THE ICONIC Miami Beach hotel that hosted The Beatles and President John F Kennedy during its 1960s heyday has been demolished in a controlled implosion.
The hotel had been abandoned over recent years and had fallen into disrepair, and was closed following an electrical fire in 2017, prompting the decision to demolish it.
The 17-storey Deauville Hotel fell into itself after a series of explosions were set off, sending up a large cloud of dust.
The hotel was built in 1957 and The Beatles performed there in 1964, recording six songs for The Ed Sullivan Show, drawing an estimated television audience of 70 million people.
Three years earlier, Kennedy spoke to the Young Democrats Convention at the hotel.
Other celebrities who performed there include Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Sammy Davis Jr.
Miami Beach officials and the family who owned the hotel sparred over millions of dollars in fines for various code violations.
It is unclear what will now happen to the lot.
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, a billionaire New York developer, wanted to buy the property and build a 107m-tall hotel and condo tower, but that plan is now in limbo.
The area has a 61m height limit and a city ballot measure that would have allowed the construction failed last Tuesday.
City officials say Mr Ross may still be interested in purchasing the lot if an alternate plan can be worked out.
