Arden Group has submitted a revised application to construct a 464-foot mixed-use tower alongside and partially over the First Church of Christ, Scientist, a 1926 landmark at 1836 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami's Edgewater neighborhood, with the project now heading to city review boards.

What is Arden Group actually proposing to build?

Arden Group's updated design calls for a 464-foot skyscraper to rise directly adjacent to — and cantilevering above portions of — the century-old First Church of Christ, Scientist on Biscayne Boulevard, integrating the historic religious structure into what would become a mixed-use development. The project represents one of the more architecturally ambitious proposals to emerge from Edgewater's ongoing high-rise boom along the Biscayne corridor.

  • Tower height: 464 feet, placing it among the taller structures proposed for Edgewater
  • Program: mixed-use, incorporating the existing church parcel at 1836 Biscayne Boulevard
  • The First Church of Christ, Scientist was constructed in 1926, making it a century-old neighborhood landmark

How does the revised plan address historic preservation concerns?

Arden Group's updated submission preserves a greater portion of the First Church of Christ, Scientist's original exterior facades than the developer's previous proposal, a deliberate concession designed to address concerns from historic preservation advocates. Retaining more of the church's street-facing facades is a common condition Miami review boards impose when a development encroaches on a historically significant structure.

  • Earlier iteration of the plan drew preservation objections over the extent of facade alteration
  • Revised plans offer expanded retention of original historic facades as a mitigation measure
  • The proposal must still pass scrutiny from Miami's relevant review boards before any approval

What does this project mean for Edgewater's development trajectory?

The Arden Group application arrives as Edgewater absorbs one of the most intense concentrations of high-rise construction activity in Miami, with the Biscayne Boulevard corridor increasingly targeted by developers seeking to capture bay-view density in a neighborhood that lacks the land constraints of Brickell or downtown. The introduction of a 464-foot tower atop a historic religious site raises the stakes for how Miami balances preservation obligations against development pressure.

  • Edgewater has seen a sustained wave of high-rise proposals and approvals in recent years
  • The Biscayne Boulevard corridor is a focal point for mixed-use tower development
  • Miami review boards will weigh historic preservation standards against the project's density and design

Original reporting on this development was published by Hoodline.