Dade Heritage Trust recently announced the list of 11 Most Endangered Sites of 2017 during its annual meeting at the Historic Koubek Center in Little Havana.
This list showcases an array of areas, architectural styles, eras and uses from a variety of neighborhoods. Included on the list are:
Anderson’s Corner, 15700 SW 232 St.;
Babylon Apartments, 240 SE 14 St.;
DuPuis Medical Office and Drugstore, 6041-6045 NE Second Ave.;
Flagler Workers Cottage, 60-64 SE Fourth St.;
Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, 3001 NW 46 St.;
Little Havana/Riverside’s historic corner stores, bungalows and 1920s apartments;
Mariah Brown House, 3298 Charles Ave.;
Miami Marine Stadium, 3501 Rickenbacker Causeway;
Office in the Grove, 2699 S. Bayshore Dr.;
Overtown’s historic buildings: Dorsey House, 250 NW Ninth St.; Dorsey Library, 100 NW 17 St.; X-Ray Clinic, 171 NW 11 St., and S&S Diner, 1757 NE Second Ave.
“Miami has a very cool, diverse fabric that makes the city dynamic,” said Christine Rupp, executive director of DHT. “These historic venues vary by design, age and location, and are vital to Miami’s story, so we want to ensure they are preserved as Miami evolves.”
In addition to the 11 endangered sites, 14 awards were presented to a variety of organizations and individuals who have dedicated their time, talent and treasure to the preservation efforts in South Florida.
In the organization category, the winners included:
Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove for its community-based initiatives and contributions to preservation efforts; Liberty Square Friends and Family Reunion for its preservation advocacy work in Liberty City, and Miami-Dade College for its acquisition of historic buildings, including the David W. Dyer U.S. Courthouse.
In the project category, the winners included:
River Inn Miami, rehabilitation;
National Trust for Historic Preservation, Plusurbia;
Live Healthy Little Havana, Health Foundation of South Florida;
Urban Health Partnerships, designating Little Havana a national treasure;
Joe Moretti apartment buildings in Little Havana, preservation and rehabilitation
Greynolds Park log shelter, rehabilitation;
The Freehand Hotel, adaptive reuse of three historical buildings and renovation of a historical hotel; Miami Dade Courthouse, restoration, and
The Ball and Chain, preservation and rehabilitation.
In the individual category, the winners included:
Joyce Nelson, a Coconut Grove activist and the driver of Coconut Grove’s historic marker program;
The Matheson Family, donors of more than 1,100 acres of green space to Miami-Dade County, and Juan Fernandez, City of Miami naturalist and arborist responsible for the historic Simpson and Alice Wainwright parks.
Dade Heritage Trust (DHT) is Miami-Dade County’s largest preservation organization. Founded in 1972 as a grassroots organization to save and protect Miami-Dade County’s historic buildings, DHT’s mission is to preserve our community’s architectural, environmental and cultural heritage. Through a variety of programs, advocacy projects, special events, exhibits and presentations, DHT furthers the mission by engaging Miami-Dade residents and visitors in preservation education.
Kudos for all of us who have worked to save our Heritage and History. And special thanks to Joyce Nelson for all of her work not only with history saving efforts, but also working with our park system and other projects.