Little Prince - sad news for sleuths


CarolineUK

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Just saw Little Prince and thought of this posting.  I'm quoting myself here.  Is that weird?  Anyway, after much longer than I thought it would take, I have a basic 3-D model of the home and some rendered pictures.  How do I show them here?

 

Posting 2D photos on the site is the only way I know of displaying images but maybe James or someone else has a better idea.

 

The link you posted for the original drawings of 42 Star Island by the architect Walter Degarmo does not work.  Did you make copies?  Thanks.

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Posting 2D photos on the site is the only way I know of displaying images but maybe James or someone else has a better idea.

 

The link you posted for the original drawings of 42 Star Island by the architect Walter Degarmo does not work.  Did you make copies?  Thanks.

 

I do have copies, but I just used the link and it worked fine.

Edited by pahonu
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Just saw Little Prince and thought of this posting.  I'm quoting myself here.  Is that weird?  Anyway, after much longer than I thought it would take, I have a basic 3-D model of the home and some rendered pictures.  How do I show them here?

 

Not weird at all. But mainly because you called yourself out. Heaven knows I've done some funny stuff on here.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would love to know the road they filmed the last scene on - looks like Arthur Lamb on Key Biscayne - any ideas !? not many clues  :D  :)  :done:  :thumbsup:  :cake:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Some great shots of Collins at 20th Street in the teaser - and of the Ferrari on Ocean Drive then an unknown cafe top location - this is a really great shot taken behind a cafe top counter looking to the ferrari driving down a street . At first I thought this could be Washington Ave but now Im thinking downtown .

 

Downtown sounds like a good idea.  We don't see a median in the road and most of Washington has a median.  This cafe has a window on the corner.  I looked around on Collins and I noticed that many buildings have entrances on the corner.   

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I started watching My MV dvds  and I was admiring the mansion in "The Little Prince."

 

Today, I saw this topic & was shocked to see there may not be a mansion, any longer. :thumbsdown:

 I hope it can be saved. 

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Any body ever see this website?  http://www.local10.com/news/star-island-mansion-recommended-for-historic-preservation/21869012

 

It has original drawings of 42 Star Island by the architect Walter Degarmo.

 

I have some time off for Spring Break and I was thinking I might start a little project...namely using Google SketchUp to make a 3D model of the property.

 

The home is gone now.  In fact the McMansion replacing it is half complete, but I can "save" it in this little way.

 

I just read your post, Pahonu..........Very sad, but thank you for your efforts for a 3D model.

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  • 2 years later...
On 3/19/2015 at 8:01 AM, pahonu said:

Any body ever see this website?  http://www.local10.com/news/star-island-mansion-recommended-for-historic-preservation/21869012

 

It has original drawings of 42 Star Island by the architect Walter Degarmo.

 

I have some time off for Spring Break and I was thinking I might start a little project...namely using Google SketchUp to make a 3D model of the property.

 

The home is gone now.  In fact the McMansion replacing it is half complete, but I can "save" it in this little way.

 

I'm quoting myself here because I totally forgot to post the images of the model I made of 42 Star Island.  They're not fully complete and I haven't even looked at them in a year or two, but here they are.  The first four are from different angles.  The last two show how the structure could have been renovated or saved in various ways.  I took the color scheme of the last one from Vizcaya. 

 

They are based on the Degarmo drawings and pics from the episode.   They depict the home before remodeling enclosed the third floor with windows and the front balconies were also enclosed to interior halls with windows.  There are no doors or windows drawn (tons of work), but the massing and location of openings is highly accurate because of the drawings.

 

 

SketchUp 42 Star Island 1.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 2.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 3.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 4.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 5.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 6.png

Edited by pahonu
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1 hour ago, pahonu said:

 

I'm quoting myself here because I totally forgot to post the images of the model I made of 42 Star Island.  They're not fully complete and I haven't even looked at them in a year or two, but here they are.  The first four are from different angles.  The last two show how the structure could have been renovated or saved in various ways.  I took the color scheme of the last one from Vizcaya. 

 

They are based on the Degarmo drawings and pics from the episode.   They depict the home before remodeling enclosed the third floor with windows and the front balconies were also enclosed to interior halls with windows.  There are no doors or windows drawn (tons of work), but the massing and location of openings is highly accurate because of the drawings.

 

 

SketchUp 42 Star Island 1.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 2.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 3.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 4.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 5.png

SketchUp 42 Star Island 6.png

Thankyou for posting - seems to be very faithful to the original design and building.

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Great images Pahonu.  Yes that would be a marvelous project- using Google SketchUp to make a 3D model of the property.  Miami Beach's Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL), that played an important role in saving all the Art Deco, would also be interested.

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13 minutes ago, miamijimf said:

Great images Pahonu.  Yes that would be a marvelous project- using Google SketchUp to make a 3D model of the property.  Miami Beach's Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL), that played an important role in saving all the Art Deco, would also be interested.

I second that.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've used a SketchUp tool called section plane to show the interior of the model as a floor plan would.

The first floor is accurate except for the right side where additions were made altering the service area and the library/office in the lower right of the structure.  Ignore the separate building.  I've used images found on line and from MV to create the interior.  Again it is based on the original DeGarmo drawings before later additions altered the service areas to the upper right.  For example, the service porch was enclosed sometime later and used for laundry.  In the 20's in a home of this size with staff,  laundry space would have been larger and removed from the main house.  Laundry would have been dried on lines in the service yard, which is to the right and also up out of the picture.  The laundry room was likely in the one story section attached to the garage shown in the last picture.

 

Left to right: living room with fireplace, entry and stair hall with powder room and closet, below it is a sun room/loggia, dining room, library/ office, above it is the butler's pantry, service hall with 2nd stair and closet and service bathroom, the kitchen pantry and main kitchen to its right, and at the top a breakfast room/servant dining room, and a service porch.

1972535366_SketchUp42StarIsland1stfloor.thumb.png.bc685a12bd85c46f197c18324a7f5fd6.png

The second floor is more speculative when it comes to the bathroom details, but their locations and the bedroom locations are correct.  The home was designed before AC so almost all rooms have window or door openings on multiple walls to encourage air circulation and cooling in Miami's climate.  This is also why the hallways across the top accessing the bedrooms, either side of the stair hall, are open to the exterior, to allow for better ventilation.  All the rooms, left to right, can also be accessed internally through connecting doors along the bottom, in an architectural design feature called enfilade, which also helps with ventilation and cooling.

Left to right:  owner's suite with fireplace, owner's bathroom, owner's dressing room and closets, bedroom 2 with closet, above it is the stair hall with access left and right to the bedrooms along exterior galleries, shared bathroom, bedroom 3 with closet, bedroom 4 with closet, above it is a private bathroom and the service stairs down to the service wing. 

It is possible that the room I labeled as the owner's dressing room could have been used as a nursery or small child's bedroom.  I've drawn in possible bed placement which gives some idea of room scale as well.  The third staircase in the center goes to the third floor from the stair hall.

838565114_SketchUp42StarIsland2ndfloor.thumb.png.0e807d4baa8f5c419c8388048a77c9b1.png

The third floor is highly accurate to the original design.  It had openings on all four sides lacking any glass and was likely used as a sleeping porch for hot evenings in those pre-AC days.  Again, later it was enclosed.  I have found one older picture showing tilt-out awning-type shutters on the left and right side windows.  I'll try to find it and post it later.  I have drawn in the outline for a 4 x 8 foot pool table for scale.

1024175013_SketchUp42StarIsland3rdfloor.thumb.png.6e1295b1131b9c5171182bc4c00c95a3.png

The garage and service quarters was later enclosed as a separate apartment.  I've drawn the original 3 bays, likely open, with stairs to the left accessing two servant's rooms and bathrooms along an open gallery above.  The doors inside the garage lead to storage and a workshop in the one-story section.  The far side would likely have been the laundry, with the service porch to the main house just visible at the far right of the image.  Again, ignore the other two-story structure behind it.  I drew that as a pool structure, not unlike the one that was built later, but the original home had no pool from what I've learned.  The yellow colored walls, off-white trim, and terracotta roof are just my choices as to how the home could have been remodeled and restored rather than destroyed. 

99189940_SketchUp42StarIslandgarage.thumb.png.d6745e62f2fbfc3dad1770f834501db7.png

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Here's the older photo I mentioned with the third floor awnings.  They look similar to some I've seen in the Caribbean.  The second floor galleries and third floor sleeping porch have already been enclosed by this date.  Original divided light doors and windows can be seen in some openings.  Many were later replaced with windows having single panes of glass as the enclosed galleries have.  I think this was from the 50's or 60's, if I recall.  An old-style TV antenna appears to be on the third floor roof.

degarmo-sm.jpg.c6a90df1cb19e04457481bb17c7aa03f.jpg

Also included here are the DeGarmo drawings.

42-Star-Island-jpg_698237_ver1_0_1280_720.thumb.jpg.eeaec9b5923c7a1676baeab89e9f1f16.jpg

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Some more photos and my renderings of potential renovation options.

IMG_1412_0.jpg.9bcef3c9756ba6e85dfbf0a1d2387b20.jpg

The service porch was enclosed above for laundry in a remodel.  Below are my ideas, including a reopened service porch through the doorway.

 

455318271_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen1.thumb.png.61333810fe0852b1b63ea721eee14e0c.png

The door across the service yard below leads to the original laundry area and workshop beyond.  The archway to the left is a storage pantry and access to the service hall and stairs beyond.

797714797_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen2.thumb.png.d624e2e851a2ae1f50ea4913daafb5fa.png

The archway below leads to the butler's pantry and through it to the right, the dining room.

