Marine Stadium. Victory! - Part 1...

As some of you may be aware, the Miami Marine Stadium is currently under media attention as the City considers to remove the structure to make way for future development. Following the loss of the Orange Bowl, many consider this another great loss for the city and Friends of the Marine Stadium as well as the Dade Heritage Trust and many other local and national organizations have begun a stand up for the structure in an attempt to preserve and restore it to a potential of variety of uses.
Tuesday a number of interested parties attended the excellent presentation by Becky Matkov-Rober and Jorge Hernandez to the preservation board of the City of Miami. After support from numerous architects and other interested parties on record, including the original designer Mr. Candela of Spillis Candela, the board voted 7-1 to approve the preliminary designation of this structure as a historic site.
It is by no means the end of the process, but an important first step that will not allow any demolition to take place for 120 days. The clock is ticking to move things along…

Published in the Herald today:

Marine Stadium closer to historic status
By ANDRES VIGLUCCI

Proponents of saving the iconic but neglected Miami Marine Stadium easily cleared a significant hurdle Tuesday when they persuaded the city's historic preservation board to consider designating the modern structure as a protected landmark.
By a 7-1 vote, the board agreed to hear a fleshed-out proposal to designate the 1964 stadium on the Rickenbacker Causeway as historic after some 25 speakers -- including prominent architects, preservationists and rowers who use its basin -- extolled the architectural and historic significance of the raw-concrete building, widely regarded as a masterpiece of design but closed for 16 years. A public hearing and final vote is expected in the fall.
Proponents of designation, grouped as Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium, persuaded board members that the building's dazzling design and significance to a generation of Miamians make it worthy of designation even though at 44 years of age it doesn't meet the 50-year threshold typically used as a guideline for evaluating historic sites.