HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit AR.A. Gray Building • 500 South Bronough Street. Tallahassee, Florida 32399
850.245.6300 • 850.245.6436 (Fax) • FLHeritage.com
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OSTATE
RICK SCOTT
Governor
February 12, 2018
Mr. Warren Adams
Historic Preservation Officer
City of Miami Planning Department
444 Southwest 2ad Avenue, 31d Floor
Miami, Florida 33130
KEN DETZNER
Secretary of State
Re: Bacardi Buildings Complex (DA06983), 2100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, Miami -Dade
County, Florida 33137
Dear Mr. Adams:
A Florida National Register Nomination Proposals for the above referenced property has been
prepared by the State Historic Preservation Office. We solicit your review and recommendation
concerning eligibility in accordance with the procedures established by the National Historic
Preservation Act [Title I, Section 101 (16 U.S.C. 470a) (c)(2)] which created the basis for the
participation of Certified Local Governments in the Florida National Register of Historic Places
nomination process.
According to the Act, before properties within the jurisdiction of the certified local government
may be considered by the State to be nominated for inclusion on the National Register, the State
Historic Preservation Officer shall notify the owners, the applicable chief local elected official,
and the local historic preservation commission. The commission, after reasonable opportunity
for public comment, shall prepare a report as to whether or not such properties meets the
eligibility criteria. Within sixty days of the notice from the State Historic Preservation Officer,
the chief local elected official shall transmit the report of the commission and his
recommendation to the State Historic Preservation Officer. If no such report and
recommendation are received within sixty days, the State shall proceed with the nomination
process.
If either the preservation agency or the chief local elected official supports the nomination of the
properties, the proposals will be scheduled for consideration by the Florida National Register
Review Board. The nominations for the above properties are tentatively scheduled for
Division of Historical Resources
TT
Adams
February 12, 2018
Page Two
consideration by the Florida National Register Review Board, meeting on May 10, 2018, at 1:30
p.m. at the R.A. Gray Building, Tallahassee, Florida.
If both the commission and the chief local elected official recommend that a property not be
nominated to the National Register, the State Historic Preservation Officer shall take no further
action, unless within thirty days of the receipt of such recommendation by the State Historic
Preservation Officer an appeal is filed with the State. Any party may file an appeal with the
State Historic Preservation Officer. If the State Historic Preservation Officer, after hearing the
appeal, determines that the property is eligible, he shall proceed with the nomination process.
The State Historic Preservation Officer shall include any reports and recommendations from any
party along with the nomination submitted to the Keeper of the Register.
We look forward to your recommendation and comments regarding these properties, If we can
be of any further assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me at
ruben.acosta®dos.myflorida.com or 850-245-6364.
Sincerely,
L, 4.
Ruben A. Acosta
Survey and Registration Supervisor
Bureau of Historic Preservation
RAAfraa
Enclosure
NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018
(Rev. 10-90
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
REGISTRATION FORM
This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in How to Complete the National
Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering
the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "NIA" for not applicable-" For functions, architectural
classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative
items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items.
1. Name of Property
historic name Bacardi Buildings Complex
other names/site number FNISF DA06983
2. Location
street & number 2100 Biscayne Boulevard L not for publication
city or town Miami ® vicinity
state Florida code FL county Nliallli-Dade code 025 zio code 33137
3. State/Federal Agency Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this Z nomination
❑ request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of
Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property
Z meets ❑ does not meet the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant
❑ nationally ❑ statewide 0 locally. (❑ See continuation sheet for additional comments.)
Signature of certifying official/Title Date
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Bureau of Historic Preservation
State or Federal agency and bureau
do my opinion, the property ❑ meets ❑ does not meet the National Register criteria. (❑See continuation sheet for additional
comments.)
Signature of certifying official/Title Date
State or Federal agency and bureau
4. National Park Service Certification
I hereby certify that the property is:
❑ entered in the National Register
▪ See continuation sheet
• determined eligible for the
National Register
❑ See continuation sheet.
O determined not eligible for the
National Register
See continuation sheet.
❑ removed from the National
Register.
