Miami Marine Stadium a "World Monument"
The effort to restore Miami Marine Stadium is reaching monumental proportions
By TODD WRIGHT
Updated 3:36 PM EDT, Mon, Oct 19, 2009
This movement to salvage what's left of the Miami Marine Stadium is getting a bit out of hand.
Now, a reputable group out of New York has placed the 6,500 seat stadium on the watch list of world monuments that are being threatened by neglect or overdevelopment.
It's hard to fathom which is more preposterous - that this group is "reputable" or that the Miami Marine Stadium is included on a list with the Old City of Jerusalem.
It's one thing for Jimmy Buffet to make a song about saving a venue that allowed him to push "Margaritaville." It's a completely different situation when the stadium, best known for boat races, is being mentioned in the same breath as world-famous ancient ruins.
"Yeah, we are serious," said Amy Freitag, the director for U.S. programs at the World Monument Fund in New York, a non-profit group that works to save places with historic or architectural significance. "This is a special and important and iconic place that is at risk. We can't let this fall down. And it's rare that you can mention the World Monuments Fund and Jimmy Buffett in same sentence."
The stadium has been closed since 1992 after Hurricane Andrew's winds damaged its cantilevered and origami-swanlike roof. Miami officials, while giving lip service to renovating and preserving the unique structure, don't have the money to fix it.
The city has awarded a historic designation for the stadium, and earlier this year, the National Trust for Historic Preservation also put it on "most endangered" list. Both were symbolic to say, "You're on borrowed time."
It's unclear how much money it would take to rehab the stadium, but most think it would take millions. Not worth it for a stadium best known for a hug between Sammy Davis Jr. and President Richard Nixon.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Miami
First Published: Oct 19, 2009 1:35 PM EDT
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