A century-old office building that long served as part of Miami-Dade County’s courthouse campus at 22 NW First St. has been sold to an investment firm dedicated to preserving historically significant properties. The firm, Revitalization Unlimited, announced its acquisition in a Jan. 21 press relea se, describing the purchase as part of its broader strategy to invest in legacy buildings with historic value and long-term economic potential. The property, known as Courthouse East, sits just across the street from the historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse at 73 W Flagler St. and served as an administrative companion building to the main courthouse. According to Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser records, the property sold for $17.5 million in late December. The county continues to market the 73 W Flagler St. courthouse itself, which is vacant and slated for auction, following the relocation of court operations to the new Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center at 20 NW First Ave. The Miami courthouse district dates back nearly a century. The historic courthouse at 73 W Flagler opened in 1928 as a 28-story, 361-foot tower and quickly became a centerpiece of the city’s civic life, housing courtrooms, administrative offices and jail cells. Constructed between 1925 and 1928, the building was, at the time of its completion, the tallest structure in Miami, the state of Florida and south of the Mason-Dixon line. Designed by architect A. Ten Eyck Brown, the courthouse features Neo-Classical and Mediterranean Revival elements, including a distinctive ziggurat-style roof. Over time, the building gained formal historic protections. Its exterior was designated a local historic landmark in 1985, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. In 2020, Miami-Dade County expanded preservation protections to include significant interior spaces, including the lobby, atrium and six historic courtrooms. By the 2010s, however, structural challenges and operational limitations prompted the county to pursue a modern replacement. Court operations began transitioning from the historic courthouse to the new Osvaldo N. Soto Miami-Dade Justice Center on Nov. 10, 2025, when the 23-story, 46-courtroom facility officially opened. The move marked the end of nearly a century of continuous court operations at the 73 W Flagler site. Courthouse East, which had long housed administrative offices supporting the main courthouse, became available for redevelopment as part of that transition. Efforts to sell the historic 73 W Flagler courthouse have struggled. In 2025, GFO Investments, led by developer Russell Galbut, proposed a major redevelopment that would have included a 65-story mixed-use tower on an adjacent property. The proposal aimed to revitalize the site but included conditions such as a $10 million annual maintenance fee, which raised concerns with the county.   With no other serious bids publicly disclosed, Miami-Dade is slated to move forward with a formal auction of the 265,000-square-foot main courthouse. The building is largely vacant as of early 2026 and remains protected from demolition or major alterations due to its historic status. Previous listings set a minimum bid of $52.3 million. The downtown Miami courthouse area, encompassing the historic tower, Courthouse East and the new Justice Center, reflects both the city’s civic heritage and its ongoing urban transformation. While the sale of 22 NW First St. secures private investment in one portion of the former courthouse campus, the future of the iconic 73 W Flagler building remains unresolved. Founded in June 2024, Revitalization Unlimited is an investment fund focused on preserving historic architecture and supporting long-term economic use of legacy buildings. The courthouse acquisition marks its second investment in the city. The first was the World Precious Metals Building at 40 NE 1st Ave., a 1917 landmark in the city’s Jewelry District that was once Miami’s tallest building and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. “Miami is evolving quickly, and that growth makes it even more important to protect the buildings that define the city’s history,” said Steve Austin, founder and CEO of Revitalization Unlimited. “This investment allows us to preserve an important downtown property while contributing to the long-term vitality of the area.” The post After offices sale, is Dade County Courthouse next? appeared first on Miami Today. ...read more read less