O other, (explain)
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
Bacardi Buildings Complex Miami -Dade County. FL
Name of Property
County and State
5. Classification
Ownership of Property
Category of Property
(Check as many boxes as apply) (Check only one box)
Ig private
❑ public -local
• public -State
❑ public -Federal
❑ buildings
❑ district
❑ site
❑ structure
• object
Name of related multiple property listings
(Enter "NIA" if property is not part of a multiple property listing.)
"N/A"
Number of Resources within Property
(Do not include any previously listed resources in the count)
Contributing
Noncontributing
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
buildings
sites
structures
objects
total
Number of contributing resources previously
listed in the National Register
0
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions
(Enter categories from instructions)
COMMERCE AND TRADE/Business
Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions)
SOCIAL/Civic
7. Description
Architectural Classification
(Enter categories from instructions)
MODERN MOVE\ IENT!lnternationa] Style
Materials
(Enter categories from instructions)
foundation Concrete
walls Concrete
Steel
roof Concrete
other
Narrative Description
(Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
Bacardi Buildings Complex Miami -Dade County, FL
Name of Property
County and State
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property
for National Register listing.)
❑ A Property is associated with events that have made
a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
our history.
❑ B Property is associated with the lives of persons
significant in our past.
C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics
of a type, period, or method of construction or
represents the work of a master, or possesses
high artistic values, or represents a significant and
distinguishable entity whose components lack
individual distinction.
❑ D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield
information important in prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations
(Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.)
Property is:
❑ A owned by a religious institution or used for
religious purposes.
E B removed from its original location.
❑ C a birthplace or grave.
❑ D a cemetery.
❑ E a reconstructed building, object, or structure.
▪ F a commemorative property.
• G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance
within the past 50 years
Narrative Statement of Significance
(Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.)
Areas of Significance
(Enter categories from instructions)
ARCHITECTURE
Period of Significance
1963-1973
Significant Dates
1963
1973
Significant Person
Cultural Affiliation
Architect/Builder
Arch.: Gutierrez. Enrique: Carrera-Justiz. Nnacio
Bldr.: Rooney. Frank J.
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography
Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.)
Previous documentation on file (NPS): Primary location of additional data:
❑ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 ❑ State Historic Preservation Office
CFR 36) has been requested ❑ Other State Agency
❑ previously listed in the National Register ❑ Federal agency
❑ previously determined eligible by the National ❑ Local government
Register ❑ University
❑ designated a National Historic Landmark ❑ Other
❑ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey Name of Repository
❑ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #
Bacardi Buildings Complex Miami -Dade County, FL
Name of Property County and State
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property 1.35
UTM References
(Place additional references on a continuation sheet.)
1 117 5 8111210141 12 1815131419 1
Zone Easton Northing
2 Illlllll IIII 1 1J
Verbal Boundary Description
(Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.)
Boundary Justification
(Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.)
3I IIIII II]
4 l o le Failing I I I I I I NI rtI ng'
11. Form Prepared By
nameltitle Max Adriel Imberman
organization Bureau of Historic Preservation date January 2018
street & number 500 South Bronoutsh Street telephone (850) 245-6333
city or town Tallahassee
state Florida
zip code 32399-0250
Additional Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed form:
Continuation Sheets
Maps
A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location.
A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources.
Photographs
Representative black and white photographs of the property.
Additional items
(check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items)
Property Owner
(Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.)
name National Youngarts Foundation Campus LLC
street & number 2100 Biscayne Boulevard
city or town Miami
telephone
state FL zip code 33137
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing. to
list properties, and amend listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act. as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time far reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and
completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National Park Service. P.O. Box 37127.
Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects (1024-0018), Washington. DC 20503.
NPS Form 10-900-a
OMB No 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number T Page 1
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
SUMMARY
The Bacardi Buildings complex was first built in 1963 to serve as the headquarters for Bacardi Imports,
the American arm of the Bacardi spirits company. Consisting of two International -style buildings built in
a plaza constructed on top of an underground parking garage, the complex is a distinctive feature of
downtown Miami's Edgewater neighborhood. The original 1963 building. the Bacardi Imports Tower
(Photo I), fronts Biscayne Boulevard, a north -south road that is a main artery for the city of Miami. The
Bacardi Imports Administration Annex building (Photo 2), built in 1973, sits to its west. The Bacardi
Buildings complex has remarkable integrity, experiencing very few alterations since it was completed in
1973.
