Construction is moving toward the top of a $1.2 billion skyscraper in downtown Miami that will become Florida’s first supertall building. The Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences Miami will rise 1,049 feet above Biscayne Boulevard, with 100 stories and nine glass cubes stacked at different angles.
Christian Tupper, who is involved with the development, said 93% of the tower’s 363 residences have sold. Standard units are priced between $3 million and $11 million, and penthouses are about $25 million. Three of the building’s eight penthouses remain available. A 205-room hotel is expected to open in the second quarter of 2028, and the full tower is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2028.
Tupper said the building is expected to reach its highest floor in about seven weeks. Moriarty, the construction company, has roughly 500 workers on the project, typically working six days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The exterior uses impact-resistant glass panels that Tupper said can withstand winds of up to 200 mph. Once occupied, the residential portion is expected to house about 1,300 people.
The project adds to concerns about whether downtown can handle its growth. Michaeljohn Green, who leads the Miami Downtown Development Authority, said the city can accommodate the increase but that transportation will need continued investment. He pointed to Metromover, Tri-Rail, Brightline and the Freebee service, which the authority funds.
Green also acknowledged that high land costs make affordable housing difficult to build downtown, and he said wages have struggled to keep pace with rising prices.
