WELCOME, LITTLE HAVANA:

MIAMI’S NEWEST NATIONAL TREASURE

By Jeana Wiser / National Trust for Historic Preservation

    

The sensory experience of walking the streets of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood is unforgettable. 

The layered histories, the rich cultural expression, and the colorful architecture underscore the importance of this unique neighborhood.

I am proud to say that the National Trust added historic Little Havana to our growing portfolio of National Treasures in January 2017. 

Not only is the historic neighborhood a new National Treasure but it is also an excellent example of our recent thinking about ReUrbanism. 

We are very proud to be working alongside strong partners in Little Havana to ensure that it remains thriving, healthy, and livable.

Unveiling a National Treasure

On January 27, we launched the Little Havana National Treasure campaign with a morning press event that included remarks from Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, City Commissioners Frank Carollo and Francis Suarez, Dade Heritage Trust’s Chris Rupp, PlusUrbia Design’s Juan Mullerat, local developer Bill Fuller, and the National Trust’s President and CEO Stephanie Meeks.

Planning in Little Havana

The National Trust is now beginning a neighborhood master planning process, in partnership with PlusUrbia Design, Dade Heritage Trust and Live Healthy Little Havana. 

We will co-convene public workshops, thematic and targeted focus groups, and continued one-on-one conversations with key stakeholders to gather more public input and information. 

The process of planning a healthy and vibrant future for this historic neighborhood will leverage the expertise and capacities of the National Trust. 

We will continue to use mapping and Preservation Green Lab analysis to inform the planning and outreach processes. 

We also intend to promote a broad range of tools to:

Facilitate the rehabilitation and reuse of older and historic buildings;

Enable the design and construction of contextual new buildings; and

Strike a balance between the reuse of the older building stock and smart, contextual new development.

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