SETTING
The Bacardi Buildings complex is Iocated in Miami, Florida, the county seat of Miami -Dade County.
The city, located in southeastern Florida, has the state's second-largest population. The complex is
located north of the city's historic downtown core, in the Edgewater neighborhood. The Edgewater
neighborhood is a thin strip between the historic Wynwood neighborhood to the west and Biscayne Bay
to the east. The complex is located at the southeastern corner of a block bounded by Biscayne Boulevard
to the east and Northeast 21 St Street to the south. By the time that the Bacardi Imports Tower was built in
1963, the neighborhood had developed into a mixed residential and commercial area, with heavy
concentrations along Biscayne Boulevard, the main transport artery of bayfront Miami. The area
surrounding the Bacardi Buildings complex has maintained these characteristics, even as new buildings
have been constructed in the surrounding area. The complex thus maintains sufficient integrity of setting
for listing upon the National Register of Historic Places.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
There are three contributing resources on the site: the Bacardi Imports Tower building, the Bacardi
Imports Administration Annex building, and the underground parking garage structure, the roof of which
serves as the plaza atop which the two buildings are built.
Parking Garage and Plaza
The parking garage serves as the basement Ievel of the Bacardi Buildings complex. Its roof is the plaza
on which the two buildings making up the complex are built. The parking garage is below street level
and the plaza is above street level. The garage's entrance (Photo 3) is located along the southern edge of
the property, just to the west of the Bacardi Imports Tower. A driveway leads north from Northeast 2 1 S`
Street with staircases and large dark -blue -tile walls on either side. The driveway slopes steeply
downwards into the garage.
The 40-car parking garage is visually divided into two sections, with each directly serving one of the two
buildings of the complex. Just to the west of the wide, tall entrance to the parking garage is a windowed
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7
Page 2
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
security booth (Photo 4), upon which the blue -tile motif of the exterior continues. The garage has
regularly -spaced white columns (Photo 5) supporting the plaza. The garage has four pedestrian exits
onto the plaza, two of which are elevators. These stairs and ramps are centrally -located, the second
leading to a staircase north of the security booth, The elevators (Photo 6) are located in the eastern and
western sections of the garage, leading to each of the two buildings of the complex.
The plaza, supported by the columns and walls of the underground parking structure, is sparsely
decorated. Apart from the two buildings, located at the eastern and western ends of the plaza, the rest of
the plaza is defined by its flooring made of rose -tinted concrete pavers, and intermittent rows of square
planters. A large painted version of the Bacardi bat logo (Photo 7) is placed in the plaza between the two
buildings. There are five stair entrances to the plaza from street level. One is located in front of the
Bacardi Imports Tower at its eastern end. Two are flanking the driveway entrance to the underground
parking garage. The final entrance is at the plaza's southwest and northwest, connecting it to a small
neighboring park.
Bacardi Imports Tower
The Bacardi Imports Tower sits on the corner of Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 21 Si Street. A seven -
story building, the Bacardi Imports Tower is characterized from the outside by concrete, glass, and
ceramic. The building's support structure consists of four marble -covered concrete columns placed
approximately one-third of the way in from each end of the building's eastern and western facades. The
columns support two trusses located above the building's seventh floor, which help to carry the
structural concrete walls on the north, south, and west sides of the building. As such, the Bacardi Imports
Tower's support structure renders its first -floor lobby, which is encased on a curtain -glass wall on the
east, north, and south sides, structurally irrelevant. The building's concrete frame carries all of its
weight, with all other elements being purely decorative or functional. The structural core of the building
extends beyond its roofline, with the roof serving as the building's mechanical area, protected by a sun -
shading metal mesh covering.
