A high-powered investment firm has been meeting with Miami city officials to explore redeveloping the historic, but now decrepit, Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key into a water-themed sports and amusement park.
The Miami Herald reported that the group’s interest has come as the city is set to announce a potential operator for the stadium, which has been closed since 1992, later this year. Apparently there’s growing political support for renovating the landmark stadium.
The city’s current plan is aimed at renovating and operating the stadium as a concert and performance center. But the new proposal, from the Crxsspark group, goes well beyond the stadium itself to include the acres of parking lots along Rickenbacker Causeway and perhaps even the city-owned boat storage rack and the Miami Rowing Club facility nearby.
Crxsspark’s proposal apparently calls for a water-sports and recreation center that would include a wave-generated pool for surfing, and training and housing facilities for competitive watersports and extreme-sports athletes.
The group’s plans would be privately funded, although the planned $60 million cost of rehabilitating the stadium would be financed by municipal bonds.
The 6,566-seat stadium was opened in 1963 as a venue for powerboat racing, and then for special events. It was designed by Hilario Candela, then 27 and a Cuban immigrant, and featured a 326-foot-long cantilevered roof, supported by eight slanted columns. It was the longest span of cantilevered concrete in the world at the time.
And it offered spectacular views of downtown Miami and Biscayne Bay.
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