Plaza de la Cubanidad

, [English:] , This space, originally plated as an open public right of way, was repurposed in the late 1970’s as a public park. In the 1980’s several Cuban exile organizations had their offices at the commercial private spaces at the back of the plaza, giving the place an implicit importance for that segment of the Miami population, which, by the time, was rapidly gaining relevance in many aspects. In the late 1980’s, a water fountain complex was commissioned by several Cuban exile organizations, to be constructed on the northeast corner of the plaza. The fountain was to contain a relief bronze map of the island of Cuba, vertically installed at a tall masonry wall, surrounded by other smaller pieces. The artistic structure featured an artificial cascade installed at the top of the central mural. The fountain and the cascade were to respectively symbolize the Caribbean sea and the Cuban rivers as water elements are frequently used in art. The relief was to contain some of the most relevant Cuban independence patriots and national identity founders faces. Several separate, smaller bronze pieces stated the geography of the nation as an archipelago rather than an island. The artwork was authored by one of the most prominent exiled Cuban sculptors, Tony Lopez. Some lettering on the walls included a fragment of a poem by the most important Cuban writer and patriot, the Father of the Independence Jose Marti reading “Royal palms are like awaiting brides.” Royal palms are endemic of Cuba and a national symbol of elegance and natural beauty. The place was named Plaza de la Cubanidad on that occasion. Eventually the place fell in disrepair., In 2019, the Capital Programs Division of the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Miami, at the request of District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo, initiated an ambitious effort to achieve both a resolution to the safety issue of cars crashing into the fountain by installing a structural barrier and, at the same time, fully renovate the fountain and the plaza behind it. Key element on this task was to give the space a meaning true to its name, incorporating into the design key elements that could contribute to be easily identifiable as Cuban symbols, and to permanently give the plaza a sense of ‘Cubanness’ in terms of architecture, history, art, and landscaping, including original provinces coats of arms, royal palms trees, the Cuban national flower ‘White Butterfly’ in the back, among others. The artwork was refurbished. The previous cascade was replaced by a waterfall, a symbol of more peaceful times. The bronze (meaning strength) island was to ‘float’ on a calm, peace inducing Caribbean sea. The design intended to incorporate the simplest homeland symbols that define the nation, while modernizing the space in terms of architecture. At the same time, the space was to be reconfigured as to retake its relevant role as a gathering space for the exiled Cuban community, paved in a pattern to resemble the Cuban Flag stripes with the fountain complex positioned to resemble the lone star on the Cuban flag. At the southwest corner of the space a new monument to the victims of one of the most execrable crimes of the communist dictatorship was also added. The new Plaza de la Cubanidad rightfully serves as the gateway to the most Cuban neighborhood outside the island: the beloved Little Havana, and as the main gathering space for the Cuban exiled community. The project was designed and built by the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department-Capital Programs Division, with the support of commissioner Joe Carollo, the City Commission, and the Mayor.,