The Bacardi Imports Tower's east facade (Photo 8) is defined by glass and symmetry. The second
through seventh floors of the building feature a glass curtain wall made of fixed windows on the eastern
facade, with each floor having three windows vertically and ten horizontally, leaving 180 fixed windows
visible from Biscayne Boulevard. The first floor lobby has large windows and a centrally -located two -
door entrance. The windows are covered at the corners by extendable shutters, which can be used to
protect the building's lobby from the impact of hurricane -force winds. Placed to the north and south of
the building's lobby entrance floor are exterior bases for the building's staircases (Photo 9), which begin
as concrete floating stairs leading up to entrances, and ascend to the rooftop level. As such, a visitor
climbing the staircase from the plaza to the roof would go from outside to inside to outside again. The
eastern facade, the main visible elevation from the street level, is perfectly symmetrical and is wholly
glass and concrete.
The Bacardi Imports Tower's north and south facades (Photo 10, 1 I) are characterized by massive
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page
3
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
murals consisting of over 28,000 six-inch by six-inch painted ceramic tiles. Depicting tropical themes of
leaves and flowers, these azulejo tiles painted by Brazilian artist Francisco Brennand leave a visual
impression intended to complement the open Miami blue skies. The mural has two components on each
facade, with a wide rnural on the main block of the building, and a narrower taller mural on the
building's west side.
The Bacardi Imports Tower's west facade (Photo 12) is defined by the concrete mechanical tower. which
contains the building's elevator, connecting the lobby to the roof and everything in between, as well as
two bathrooms on each floor. This facade is pure white -painted concrete, with thin windows visible on
every floor except the second and third. In addition to the tower, the west elevation also features the
windows of the back side of the office tower, matching the size and configuration of those of the east
elevation.
The Bacardi Imports Tower's two-story lobby (Photo 13), currently being used as a gallery, is defined by
its lightness and openness. From the second floor (Photo 14), one can look down at the lobby. While the
walls of this floor are primarily glass, the setups for gallery display (Photo 15) do interrupt the flow of
light somewhat. On the second floor, the extended gallery displays (Photo 16) take full advantage of the
windows on both the east and west sides of the building. Centrally -located on the western wall of the
lobby are two elevators (Photo 17), highlighted by marble walls, which form the spine of the building.
On each floor, to the north and south of the elevators are the two restrooms.
The third through sixth stories of the Bacardi Imports Tower consist of office space (Photo 18), with the
heavily -windowed walls letting in a lot of light. No room lacks a window, and the offices and meeting
rooms (Photo 19) are generally placed along the eastern wall of the building. The top floor of the
building (Photo 20), historically the Bacardi bar, was used as restaurant space designed by renowned
architect Frank Gehry between 2014 and 2015. The northern and southern rooms of the floor serve as
kitchen space.
The rooftop of the Bacardi Imports Tower primarily consists of mechanical equipment, most notably air
conditioning (Photo 21) infrastructure. On this level, the trusses supporting the building are clearly
visible (Photo 22).
Bacardi Imports Administration Annex
The Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, located at the western end of the Bacardi Buildings plaza, is
a three-story building characterized by a pedestal topped by a two-story cantilevered box. All four non -
load -bearing walls of the building's second and third stories are covered in stained-glass panels. The four
walls each depict the same picture, a symbolic representation of the production of rum, but with different
colors of glass (Photo 23, 24). The pedestal, which supports the entire building (Photo 25), is covered
with orange tile. The pedestal features an elevator on its north side, connecting the plaza to the parking
garage below and the two stories above. It also has a staircase entrance on the north side.
NPS Form 10-900-a OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 7 Page 4
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
The interior of the Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, which served as a second office space for
Bacardi, now is relatively unadorned, defined by natural light passing through the stained-glass windows
(Photo 26, 27). At the center of each floor, over the central pedestal, are small rooms with wooden walls,
including staircases (Photo 28) and restroorns. The third floor's central walls are covered in mirrors
(Photo 29).
ALTERATIONS
The Bacardi Buildings complex has had very few alterations since the Bacardi Imports Administration
Annex was added in 1973. While the interiors of the buildings have been changed to match the needs of
the new owners, none of the structure has been altered. On the exterior, the only change of any note was
the addition of retractable shutters to the glass first -floor lobby of the Bacardi Imports Tower.
