ART DECO WELCOME CENTER MIAMI BEACH OCEAN DRIVE AT 10TH STREET 6 P.M. TO 8 P.M. THURSDAY AUGUST 24
When I first visited Miami’s Little Havana as an Ohioan escaping winter in the late 1990s, I had no idea it would make such an impact on my life.
I bought a
now 100-plus-year-old classic home in the Shenandoah section of Little Havana. It’s
been my home on historic Bryan Park for more than 20 years.
I worked
nearly a decade for the City Commissioner who represented the diverse area. I
reviewed legislation that granted money to preserve a bungalow there.
I have spent
endless days documenting the predominantly Mediterranean and Art Deco apartment
buildings plus the Spanish-influenced grand homes and Belvedere Bungalows.
I fear that
Miami’s relentless growth is pushing Brickell west of I-95. I’ve already seen
countless quaint, affordable buildings razed and replaced with ugly, taller,
not very affordable monoliths.
You cannot
stop progress, but you can protect history and authenticity. This exhibit is in
Miami Beach, which has done a world-renowned exemplary job of balancing growth
with protecting its famous, incomparable Art Deco District.
I hope this
photo exhibition raises awareness of the cultural, architectural and human
treasure that is Little Havana.
I wish to
inspire historic preservation and adaptive reuse of beautiful early 20th
century buildings.
I do not
believe there is political will to create a protected zone like Miami Beach has
done for its Art Deco treasures.
I can only
pray that a combination of nonprofits and soulful developers, who see value in
authenticity, will ensure that the hundreds of treasured buildings will live on
well after I have expired. – Steve Wright, Summer 2023
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