1862164625_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen3.thumb.png.9dfed7331a8d05dd04a52d8c009eab3d.png

Below is the stair hall and front door looking through the loggia.  The doors to the right are a powder room and closet.  Arches in the loggia (not seen) to the left and right lead to the living room and dining room.

IMG_1415_0.thumb.jpg.0a97c1a14221167a29e560e7250ec57e.jpg

My model where the left archway to the living room can be seen.

1916636236_SketchUp42StarIslandstairhall.thumb.png.bd81d88ef1ff5a429a46b6509609787b.png

My idea for the library/office.  The doorway leads to a small hall that accesses the dining room left, and butler's pantry right.  Beyond is the service hall and stair.

2098931455_SketchUp42StarIslandlibrary1.thumb.png.d31c3a4ffe3360015c391990e5b334bf.png

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14 hours ago, pahonu said:

Some more photos and my renderings of potential renovation options.

IMG_1412_0.jpg.9bcef3c9756ba6e85dfbf0a1d2387b20.jpg

The service porch was enclosed above for laundry in a remodel.  Below are my ideas, including a reopened service porch through the doorway.

 

455318271_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen1.thumb.png.61333810fe0852b1b63ea721eee14e0c.png

The door across the service yard below leads to the original laundry area and workshop beyond.  The archway to the left is a storage pantry and access to the service hall and stairs beyond.

797714797_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen2.thumb.png.d624e2e851a2ae1f50ea4913daafb5fa.png

The archway below leads to the butler's pantry and through it to the right, the dining room.

1862164625_SketchUp42StarIslandkitchen3.thumb.png.9dfed7331a8d05dd04a52d8c009eab3d.png

Below is the stair hall and front door looking through the loggia.  The doors to the right are a powder room and closet.  Arches in the loggia (not seen) to the left and right lead to the living room and dining room.

IMG_1415_0.thumb.jpg.0a97c1a14221167a29e560e7250ec57e.jpg

My model where the left archway to the living room can be seen.

1916636236_SketchUp42StarIslandstairhall.thumb.png.bd81d88ef1ff5a429a46b6509609787b.png

My idea for the library/office.  The doorway leads to a small hall that accesses the dining room left, and butler's pantry right.  Beyond is the service hall and stair.

2098931455_SketchUp42StarIslandlibrary1.thumb.png.d31c3a4ffe3360015c391990e5b334bf.png

Great detail pahonu. Thankyou for posting 

The interior hallway was seen in the episode “Little Prince”if I remember rightly. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/17/2018 at 2:31 PM, alleycat said:

I don't think this was a Miami Vice location, but it's been said that Don Johnson lived there.   This is the view we see in the Forbes photo:

https://binged.it/2zhYnZE

 

 

Edited by airtommy
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  • 2 months later...

Here's a link to the 42 Star Island model that I made shown above.  You will need to download SketchUp 2017 or newer, which is free, in order to view it in 3D.  This is the version I detailed based on Vizcaya's color scheme, rather than the original all-white version we are all familiar with.  I don't believe that was original to the 1920's construction.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cajbt2pb1xpe9o2/SketchUp 42 Star Island Vizcaya.skp?dl=0

 

Edited by pahonu
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this is great stuff pahonu. personnally i never found that house a capital building in Florida. it is in the MV series because it's the archetype of the weathy guy home. but for example when i heard it had been demolished it didn't hurt me as much as when i heard the senator has been demolished

just viewed your 3D. it"s great but for a house that probably cost dozens of millions dollars, i find it incredibly 'cramped'. wherever you are you feel you are cramped

 

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3 hours ago, jpm1 said:

this is great stuff pahonu. personnally i never found that house a capital building in Florida. it is in the MV series because it's the archetype of the weathy guy home. but for example when i heard it had been demolished it didn't hurt me as much as when i heard the senator has been demolished

just viewed your 3D. it"s great but for a house that probably cost dozens of millions dollars, i find it incredibly 'cramped'. wherever you are you feel you are cramped

 

Thanks jpm,

After all, it was a house designed almost a century ago, when architecturally speaking, technology and social demands were entirely different.  This home would have had at least two or three servants taking care of it, perhaps more.  The two rooms originally over the garage were almost certainly for servants.  A three car garage was quite spacious in the 1920's when many families still didn't have a single car. Air conditioning as we know it didn't exist, so the entire house is designed to capture breezes to keep cool.  This means rooms with door and window openings on multiple walls and high ceilings.  The single third floor room is a prime example of this.  It was originally was open on all four sides and would likely have been used as a sleeping porch on those steamy Miami summer nights.  Exterior hallways, as existed originally on the front, also allowed for improved air circulation.  The rooms opening onto one another in a row, called enfilade, is another method of improving air circulation in the hot climate.  Overall, it is an excellent example of Mediterranean Revival architecture, adapted to a sub-tropical climate, by one of the earliest licensed architects in the Miami area, Walter Degarmo.   There are many ways it could have been renovated to adapt to modern life while preserving the craftsmanship of it's period details.  It's a shame it was razed instead. 

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