Historic South Florida High School Receives Major Renovation
MIAMI — South Florida’s oldest high school, Miami Senior High School in Miami, is in the midst of a major $50 million renovation.
The school was originally established in 1903 and attended by such luminaries as actor and musician Desi Arnaz, former Florida Governor and U.S.Senator Bob Graham, Miami Heat player Udonis Haslem and poet Donald Justice.
The school is a landmark known for its grand Mediterranean Revival-style architecture. Originally designed by architect Richard Kiehnel, the school is listed in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Florida-based Zyscovich Architects designed the current renovation project, working with Miami-based general contractor, MCM. The project team has been working on the school in multiple phases.
Design launched in March 2010 and the project is scheduled for completion by November of 2013. The three-phase project called for the addition of three new classroom buildings (one three-story and two two-story), a three-story parking garage, a new central energy plant and a new vocational auto shop. Phase II shifted students into the newly constructed classrooms to allow for a complete renovation of the facility’s historic buildings, including installation of new HVAC, electrical, plumbing and fire sprinkler systems, plus hurricane-impact windows. Phase II also called for renovation of the media center and auditorium.
Phase III includes overall site improvements, including a new landscaping of the school’s lush parks and plazas, and the addition of dedicated drop-off and pick-up areas. Upon completion, Miami High’s student capacity will increase from 1,649 to 2,800 and the campus will encompass eight buildings spread across three city blocks. The school has been at its present site since 1928.
Because school officials expressed a desire up front to apply for LEED certification, conservation and sustainability were the guiding factors for the plumbing fixtures at the school. But because the property involved is a high school, additional concerns had to be factored in. Attention to detail was crucial in the project due to the history of the school as well as the current issues surrounding the area, including vandalism. South Carolina-based T&S Brass and Bronze Works Inc. incorporated plumbing components in the project including its push-button metering faucets, which require less than five pounds of operating force to open and are vandal-resistant and ADA-compliant, according to T&S Brass and Bronze Works Representative Emilio Sorondo.
The school is iconic in the south Florida neighborhood so design and construction were meticulously engineered in order to keep the school’s grand presence in the area. Alumni and state officials even attended the groundbreaking back in 2011 to give their support and dedication to the project.