MIAMI'S HISTORIC LITTLE HAVANA HAS LOST ANOTHER LANDMARK -- PART 3

DEMOLITION OF THE SHENANDOAH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS WRONG 

In ancient Rome, a not so glamorous building -- repurposed with a B&B and monthly rental among old families that have been there for generations – lives into its 500^th year.

In Miami, we declare landmarks obsolete before they turn 100 and pretend it is impossible to restore and re-purpose them with adaptive re-use.

I think good leadership could have easily found a way to retrofit an old church into something economically viable that does not conflict with the neighborhood next door.

We have no shortage of brilliant urban designers and architects in Miami as well as a wealth of creative developers.

There is no reason an historic church had to be razed for a likely cookie cutter replacement structure devoid of character.

I know we must look forward rather than point fingers, but I hope the Little Havana-Shenandoah community demands a "demolition autopsy."

Maybe such a report can outline what when wrong.

And most important, we can all learn how to prevent this from happening again in the future.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/little-havana/article235777177.html?fbclid=IwAR0bCsnmKUDt3fBNk6GYsluE54s6IljIYoJRw_5qeDaCUbBajOeql2kuOCo

https://calleochonews.com/shenandoah-presbyterian-church-a-thing-of-the-past/?fbclid=IwAR3f1OzfO5iRnHTm0BIF5gHH3NkAd8pLuPpAGpwlAPCJuV-Ljn0XY5m6N1Q

MIAMI'S HISTORIC LITTLE HAVANA HAS LOST ANOTHER LANDMARK -- PART 2

DEMOLITION OF THE SHENANDOAH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS WRONG 

I found out about the razing of Shenandoah Presbyterian Church while staying at a 17th century palazzo while working in Rome.

My tiny rental unit had all the modern conveniences and the building's group of tenants even sprung for a tiny, not so beautiful elevator retrofit to allow folks to age in place.

The building I lived in for half a month is NOT famous for belonging to some legendary family.

It's not appeared in a movie and it does not house tourism-worthy art.

But it lives on, through so many generations.

It has restaurants, shops and even an ancient machine shop (pretty heavy industrial use) on the ground floor.

It all adds so much character.

But Miami never seems to understand the intrinsic value in character, scale, history and authenticity.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/little-havana/article235777177.html?fbclid=IwAR0bCsnmKUDt3fBNk6GYsluE54s6IljIYoJRw_5qeDaCUbBajOeql2kuOCo

https://calleochonews.com/shenandoah-presbyterian-church-a-thing-of-the-past/?fbclid=IwAR3f1OzfO5iRnHTm0BIF5gHH3NkAd8pLuPpAGpwlAPCJuV-Ljn0XY5m6N1Q

MIAMI'S HISTORIC LITTLE HAVANA HAS LOST ANOTHER LANDMARK -- PART 1

DEMOLITION OF THE SHENANDOAH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS WRONG 

The City of Miami allowed the demolition of the historic Shenandoah Presbyterian Church at 2150 SW 8 Street. 

It is nothing short of a tragedy.

Maybe the old church, neglected by recent tenants, was a coffee table book cover-worthy building.

But it was a Calle Ocho landmark and a classic structure with tons of history inside its walls.

It's so painful to see so many US cities operate this way -- allowing history, character and authenticity to fall to the wrecking ball -- when you see European cities that get it.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/little-havana/article235777177.html?fbclid=IwAR0bCsnmKUDt3fBNk6GYsluE54s6IljIYoJRw_5qeDaCUbBajOeql2kuOCo


https://calleochonews.com/shenandoah-presbyterian-church-a-thing-of-the-past/?fbclid=IwAR3f1OzfO5iRnHTm0BIF5gHH3NkAd8pLuPpAGpwlAPCJuV-Ljn0XY5m6N1Q

PLUS URBIA DESIGN IS COMMITTED TO LITTLE HAVANA

PlusUrbia Design -- www.plusurbia.com -- is working daily to craft a plan that is inclusive and balances all needs of the unique and wonderful neighborhood known as Little Havana.

We are proud partners in an initiative that has gathered far more pubic input than every previous LH planing effort combined.

Nearly half of our boutique studio -- follow us at @plusurbia -- lives in Little Havana and supports the small businesses that give LH its charm.

We restored historic homes and were attracted to the enclave because of its amazing Cuban-American, Latin American and just plain American history and heritage.

We know that small businesses, low rise housing, urban density and great connectivity to jobs and activities are what make LH an increasingly attractive place to live, work and play.

Our designers are putting thousands of hours into enhancing affordable housing, historic preservation, recreation/green space, adaptive re-use, safe walkability and premium multimodal mobility.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/little-havana/article168110927.html