Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Don't get us started on the Miami Circle...

We're against its current approach to preservation so, when we saw this recent email from the City of Miami Planning Department's Historic Preservation E-Newsletter about the Miami Circle, we couldn't resist reminding our gentle readers what a lost opportunity it was not to combine development with preservation. When this "thing" in the picture above is one of the more recognizable objects uncovered at the site, it makes us wonder: what the hell were they thinking when they bought the site from a developer for $26.7 million eight years ago to save it? Today, the septic tank has been covered in sand to preserve it until funding can be found to build an observation tower or some other kind of building for all of those (3 people?) who have an uncontrollable desire to stare at a bunch of holes in the ground.

2 comments:

Emilio Dingo said...

I see the site as being a nice bayfront location for some greenspace, breaking up the dense line of tall buildings. The Circle adds to the attraction of the site - while you are there you can contemplate what the whole area must have been like in the past. Someday when the Riverwalk is done it will be a very nice place to stroll to and watch the boats going up river or through the bay. Hopefully that day will be sooner rather than later - I read in Miami Today or somewhere recently that the money is coming together to fix the seawall.

Verticus Erectus said...

John, you could have "contemplated" our history from the air-conditioned comfort of an atrium built around the "thing." That atrium, of course, would have been the lobby of a major, award-winning skyscraper, in our humble opinion. Taxes alone on the building would have contributed to the city's present needs. We're sorry, but we can't get inspired looking at that sad excuse of an historic "thing" to the past and we still encourage anyone with a bulldozer to put it out of its ugly misery.