December 19, 2011 — Coral Gables — On Friday, February 17, 2012 Robert Hammond, Co-Founder of the High Line and Philip Aarons, Founding Chair of the High Line will deliver a lecture at the University of Miami School of Architecture entitled: "The High Line-New York's Park In The Sky: Lessons for Miami Marine Stadium." The event is one of the University’s School of Architecture spring lectures and will be held in the Jorge M. Perez Architecture Center Glasgow Hall, 1215 Dickinson Drive, Coral Gables Campus at 6:00 p.m. It is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception in the Perez Center’s Irvin Korach Gallery.
The presentation will highlight the similarities between the High Line’s successful renovation and the efforts of Friends of Miami Marine Stadium to save and restore the stadium. Friends of The High Line originated as a grassroots initiative, yet evolved into an organization capable of managing the restoration of a complex large scale project.
The High Line is a public park built on an historic freight rail line elevated above the streets on Manhattan's West Side. It is owned by the City of New York and maintained and operated by Friends of The High Line. Founded in 1999 by community residents, Friends of the High Line fought for the High Line Preservation, at a time when the historic structure was under the threat of demolition. It is now the non-profit conservancy working with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to make sure the High Line is maintained as an extraordinary public space for all visitors to enjoy. It is remarkably successful; it has quickly become one of New York City’s most visited tourist attractions and has stimulated over $2 billion in public and private development.
Friends of Miami Marine Stadium started in February, 2008 as a grassroots effort under the administrative umbrella of Dade Heritage Trust and has recently incorporated and received 501(c) (3) tax exempt status. The organization succeeded in having the Marine Stadium designated historic by the City of Miami. Now, the stadium has been recognized internationally through inclusion in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s “11 Most Endangered List” (2009) and the World Monuments Fund Watch List (2010). Singer Jimmy Buffett cut a public service video endorsing restoration of the Marine Stadium, and the restoration of the stadium is now a key priority for Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado. Friends of the stadium will shortly present a plan to the City of Miami to renovate and operate it without the use of any city funds.
As these events took place, University of Miami School of Architecture students, taught by Professor Jorge Hernandez and original architect of the stadium Hilario Candela, developed a Master Plan for Virginia Key, which includes the Marine Stadium. This plan was presented to the City and was approved unanimously in July 2010. Professor Hernandez, who leads the School of Architecture’s historic preservation program and is a co-founder of Friends of the Marine Stadium, will continue to lead architecture studios on the restoration as it progresses.
The lecture on February 17 is co-sponsored by Friends of Miami Marine Stadium and the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Funding for the event has been provided by Cliff and Petsy Mezey.
Please visit www.arc.miami.edu for directions and parking. Websites for the High Line and for the Founders of the Marine Stadium are www.thehighline.org and www.marinestadium.org.
