![[freedomtowernight_edited.jpg]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_i7tmcOiJ4hc/RoJ3zn0O-9I/AAAAAAAAAFw/5Y4WaIwDd6k/s1600/freedomtowernight_edited.jpg)
Freedom Tower Update
In this post over at Babalu, I wrote about the Freedom Tower being donated to Miami-Dade College, a very noble gesture by its owner Pedro Martin.
(Aside from Victoria at Sundries and a post in Miamist, this story has received no coverage in the Miami-centric blogs out there. Perhaps it's due to Art Basel, which obviously deserves coverage in its own right, but you'd think my fellow local bloggers would've had something to say about one of our most historic buildings).
Martin also proposed to build a high-rise condo behind the tower, a proposal which has generated quite a bit of controversy. On Thursday, the Miami City Commission approved Martin's project.
The deal was a compromise of sorts. Preservationists are assured that the tower's structure is not altered in any way. The tower gets donated to a public entity and is hopefully well on its way to becoming a true cultural center. The high-rise is a little farther removed and not as enveloping as the original plans suggested. Still, I fear how the Freedom Tower will look in front of a 62-story building. I hope that Martin knows what he's doing and truly means it when he says that his high-rise will enhance, not drawf, the tower.
Only time will tell.
(Aside from Victoria at Sundries and a post in Miamist, this story has received no coverage in the Miami-centric blogs out there. Perhaps it's due to Art Basel, which obviously deserves coverage in its own right, but you'd think my fellow local bloggers would've had something to say about one of our most historic buildings).
Martin also proposed to build a high-rise condo behind the tower, a proposal which has generated quite a bit of controversy. On Thursday, the Miami City Commission approved Martin's project.
The deal was a compromise of sorts. Preservationists are assured that the tower's structure is not altered in any way. The tower gets donated to a public entity and is hopefully well on its way to becoming a true cultural center. The high-rise is a little farther removed and not as enveloping as the original plans suggested. Still, I fear how the Freedom Tower will look in front of a 62-story building. I hope that Martin knows what he's doing and truly means it when he says that his high-rise will enhance, not drawf, the tower.
Only time will tell.
posted by Robert at 11:02 AM
2 Comments:
WPLG showed similar situations in other cities where old was meeting new. One of their examples was St. Patricks in New York City, which I've been to and can say works perfectly okay.
I'm not sure that will be the same situation here in Miami, but I was encouraged to see that our local history was receiving some consideration for once.
Great, great point. Pedro Martin has been really good about this. He hired another architech more experienced at using architecture to enhance rather than dwarf buildings. If the city is not going to make historic district or area specific zoning you can't blame Pedro Martin. He went above and beyond. I'm really a fan of the guy. (He will also get a monster tax break for the next twenty years also but that is beside the point.)
Interestingly, it was some of the buildings adjacent to St. Pauls, St. Pats and other NYC landmarks that forced the historic preservation, light and air provisions, and historic building abuttment zoning designations and laws, which are now used almost everywhere. Your turn Miami City gov.
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