office at 1125 Washington Avenue in 1989, and we’re still there today.

Q: And how did you meet your wife, Jane?
A: In 1986, I was working out of an office at 1200 Washington Avenue, and Jane worked across the street at 1201 Washington for Ronnie Molko. I stopped by often to talk real estate, and Leonard Horowitz encouraged us to start dating. Eventually we did. Leonard was supposed to be our best man, but sadly he passed away from AIDS just weeks before our wedding in June 1989. We always credit him for bringing us together.

Q: Finally, how did music—and the saxophone—become part of your life?
A: I didn’t play music in high school. I discovered jazz while living in the Village in New York. One night at the Village Gate, I heard Sonny Rollins play. Sitting right next to the stage, I was completely blown away. His horn felt like an extension of his body. The next day, I bought a saxophone and found a teacher in the East Village. I’ve been playing ever since.