Stanley Whitman

Stanley Whitman (November 15, 1918 - May 24, 2017) was an American real estate developer best known for developing Bal Harbour Shops, an open-air shopping mall in Bal Harbour, Florida, a suburb of Miami Beach, Florida. Whitman also helped to incorporate Bal Harbour Village, at the north end of the Miami Beach barrier island, in 1946.

Early life and education

Stanley Finch Whitman was born on November 15, 1918, in Evanston, Illinois, to William and Leona Whitman, and grew up in Miami Beach, Florida. William owned a printing company in Chicago and developed real estate properties in the Miami area. properties on Lincoln Road and much of the ocean frontage on Collins Avenue between 29th and 44th Street. They also developed Whitman-by-the-Sea, the first hotel built on Miami Beach after the 1926 Miami Hurricane. In 1930, Leona became a founding member of the exclusive Surf Club. In the 1950s, she sold the property that later became Fontainebleau Miami Beach to Ben Novack.

Whitman and his brothers, Bill and Dudley, were raised in a single-family home on the oceanfront side of Collins Avenue at 32nd Street, the current site of the Faena Hotel Miami Beach. He graduated from Ida M. Fischer High School, In 1971, Neiman Marcus opened as an anchor tenant at the north end of the Bal Harbour Shops complex – its first store ever outside of Texas. In November 1976, Saks Fifth Avenue opened a 75,000 square foot store to anchor the southern end of the Bal Harbour Shops complex. Early European Designer store openings included Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Cartier, Versace and Chanel.

Notable retailers and restaurants include Salvatore Ferragamo, Alexander McQueen, Audemars Piguet, Balenciaga, Balmain, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Bvlgari, Chanel, Chloé, Chopard, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Golden Goose, Goyard, Graff, Gucci, Harry Winston, James Perse, Missoni, Miu Miu, Prada, Richard Mille, Rolex, Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Tiffany & Co., Tod's, Van Cleef & Arpels, Versace, Zegna, Zimmermann, Makoto, Le Zoo, Carpaccio and Hillstone. The anchor stores are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Expansion plans

In 2012, the Whitman family struck a land swap deal with Church by the Sea to further expand Bal Harbour Shops by over 200,000 square feet. Bal Harbour Shops agreed to build a church.

In January 2013, Bal Harbour Shops announced an equity partnership with Swire Properties to jointly develop the retail component of Brickell CityCentre in downtown Miami.

In 2017, the $550 million enhancement plan was approved to add of new retail space and restaurants to Bal Harbour Shops with a completion date of 2024.

Awards and recognition

In 2013, Whitman received the Urban Land Institute Lifetime Achievement Award.

In recognition of his philanthropy and civic engagement, Miami-Dade County recognized "Stanley F. Whitman Day" in 1998 and The Village of Bal Harbour followed suit in 2015.

Family

Whitman married Dottie Stivers, who died in 2008. He had a son, Randall, Chairman of Whitman Family Development; a daughter, Gwen Whitman Lazenby; a grandson, Matthew Whitman Lazenby, President and CEO; three other grandchildren; and three great-grandsons.