INTEGRITY
The Bacardi Buildings complex retains a very high level of integrity. There have been very few
significant alterations to either building, the site itself, or to the surrounding neighborhood. Because of
this, the Bacardi Buildings retain a high degree of integrity of location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page
1
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
SUMMARY
The Bacardi Buildings are significant at the local level under Criterion C in the areas of Architecture and
Art. The period of significance of these buildings ranges from 1963, when the Bacardi Imports Tower
was constructed, to 1973, when the Bacardi Imports Administration Annex building was built. They are
also eligible under Criteria Consideration G. The Bacardi buildings are iconic examples of mid-century
modern International -style architecture, notable for their uses of steel and glass, each featuring
imaginative cantilevered overhangs as the bulk of the building. They are each emblazoned with artistic
products, with the 1963 tower decorated with over 28,000 crailejo tiles painted and assembled by
Brazilian artist Francisco Brennand. The Bacardi Imports Administration Annex building's four walls
are entirely defined by stained-glass windows manufactured by French artists Gabriel and Jacques Loire
based upon a painting by German artist Johannes Dietz. The buildings are notable for the way that they
embrace international influences within architecture and art to create visually impressive works.
HISTORIC CONTEXT
The Bacardi Buildings complex was constructed and opened in 1963, serving as the first United States
headquarters for the Bacardi corporation, a Cuban company notable for its rum. In the wake of the 1959
success of Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution, many Cuban citizens and industries fled the country,
with Miami becoming a hotspot for expatriates. Bacardi's headquarters were just a small part of that
trend. Located in the city of Miami's downtown Edgewater neighborhood, the Bacardi Buildings are
stunning examples of modern architecture.
Edgewater Historic Context
Downtown Miami's Edgewater neighborhood is located along Biscayne Bay to the north of the historic
core of the city. Its western edge follows the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, with Biscayne Bay to the
east. The neighborhood runs from 17th Street north to 37th Street, and is currently characterized primarily
by office buildings and condominiums along Biscayne Boulevard, its main artery. There are many
single-family houses between Biscayne Boulevard and the shoreline, but these are mostly on side streets.
At the very southern and northern ends of the neighborhood are bridges connecting it to the city of
Miami Beach. The Julia Tuttle Causeway is located at the northern edge of the neighborhood, and the
Venetian Causeway is just to the south.
The arrival of the railroad spurred the creation of the city of Miami. While the area had been previously
settled, it was a frontier environment, with very little access to the growing national infrastructure.
Visitors and homesteaders flocked to South Florida in search of adventure and relaxation. The growing
community's business interests desired the expansion of Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway to
the region, but the Standard Oil founder hadn't expanded south of Palm Beach. In response to a
statewide freeze which devastated the citrus yield of that year, from which Miami emerged unscathed,
Flagler entered into an agreement with settler Julia Tuttle, who gave him land for a railroad station and
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8
Page 2
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
hotel in return for Flagler bringing the railroad to Miami.1
The City of Miami was incorporated in 1896, but very quickly expansion ensued in all directions. With
the railroad bringing many new residents and businesses to the area, developers eagerly sought a chance
to capitalize upon the flow of people and goods, creating new communities aimed at attracting new
constituencies to the city. Edgewater was first planned by a developer named Fred H. Rand, Jr. in 1906.
Its original name was Miramar, named after an upper-class neighborhood in Havana, Cuba. Miami's
Miramar was intended to be similarly luxurious, and Rand planned for it to be a desirable destination for
Northern industrialists. Wealthy Northerners were at the very heart of Miami's early development, most
notably Henry Flagler, who brought the railroad to the city, and Carl Fisher, an automobile pioneer who
dedicated the later years of his life to turning Miami Beach into a global tourist destination. Rand eagerly
pursued this demographic to purchase property in his Miramar neighborhood, hoping to create a section
of the city for the elite. The bayfront land was especially tantalizing for this purpose.2
As the decades passed, and Miami grew in size and prestige, Miramar also expanded and increasingly
became connected to the city's downtown. In the 1920s, as the Florida Land Boom raged and Miami
became one of the most desirable locations in the country for purchasing property, Biscayne Boulevard
was extended northward from Miami's original core through the Miramar community. Along this main
road, department stores and restaurants began to flower, and the Biscayne Bay was dredged to expand to
land available for Miramar's expensive houses. By the 1960s, the community's name had changed from
Miramar to Edgewater for unknown reasons. The new name reflected the bayfront reality of the area,
rather than reflecting an iconic wealthy neighborhood in a foreign country roiled by internal revolution.
