SANTA, PLEASE BRING BACK THE CLASSIC TOWER THEATER MARQUEE

ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A DIALOGUE WITH MIAMI DADE COLLEGE THAT RESTORES THE LANDMARK HAND-LETTERED SIGN TO THE HISTORIC LANDMARK

Bill Fuller, responsible developer and guardian of the essence of Little Havana, recently posted this update to the online petition he launched to get the classic marquee restored at the landmark Tower Theater in the core of Calle Ocho.

He, like us, embraces all the great things MDC does for the community. But he is encouraging a dialogue that can result in restoration of the signature marquee while also meeting the Tower's modern marketing needs.

Here's the post:

Thanks to everyone who has visited this site to learn about the crown jewel that is Little Havana’s Tower Theater and to sign a petition in favor of restoring its classic marquee. We are pleased to report that a representative of Miami-Dade College, the theater operator that put up an LED panel in place of the marquee, attended today’s Viernes Culturales board meeting. Juan Mendieta, Director of Communications for MDC, opened the dialogue that can lead to a positive resolution of this issue.

We state for the record that Miami Dade College is one of the greatest assets that greater Miami has. The inclusive college has educated tens of thousands of young people – including many who grew up to be revered leaders in our community. MDC has restored and programmed the Freedom Tower and Koubek Center and produced globally-renown cultural events such as the Miami International Film Festival and Miami Book Fair International.

MDC, under the leadership of President Eduardo Padron, also has turned the underutilized Tower Theater into a multicultural art film palace that is the pride of Calle Ocho. We truly believe the effort to replace an aging hand-lettered marquee with a flashy LED panel was well-intended. However -- the countless members of the community who are working to return prosperity to Little Havana through historic preservation, adaptive reuse and fiercely guarding the authenticity that produces four million visitors each year -- should have been consulted.

We are confident that this oversight can be corrected. We welcome MDC’s visionary leadership to the table and look forward to a collaborative effort that can enhance both the Tower Theater’s landmark look and the need to market the venue to a larger audience.

We will contribute our resource toward the restoration of the classic, old-fashioned, hand-lettered marquee. We look forward to sitting at the table with MDC and turning this misstep into a learning experience that can be used to protect the architecture and character of the incomparable Calle Ocho corridor.   -- Bill Fuller, Dec 18, 2015.

The petition, originally seeking a humble 100 supporters, is now 50 shy of 500 signatures.
Some of Miami's most prominent historians and leaders have signed the petition and left their thoughtful words of wisdom about preservation in the comments section.

This avalanche of support for the classic marquee comes at a time when almost all of us are doing last minute shopping, on the road for the holidays, or already home and disengaged from civic activity.

If this were another time of year, we are confident that more than 1,000 would have signed the petition.

Here's your chance to sign the petition and encourage MDC to resolve this issue 

SAVE THE CLASSIC MARQUEE AT THE HISTORIC TOWER THEATER

MIAMI’S TWO MOST PROMINENT HISTORIANS AGREE,TOWER THEATER'S CLASSIC MARQUEE SHOULD BE RETURNED TO CALLE OCHO LANDMARK

I want to preface my sharing of the Miami Herald story on this issue by stating for the record:

Miami Dade College is the finest and most inclusive institution we have in greater Miami. Hands down, it has educated some of our finest leaders and will continue to do so, for years.

Our economy is strengthened by MDC, two of our signature cultural events -- Film Fest & Book Fair are produced by MDC. It is an unrivaled community asset.

MDC programming at the once-dormant Tower Theater now is equal to or better than that of the great art theaters in the nation.

As the spouse of a person with a disability, I say bravo to the elevator in the Tower, the access it provides to wheelchair-accessible restrooms and the renovated theater interiors with accessible seating. 

I would never in a million years want to come off as someone who does not support the thousands of assets that MDC brings to our community.

My only gripe is the loss of the classic marquee.

It enhanced the feel of the Calle 8 corridor. And whether City HEP board rules required it or not, the neighborly thing for MDC to do would have been one or more community meetings hosted at the Tower to discuss the new LED panel.

I join Paul George, Arva Parks and 300 petition signers in urging MDC and the City of Miami to restore the classic marquee and remove the visual blight of the LED panel.

Here'swhat the Herald published today: 

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article50190165.html

And here is the link to the petition to save history in Little Havana:
https://www.change.org/p/miami-dade-college-save-the-historic-tower-theater-marquee

Save the Historic Tower Theater Marquee

Miami-Dade College has removed the historic marquee
and intends to replace it with a flashy, modern LED one 


Little Havana is visited by millions because of its authenticity, culture and touchstones to the past.

The Tower Theater marquee is the biggest icon on Calle Ocho.

It must be restored and returned.

Bill Fuller restored the nearby Ball & Chain restaurant-bar-music venue and has the best interests of Little Havana in mind.

He created a petition to save the Tower marquee.

Here's what he wrote:

The Historic Tower Theater has been a beacon of Little Havana for over 80 years. The Marquee, built originally with the structure in the 1920's, is iconic

It was the first marquee to show Spanish Title films in the United States. Photographs of the structure and its marquee have been published thousands of times throughout the decades. It remains one of the most visited landmarks by over 4 million visitors each year.

The City of Miami owns the Theater, but has a lease agreement with Miami-Dade College. Miami-Dade College recently presented the HEP board with plans to remove the original marquee and replace it with an "LED" sign.  The college cited "maintenance costs" and "more visibility from traffic" as the reason for the change.  Notice of the HEP board meeting was never sent to merchants or residents.  As of today the original marquee has been removed.

We ask that Miami-Dade College restore the original marquee and focus their advertising efforts through online channels, and not through electronic blight. Please be sensitive to our community.

Please sign this petition if you support the restoration of the original Tower Theater marquee.

https://www.change.org/p/miami-dade-college-save-the-historic-tower-theater-marquee?recruiter=251411401&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive