MIAMI — Miami-Dade County and the county’s Department of Public Housing and Community Development (PHCD), together with Related Group, have completed renovations at Robert King High Community Center in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.
First built in 1964 in response to a rapid increase in senior population, Robert King High Towers was a first-of-its-kind development in the Southeast. The community features 315 affordable housing units for seniors and a 10,000-square-foot community center. The community center renovations are now fully completed, with work on the residential towers well underway.
The renovation preserved important elements of the property’s original design, including the open-air courtyard and interior terrazzo flooring, while also providing modern enhancements. A full-fledged commercial kitchen was installed to improve service delivery of the daily meals program that caters to the low-income seniors who live in Robert King High and surrounding developments.
Important life safety improvements were also made, including the addition of fire sprinklers and a generator.,
Chase provided a $49 million facility, which funded a construction loan to finance the rehabilitation and redevelopment.
“Related Urban recognized the architectural historic and civic importance of Robert King High, while understanding the need to improve living standards for its low-income elderly residents,” says Alberto Milo, president of Related Urban, the affordable and mixed-income division of Related Group.
The renovation of Robert King High Towers and Community Center is the fourth phase in the broader River Parc Master Plan. Phases 5 and 6 (Paseo del Rio and Haley Sofge Preservation) are currently under construction with future phases in the conceptual planning stage.