Beau Ciel at Boulevard of the Arts Breaks Ground on First Phase.

Business Editors

SARASOTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 2001

Construction is scheduled to begin this month on the first phase of Beau Ciel at Boulevard of the Arts, according to Jay Tallman, principal of U.S. Assets Group who is developing the project along with Beau Ciel, L.L.L.P.

Beau Ciel's development and sales team held an intimate ceremony on Tuesday, July 10 to break ground on the site and commence construction activities. In addition to Tallman, other attendees included Patty Motley project coordinator for U.S. Assets Group; Alan Willis, principal of co-developer Beau Ciel, L.L.L.P.; Richard Dykman, executive vice president of Boran Craig Barber Engel (BCBE) Construction Co., Inc., the project's building contractor; Architect Chuck Jones of Curts Gaines Hall; Interior Designer Andrew O'Neil from Image Design, Inc. of Atlanta; Michael Saunders, president of Michael Saunders & Company who is handling sales efforts for Beau Ciel; Eileen Lyle, executive director of the new homes division for Michael Saunders & Company; and Beau Ciel Sales Agents Nancy Betty and Nell Leffel also of Michael Saunders & Company.

Construction on the project's first phase, a parking deck on the east side of the Hyatt hotel, will carry through the summer and into the fall, at which time construction on the condominium tower will commence. From that point, the construction process will take approximately 20 months, with Beau Ciel's completion anticipated for summer 2003.

"We're moving along very quickly with the construction process," said Tallman. "It's an exciting time once we begin implementing the plans we've spent so long perfecting."

Located on Boulevard of the Arts, Beau Ciel blends the arts, culture and convenience of downtown living with a waterfront resort lifestyle. Reservations have already been recorded for 70 percent of the tower's 44 residences.

"It's understandable that the demand for these downtown residences has been so overwhelming," said Saunders. "Beau Ciel's appeal can be attributed to so many factors, from its luxurious amenities and arts district location to the spacious floorplans and spectacular views of both city and bay."

Residents of Beau Ciel will experience incomparable levels of service and amenities reminiscent of the world's finest cosmopolitan residences. In addition to valet and concierge services, residents will enjoy full access to Beau Ciel's Plaza Club with an elegant social lounge, private dining and boardroom, card and game room, media room and a fully-equipped fitness center with men's and women's locker rooms, steam and sauna as well as massage therapy. Yacht slips in the harbor below will provide deep-water boating access to Beau Ciel's resident-boaters.

Beau Ciel's circular building design creates downtown Sarasota's only condominium residences with through-view floorplans capturing dual views of Sarasota Bay on one side and the downtown Sarasota skyline on the other. The spacious floorplans, ranging from approximately 2,300 to more than 8,000 square feet, incorporate details such as high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling walls of glass, and expansive terraces to provide the feeling of living less like a condominium and more like a stand-alone home.

Realtors and interested prospects are invited to visit the Beau Ciel preview center at 500 North Tamiami Trail, or phone [phone] for an appointment.

Principals of U.S. Assets Group are best known for the luxury residential communities of Vizcaya and en Provence on Longboat Key as well as Windsor and Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club in Vero Beach. Beau Ciel's architectural team of Curts Gaines Hall, the landscape architects of Bradshaw Gill & Associates as well as the sales team of Michael Saunders & Company were also part of the en Provence team.