The Miami Marine Stadium Is Named An Endangered Historic Site. But Will The Cuban-Designed Structure Ever Not Look Like A Caca?

The Miami Marine Stadium has been added to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of 11 most-endangered historic sites, a fact that might help those campaigning to save the structure from falling into further disrepair and eventual demolition. 

The grandstand has not been used for some time and is currently riddled with trash and graffiti. But, in its heyday, it was an impressive modern structure shading 6,566 onlookers as they took in water sports. Which are popular in Miami. Among students at Belen Jesuit. Or so we hear.

The stadium was completed in 1964 and was designed by Albert Ferendino and the awesomely-named Hilario Candela, a Cuban-American who had studied architecture at Georgia Tech. It suffered damages when Miami was pummeled by Hurricane Andrew back in 1992 and was never repaired.

According to “Friends of Miami Marine Stadium,” a site devoted to honoring and preserving the iconic grandstand, the structure is “perhaps the first recognized landmark structure done by the Cuban architects after their exile in Miami.” 

We have to admit that, growing up, we never liked the stadium. We’d have to pass it on our way to “Swim Camp” on Key Biscayne - a summer-long exercise in torture that saw us being stranded on a kayak in the middle of the bay, trying to cover our baby fat riddled tummy with a towel while teen boys walked by snickering, and getting in the face with parts of sailboats that we still don’t know how to name. But! Now that we’re older and no one can make us get into a kayak if we don’t want to, we hope the grandstand gets a much-needed makeover and a new life as something useful.

Check Out Images of the Miami Marine Stadium

Move to save Miami Marine Stadium gets historic boost [The Miami Herald]