Former Brickell Emporium Site For Sale For 15 Million

By Samantha Joseph
The former site of the Brickell Emporium, once known for its deli breakfasts, is for sale for $15 million.

The 36,000-square-foot parcel at 1100 Brickell Plaza is dissected by 11th Street with Metromover tracks overhead.

The sellers say a developer could create about 600,000 square feet of mixed-use space onsite and include a high-rise with a special feature – a Metromover track that runs through the building.

"We were going to build around the people mover," said Steven Perricone, one of four people who own the site and have suggested uses for the property. "It would be something very cool, very different. There’s also not a way to build a building on both sites without having (the mover) run through."

Mr. Perricone, a restaurateur, owns the land with real estate broker Edie Lacquer, attorney Jay Solowsky and Turner Construction executive Michael Smith.

The proprietor of Perricone’s Marketplace and CafÈ on Southeast 10th Street hopes to open a breakfast eatery on the site after its development. He’s picked a name for the deli – Grand Central Station – and said it will serve breakfast and feature a newsstand.

"The neighborhood is in dire need of a great breakfast place and a big Jewish-style deli," said Mr. Perricone.

The site neighbors the $70 million mixed-use development Mary Brickell Village, under construction on South Miami Avenue. It is on the outskirts of the Brickell financial district.

The marketers say a project there would benefit from the slew of residential, mixed-use and hospitality developments under way in the area.

Ms. Lacquer said she and her partners once planned to hold the property for five years and build two-story retail space to lease. She said market conditions favor an early sale but the group would consider entering a joint venture with a developer.

"The neighborhood is about to explode," Mr. Perricone said. "When I came here in 1996, all the development that’s going on now was so far away."