Demolition in full swing at Coconut Grove’s Grand Bay Hotel

Passersby paused to take in a “bittersweet” moment as a wrecking ball swung into Coconut Grove’s iconic Grand Bay Hotel on Tuesday, clearing ground for a pair of twisting glass condo towers.
Danish architect Bjarke Ingels has designed the $400 million project being developed by the Terra Group.
Construction is slated to begin this spring, with a project opening date of 2014.
Tony Tremols, a Coconut Grove resident since 1984, recalled the hotel’s better days while watching the demolition.
“It was a beautiful hotel … very, very active,” he said. “It was a landmark.” Caught in a foreclosure mess, the hotel sat empty for the past few years, deteriorating into an eyesore.

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