Historic Downtown Miami Courthouse Is Up for Sale

They say money buys justice, but in Miami it also can buy the house where justice is dispensed.

Miami’s historic courthouse, constructed in 1928, is up for sale. Bids for the Miami-Dade County-owned building, which has been in use for nearly 100 years at 73 West Flagler Street in Downtown Miami, start at $52.3 million and must be submitted by Sept. 4. The county will host a “pre-bid conference” via Zoom on July 15.

In 1930, famed mobster Al Capone faced a perjury trial at the 27-story property. But in recent years, the building, which sits on 1.6 acres, has shown signs of serious aging.

In 2021, following the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Fla., county officials evacuated the building after an inspection found an “excessively corroded” column on the 25th floor and other defects, the Miami Herald reported. 

Because the building is landmarked, listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1989, the new owner will have to abide by regulations set forth by the Miami-Dade County Historic Preservation Board and the Dade County Interior Designation 2020 if it wants to make substantial changes. 

“The county is seeking bidders with experience and the capacity to own and operate a large-scale historic property in compliance with national and local historic preservation regulations,” according to the invitation to bid document.

A new $267 million courthouse — approved in 2019 — is under construction next door. The 620,000-square-foot complex will house the Civil and Probate Divisions of the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts and other related court partners and agencies.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.