Singer Gloria Estefan is joining a new national campaign calling for the preservation of the Miami Marine Stadium.
Estefan has agreed to be the public face of a campaign coordinated by the National Trust of Historic Preservation. The trust designated the stadium as one of 34 national treasures in need of saving.
“Miami Marine Stadium is a beautiful, one-of-a-kind place, and I am thrilled to be able to join the National Trust and the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium to help restore it to its former glory,” Estefan said in a statement.
As the face of the campaign, Estefan will appear in public service announcements, share information about the stadium on her social media accounts, and appear in print and video materials supporting the stadium's restoration.
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Estefan once played on the stadium's floating barge with the Miami Sound Machine.
“As someone who once had the honor of performing at the stadium, I can attest to the fact that it is a completely unique place, and I know thousands of Miami residents feel the same kind of personal connection to the stadium," she said.
Estefan said stadium is also symbolic of the contributions of Cuban exiles to their adoptive city.
“The stadium reflects the diversity of South Florida," she said. "It was designed by a young Cuban-American architect, and has played host to artists from Jimmy Buffett to Sammy Davis Jr., as well as boat shows and many other events. We look forward to the day when this spectacular place is once again a thriving center of cultural life for people in South Florida.”
The stadium closed in 1992. Since then it has fallen into a state of disrepair and been covered in graffiti.
