Building A Legacy

THE LINEAGE OF THE Allen Morris Company is about to transform Coral Gables once again. The family company responsible for the notable Alhambra Towers and even the first regional shopping center in Florida is making big waves. In an interview with AQUA Pinecrest, Allen Morris Company President W.A. Spencer Morris details two big projects he can’t wait to fully introduce to Miami clients. Ponce Park in Coral Gables and Ziggurat in Coconut Grove will break ground later this year, bringing the best in luxury residential and office space with architecture that stuns.

BRICK BY BRICK 

Company founder L. Allen Morris is known as the trailblazer who started building office space on Brickell Avenue before it was considered the business hub it is today. His legacy now includes over 100 development projects completed to date and over $3.5 billion in its active development pipeline. Past projects include notable structures such as the first office building ever built in Brickell (1000 Brickell), Dadeland Mall, SLS Lux Brickell, and buildings in Atlanta, Sarasota, Orlando, Miami, Coral Gables, Bradenton, and St. Petersburg, besides the Alhambra Towers where the company is headquartered.

“We as a company have, over the last 67 years, gone through multiple cycles of evolution. I think an important piece of becoming president is maintaining the history and the culture of this company that my grandfather started and my father built and also charting my own unique path for the business,” the president explains. “There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that.”

Allen Morris Company is also well known for their development successes in Atlanta, where the current president worked before he moved back to Miami in 2018 and took the position in 2022. He helped build out the business in Georgia, including the Star Metals district of seven buildings, a $1.5 billion project.

“The company had a history of developing built-to-suit office buildings, shopping centers and industrial projects. When I joined the company, we began the process of pivoting our investment strategy and focusing more on best-in-class residential developments,” Morris says. Now, luxury residential represents the majority of the business.

The biological aspects of the architecture Allen Morris Company chose at Star Metals—plants and gardens interspersed with the building’s structure— are now the focal point of the Coconut Grove building Ziggurat at the intersection of Grand Avenue, Matilda Street, and Florida Avenue. The building’s contemporary floating gardens will make it a trophy edifice, something that still turns heads 100 years from now.

“It’s built into the neighborhood, and it feels like it belongs in Coconut Grove. We try to build contextually—build projects that improve upon the neighborhood that they’re in without taking away from the history and the identity of the place,” says Morris. There will be natural wood and stone in the facade, creating an organic feel to match its distinctive shape. To capture the old spirit of the neighborhood, they’ve partnered with Miami’s Oppenheim Architecture, who also worked on the Star Metals project in Atlanta and will feature gardens on every floor. The company, in partnership with the City of Miami, will also transform Fuller Street and Kirk Munroe Park into a green space to complement. Already 50% sold, the Ziggurat’s six-story office building and four-story condominium building will break ground this December.

Ponce Park will be just a stone’s throw away in Coral Gables; and it’s meant for the kind of homeowner who may be downsizing from a large house to a condo with a homey feel. Prices will be high for these condominiums, as they’re in a prime location just across from The Plaza Coral Gables.

BREAKING GROUND 

“If we’re going to build something that is at its highest expression of architecture, finish and design, it needs to be on an A-plus site,” says Morris. With 22,000 square feet of commercial space and 58 residential spaces already 35% sold, the space, designed by global design firm Meyer Davis, has already surpassed the expected response.

“It’s a different caliber of building, nothing like it has been built in Coral Gables to date, and the reception has actually exceeded our expectations.” The site also sits at the edge of the residential and commercial districts of the city, “so the residences have unobstructed views facing toward the southeast.”

Because Allen Morris Company is known for creating legacy buildings, the quality set by Alhambra Towers will be seen at Ponce Park. “When it was delivered in 2002, [Alhambra Towers] set the standard of what Mediterranean architecture in Coral Gables could be and should be from a fit and finish standpoint,” Morris says. One of the most memorable things about Coral Gables is the European-style buildings, the stone walls, the colorful choices that make it feel like no other place in Miami.

“[Ponce Park] captures the history and the style of European elegance and raises the bar for luxury living in Coral Gables,” Morris says, “Each neighborhood and each market in Miami has its own unique identity, and it was important to us to capture the rich neoclassical design language of Coral Gables in this building.”

Even Ponce Park’s sales gallery, which is open now at 203 University Dr., captures the luxury experience. Morris says they’ve been waiting since 2011 to develop the land. “We’re really excited to deliver the final product. We view both of these as legacy projects for us, components of which we plan to own long-term,” he continues. He wants the Allen Morris Company to be involved long-term, to do right by the cities in which they develop.

Two buildings: One a living, breathing planter and the other a veritable jewel that reinterprets a historic architectural style. But it’s not without challenges. “It’s an extremely challenging business, and the people that thrive in it are the people that love it,” Morris says. “In addition to it being my job, it’s my favorite hobby.” Most of the people he works with feel the same way, despite any pressures that come with big developments. “I think the most difficult aspect of developing these legacy-quality projects is casting a bold design vision up front that feels deeply contextual to the specific neighborhood and then juggling the practical considerations of engineering, costs, placemaking, et cetera, to make sure that original vision comes to life.”

Though the buildings are important, for Morris, this has been about people from day one. He wants these developments to be recognized for years to come so the tenants, residential or otherwise, will be able to enjoy it for generations. That’s the best part— seeing people interact with these spaces in their everyday lives. Within the business, Morris says the team is extremely close, with love for their work being the uniting factor. “If I were to do anything else, it would be exactly what I’m doing, and I think most of the people that thrive in this business feel the same way.”

BY MORGAN C. MULLINGS