Miami Marine Stadium Gets Special Status

World Monuments Fund Lists Marine Stadium As Structure Threatened By Development

MIAMI – The World Monuments Fund, a prestigious preservation organization which names monuments threatened by development, has added the Miami Marine Stadium to its 2010 watch list.

The Miami Marine Stadium was once a music mecca.

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Jimmy Buffett ignited crowds of thousands both on land and on water. But In 1992, after Hurricane Andrew damaged the waterside venue, Margaritaville became Ghostville.

Images: Web Site: Friends of Miami Marine Stadium Web Site: World Monuments Fund Web Site: 2010 Watch Map Web Site: Miami Marine Stadium Watch Page Web Site: How to Help

Chained up and covered with graffiti, the stadium ages in silence.

Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela, who designed the structure in 1964, is planning a rebirth for his masterpiece.

Some call it an eyesore, but Candela sees the stadium as an architectural gem.

"The way that it creates a cover out of reinforced concrete, it's all one piece. So, it's really a piece of sculpture," Candela told Local 10's Jonathan Vigliotti.

The World Monuments Fund, a prestigious preservation organization agrees. Their new list, which names monuments threatened by development, calls the Miami Marine Stadium a "significant structure."

A total of 93 landmarks made the 2010 list, including Macchu Picchu in Peru and the Old City of Jerusalem. The Miami Marine stadium is by far the youngest structure on the list.

Dade Heritage Trust, a nonprofit organization that fights to preserve historic buildings, has been an advocate of Candela's creation.

Because of the organization, the stadium was designated a historic landmark and saved from demolition. Dade Hertiage Trust has also enlisted Jimmy Buffett to raise funds for resoration.

"We had a great time, at the Marine Stadium. Let's do it again," says Buffett in a recent public service announcement.

Miami Marine Stadium may not be as ancient as Macchu Picchu, but like those ruins that define Peru, Candela says the stadium has defined Miami.

"We all need to be looking carefully at what we have -- at what makes our cities different," he said.