The community had also lost some of its prestige, becoming less of an area defined by its mansions and
more of a business district with multi -family residences. Following 1959, when the Cuban Revolution
ended, Edgewater became one of the areas where Cubans fleeing the country's new socialist government
ended up.3
Cuban Miami Historic Context
The intimate Cuban connection with Miami did not begin in the wake of the Cuban Revolution. Miami
had had a trade connection with Havana since the early twentieth century, as the city was first getting its
bearings, and waves of Cuban immigrants had already moved to Miami in the course of the country's
unstable and often -dangerous political climate. The first Cuban neighborhood in the city of Miami was
located in the downtown area, around 1st Avenue and Northeast 2nd Street, near Biscayne Bay, by the
current site of Miami -Dade College's Wolfson Campus.4 Following Fidel Castro's successful revolution,
in which a socialist government replaced a military dictatorship that had been more receptive to
American commercial and criminal interests, a new mass wave of migrants fled Cuba for nearby Miami.
James C. Clark, 200 Quick Looks at Florida History, (Sarasota, Pineapple Press, Inc., 2000) 161-162.
Jacob Bernstein. "Postcards from the Edgewater," Miami New Times, July 13, 2000.
3 Jacob Bernstein. "Postcards from the Edgewater," Miami New Times, July 13, 2000.
4 Guillermo J. Grenier & Corinna J. Moebius, A. History of Little Havana, (The History Press, 2015), 16.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page
3
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
The first massive group of Cuban immigrants in Miami following the Cuban Revolution consisted of
around 200,000 people who mostly had felt economically or politically threatened by the regime change
in their home country. This group is historically known as the "golden exiles" because of the relative
wealth, education, and business experience with which they entered the United States. The American
government granted these immigrants refugee status to ease their arrival in the country. Because the
socialist Cuban Revolution was generally most threatening to those who had been successful in Cuba,
the golden exiles were an attractive group of immigrants, who were anticipated to immediately
assimilate and contribute to the city`s economy and cultural scene.5 This first wave of immigrants who
arrived in the country had already had experience establishing themselves as successes in their
homelands. They already had education and experience. Their initial barriers would simply be language
and culture. They were not used to American, or more specifically, Miamian culture and society, and
would have to adapt. As it turned out, Miami would end up adapting to them.
While the earliest refugees who fled Castro's Cuba were wealthy and educated, middle and working-
class Cubans began to emigrate to Miami by 1962. By that year, eighty-five thousand Cubans had
registered at Miami's Freedom Tower as refugees. Of this number, around sixteen thousand left the state
of Florida to live elsewhere in the United States. Of the vast majority who stayed in Florida, many
moved to other communities in the state, such as Tampa, which had had a large and influential Cuban
population since the late nineteenth century. The many Cubans who stayed in Miami sought to form a
community that could approximate that which they had lost by fleeing their home country.6 Miami had
long been colloquially considered an extension of Havana, an American city within the United States
that nonetheless had absorbed and demonstrated some characteristics of its Caribbean neighbors. The
Cuban immigrants of the early 1960s expedited this ongoing process by actively recreating many of the
cultural icons and characteristics of their home country.
The wealthy and ambitious first generation of Cuban immigrants sought to create a community that they
would be familiar with, and attempted to take advantage of the new Miami market with familiar
offerings, such as new restaurants with old names, old dishes, and even sometimes the same wait staff as
had been in Cuba. If Miami was to become a Havana away from Havana while Castro ruled the country,
many Cuban immigrants sought to take advantage of familiarity and hominess. Local cultural
institutions, such as radio stations and churches, began to transition to speaking Spanish to suit the new
clientele, as more and more Cubans moved in and other ethnicities moved out.7 Such an environment
suited the needs of the Bacardi corporation perfectly, as the century -old Cuban company fled the
country, setting up international roots as Cuba increasingly isolated itself from its surrounding nations.
