The Carlyle Deco Hotel

Common name: The Carlyle. The condominium is named The Carlyle Deco Hotel Condominium.

Building type: Historic Art Deco hotel building converted to condominium residences

Architect: Kiehnel & Elliott

Builder: Taylor Construction Company

Conversion developer: Carlyle Beach Associates LLC

Form: Three stories, U-shaped plan, concrete block with stucco

Historic status: Contributing building in the Miami Beach Architectural District, on the National Register, and in the local Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue historic district

Source: The Roebling Research Desk.

The Carlyle is an Ocean Drive Art Deco hotel building converted to individually owned residences. It was built as a hotel in 1941 to designs by Kiehnel & Elliott.

The Carlyle was used as a location in The Birdcage, filmed in 1996, and it has appeared in other film and photo work since.

The case for the building is a landmark address with the park and the beach across the street, in 19 residences rather than several hundred. The tradeoffs come with the street and the historic status.

The building sits on Ocean Drive at about 12th Street, directly across from Lummus Park and the beach. Ocean Drive is the district's most active commercial strip, and the Art Deco historic district around it is roughly a square mile of preserved 1920s to 1940s buildings. Lincoln Road, the Miami Beach Convention Center and the Collins Avenue shopping corridor are a short walk or bike ride inland.

Units facing Ocean Drive sit on the active side of the strip; units facing the rear do not. Visit at different hours before offering.

The Carlyle is a three-story, U-shaped building of concrete block with stucco, about 67 by 125 feet in plan. The facade follows the Deco rules of the district: a three-part symmetrical front, fluted columns, rounded corners, a stepped parapet at the roofline and terrazzo floors. The exterior is protected.

The conversion produced 19 residences. Ask the association for the unit schedule, and check plan, floor, view and orientation by unit.

Ask for roof and window replacement history, with dates and scope, and for what the association has funded since the conversion.

Ask the association whether the building operates a hotel component, a rental program or a front desk. A building that began as a hotel and was converted may keep shared services, a lobby or commercial space under the same condominium. Ask the association what the structure includes and what the monthly charge covers.

For any purchase, request the budget, reserve balance, the structural integrity reserve study, the milestone inspection report, any special assessments, and the rules on short-term rental. Three stories puts the building under Florida's milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study rules; ask for the inspection report, the reserve study and any assessment history. Historic status also adds a layer of approval for exterior changes, including windows, doors and signage.

Pet, rental and minimum-lease rules are set by the association; confirm at offer stage.

One recorded sale, April 2026, at $795,000. It is one sale, not a building price. Pricing varies with orientation, floor and renovation.

Unit-level transaction history is maintained in The Roebling Research Library and shared with clients during diligence.

Get the use rules. Rental terms and any hotel-related rights decide whether the unit is a residence or an income property.

Understand the exterior. Protected facades limit exterior changes. Ask for the reserve funding and the inspection history.

Lead with the landmark. The Deco facade, the park location and the 19-residence scale are the differentiators.

Have the documents ready. Budget, reserve study, inspection status and the rental rules should be in hand before you list.

• 1500 Ocean Drive — a 1998, 16-story Michael Graves condominium tower on Ocean Drive in South Beach.
• 200 Ocean Drive — a 2000 boutique condominium of 20 residences in South of Fifth.
• The Setai Miami Beach — an oceanfront condominium tower of about 40 stories built beside a restored 1936 Art Deco hotel building, at 2001 Collins Avenue.