Cracks in the balcony that make them unsafe to step onto are but a small sample of the problems facing Dr. Leonard Hochstein and his wife, Lisa Hochstein, of "The Real Housewives of Miami," who bought a mansion on Star Island that is literally falling apart. They want to knock it down and build a more modern and up to date home. They can't because they are facing legal opposition from the city. (C.W. Griffin/Miami Herald/MCT)
'Real Housewives' star shows home to reporters to prove it should be torn down
Christina Veiga, The Miami HeraldMIAMI -- There was a time that the estate at 42 Star Island was a grand structure perched on the edge of Biscayne Bay.
Original architecture and design plans show that every detail, from the Cuban tile roof, to the elegant inlays, were all carefully picked.
But 88 years later, the home's new owners don't even consider the floors fit for their pooch to walk across.
Leonard and Lisa Hochstein -- he, a plastic surgeon known as "The Boob God," and she, a cast member of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Miami" -- bought the mansion at a foreclosure auction in late 2012. It has been at the center of a dispute with preservationists almost since then.
Originally hushed about the bitter fight, which has pitted historic preservation against private property rights, the couple is now courting the media to explain why they think the home isn't worth saving. On Sunday, they opened the home for the first time to reporters.
"We bought this house with the intention of building our dream home. If we knew this was going to happen, we would have never purchased this home," Lisa Hochstein said.
An engineer's report submitted by the Hochsteins to the city of Miami Beach says the home is sinking, that it's 30 inches below the flood plain and that the supports keeping the balconies up are so rusted that they could collapse. Preservationists, and even city staff, have questioned the accuracy of the report.
The Hochsteins want to tear down the home and replace it with a new 14,000 square-foot mansion, complete with a wine cellar and five-car garage. Their plan has been put on hold as the city of Miami Beach considers a competing application -- filed against their will by the Miami Design Preservation League -- that would save the home from demolition by declaring it historic.
Visible from the busy MacArthur Causeway, the white mansion with arched windows and grand columns was designed by Florida's first registered architect, Walter DeGarmo. It was built in 1925 for J.W. Popham, an insurance executive.
With eight bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the home was built just one-room deep in a "railroad" fashion, meaning there were no hallways and you would have to walk through one room to get to another. Now, a previously outdoor corridor has been enclosed to provide a more private way to move around the home.
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