Little Haiti in Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Little Haiti's Mache Ayisyen-"The Caribbean Marketplace"
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, October 29, 2018
1. Little Haiti's Mache Ayisyen-"The Caribbean Marketplace" Marker
Inscription.
Little Haiti's Mache Ayisyen-"The Caribbean Marketplace". . In the 1980s, thousands of Haitian immigrants settled in Miami, and the neighborhood of Little Haiti began to form. The building that would become this Haitian marketplace was originally constructed in 1936, but sat unused at the time. In 1984, the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, in cooperation with the nonprofit Haitian Task Force, organized a competition for designs to repurpose the building. Miami architect Charles Harrison Pawley, who was born in Haiti to American parents and lived there as a child, won the contract. Pawley based his design on Haiti's gingerbread-style houses and the Marche Ferrier (Iron Market) in the capital of Port-au-Prince. He also used vibrant colors to evoke the spirit of the Caribbean. When the marketplace opened in 1990, it won a Florida Architect Award and an American Institute of Architects National Honor Award. In 1999, the market closed as funds used to maintain the building dwindled, and merchants were unable to support their businesses. The city acquired the building in 2005 and planned to tear it down, but protest from the Haitian community and other local groups saved it. The marketplace remains a focal point for Haitian business and culture in Miami.
In the 1980s, thousands of Haitian immigrants settled in Miami, and the neighborhood of Little Haiti began to form. The building that would become this Haitian marketplace was originally constructed in 1936, but sat unused at the time. In 1984, the Miami Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, in cooperation with the nonprofit Haitian Task Force, organized a competition for designs to repurpose the building. Miami architect Charles Harrison Pawley, who was born in Haiti to American parents and lived there as a child, won the contract. Pawley based his design on Haiti's gingerbread-style houses and the Marche Ferrier (Iron Market) in the capital of Port-au-Prince. He also used vibrant colors to evoke the spirit of the Caribbean. When the marketplace opened in 1990, it won a Florida Architect Award and an American Institute of Architects National Honor Award. In 1999, the market closed as funds used to maintain the building dwindled, and merchants were unable to support their businesses. The city acquired the building in 2005 and planned to tear it down, but protest from the Haitian community and other local groups saved it. The marketplace remains a focal point for Haitian business and culture in Miami.
Erected 2018 by District 5 Commissioner, Keon Hardemon, The City of Miami Parks Department,
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Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Libreri Mapou, Haitian omen of Miami, Maximilian Consultants, Santla Neighborhood Center, Visit Little Haiti, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1009.)
Location. 25° 49.829′ N, 80° 11.518′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Little Haiti. Marker is at the intersection of Northeast 2nd Avenue and Northeast 59th Terrace, on the right when traveling east on Northeast 2nd Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5925 Northeast 2nd Avenue, Miami FL 33137, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Little Haiti's Mache Ayisyen-"The Caribbean Marketplace"
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 641 times since then and 134 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 14, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
