Wednesday, December 16, 2015

SAVE THE HISTORIC TOWER THEATER MARQUEE

                                           the tower marquee in all its historic glory

              the tower marquee defaced and destroyed with an LED panel that has no character
 
A FORM LETTER FROM HISTORIC PRESERVATIONIST BILL FULLER
FOR CONTACTING CITY AND MDC OFFICIALS

Petition update

Form Letter- Please write to our local representatives

Bill Fuller
Miami, FL
Dec 16, 2015 — Folks, we have had a tremendous response to our campaign. We need to continue to sound the alarm so that Miami-Dade College will restore the marquee. Please find below a form letter and contact list so that you can write our local representatives. Feel free to modify the letter to your liking.
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Dear _________________, (name, title of mayor, commissioner, MDC president)

I am writing to respectfully ask that you do everything in your power to make sure the Tower Theater Marquee is restored and returned to the historic building’s façade.
The Tower opened in 1926 and is the icon of Little Havana, which hosts more than four million visitors each year. Its marquee was the first in the United States to advertise the screening of films with Spanish subtitles.
The Tower is at the epicenter of world-famous Calle Ocho. Its marquee has been a beacon for decades and has appeared in countless photographs by artists, residents and visitors.
The restored theater is owned by the City of Miami and operated by Miami-Dade College. Miami-Dade College recently presented the City’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board with plans to remove the original marquee and replace it with a modern, non-historic LED sign.
The college cited maintenance costs for the classic marquee and better visibility from Calle Ocho traffic for the LED marquee as reasons justifying the major alteration to the city-designated historic property. Neighboring property owners, merchants and residents received no notice of the HEP Board’s meeting. But the original, beloved marquee has been removed.
We are a broad base of stakeholders who do not want to lose the visual centerpiece of Little Havana to the electronic blight of an LED marquee. We know that Little Havana is one of the most-visited places in the city and state because it is unique, authentic and filled with history. If marquees, facades and historic design elements are removed, our neighborhood will lose its vibrancy and viability.
We all support Miami-Dade College – it is one of the most inclusive educational institutions in America and one of the greatest community assets in Miami. We simply feel that mistakes were made in a race to modernize and an appropriate solution can be reached to preserve the historic marquee while serving the needs of the college, City of Miami and our culturally-rich community.
We urge you to collaborate with MDC, the City of Miami and the community to preserve the original marquee. Historic preservation not only enriches our community, but it also is a proven pathway to revitalization and economic prosperity throughout our nation and the world.
Thank you for working for the people of Little Havana and Miami,

_____________________(signature of person emailing the letter)



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Contact List:

Eduardo Padron, Miami-Dade College President

epadron@mdc.edu


Tomas Regaldo, City of Miami Mayor

tregalado@miamigov.com


Frank Carollo, City of Miami Commissioner

fcarollooffice@miamigov.com

https://www.change.org/p/miami-dade-college-save-the-historic-tower-theater-marquee?tk=R0bsKOXNYjGt9goMz9oz4ObO6EZmqkto3KXAUAi-04Q&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email


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