Bacardi Historic and Architectural Context
Bacardi was founded in 1862, in Santiago de Cuba, a city among its nation's largest. Located in the
' Guillermo J. Grenier & Corinna J. Moebius, A History of Little Havana, (The History Press, 2015), 23-24.
e Guillermo J. Grenier & Corinna J. Moebius, A History of Little Havana, (The History Press, 2015), 25.
Guillermo J. Grenier & Corinna J. Moebius, A History of Little Havana, (The History Press, 2015), 32-33.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page
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Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple fisting (if applicable)
)Figure 1: Iconography has always been
central to the Bacardi brand and its built
identity. The company's bat logo
originates from the lore of its first
distillery, and remains key to its marketing.
This oil on leather rendition of the bat logo
from the 1890s demonstrates the long-term
appeal of the imagery. The Bacardi
Building plaza features a large installation
of the bat logo, designed to be seen from
airplanes flying into Miami International
Airport. Source: The Bacardi Archive
southeast section of the Cuban island, Santiago de Cuba was a
staging point for Spanish conquest. It had been the capital of Cuba
as a Spanish colony from 1522 until 1589. Throughout the early
nineteenth century, Santiago de Cuba was impacted by
immigration, as French, Britain, and Haitian people traveled to the
city, looking for stability and success in an increasingly -volatile
world.8 Bacardi founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso was one of
these immigrants, though he hailed from Spain, specifically the
Catalonia region.
Santiago de Cuba was a city very receptive to immigration and
trade, dating to its historic position as a colonial center for the
Spanish Empire. It was a nexus of trade throughout Latin America
and the Caribbean. Most notably, it was a hub for the shipping of
sugar, which was at the time Cuba's most important economic
export. Sugar is a pivotal ingredient for the creation of rum, so
establishing a factory in the same town where sugar was often
shipped was a way of ensuring access to an important material.9
When Don Facundo Bacardi Masso purchased a distillery in
Santiago de Cuba for 3,500 pesos, he did so with an innovative
formula for rum, one which was notable for its clearness, and was
aged in used bourbon ban-els, giving a distinctive flavor to Bacardi
rum.10 Once the Bacardi brand was established, it grew and
expanded over the decades, gaining a cultural prestige and
prominence throughout Cuba and the United States.
The Bacardi brand and identity have always been tied to the built
features from which production and the corporation itself were
housed. The company's distinctive and iconic bat logo was born soon after it was founded, when the
wife of its founder discovered a colony of fruit bats living in the rafters of the original distillery. Instead
of attempting to rid the building of these bats, she embraced them, recalling a Spanish legend tying bats
with health, fortune, and family. With much of Cuban society being illiterate at the time, the bat logo
allowed customers to identify Bacardi -brand rum, even without being to read the text on the bottle."
Since the founding of the company, Bacardi's buildings have aimed to create and promote a visual
8 "Today in history: The city of Santiago de Cuba is 500 years old," Peoplesworld.org,
http://www.peoplesworld.orblarticie/today-in-history-the-city-of-Santiago-de-cuba-is-500-years-olds, Accessed January 2,
2018.
9 Allan T. Shulman, Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art, and Identity, (Rizzoli, New York, 2016), 17.
10 "The Bacardi Buildings Designation Report," City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. October 6,
2009, 6.
Joe Wilhelm Jr., "Bacardi and the Bat: All Bacardi Rum Supplied to U.S. Bottled in Jacksonville," Jax Daily Record,
January 3 2012.
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identity for the corporation, one which is simultaneously past and forward -looking, with an appreciation
of the natural and the man-made. Bacardi's buildings are attempts to express concepts larger than mere
business, combining art and architecture to tell a larger story.
By the tum of the twentieth century, Cuba and the United States had become extremely economically -
interconnected, with the Spanish American War having wrested control of the Cuban territory from the
control of Spain to that of the United States. The Bacardi family were very involved in the Cuban
independence movement, fighting on the side of the rebels. As this was happening, the Bacardi company
became integral to the economy of the city of Santiago de Cuba, constructing new distilleries. Between
1898 and 1906, the Bacardi founder served as the mayor of Santiago, using his term to modernize the
city with public and cultural infrastructure, as schools, libraries, museums, and parks. His terms also
represented the growing connections between corporations and government and society, with the Bacardi
name becoming increasingly associated with high-class entertainment and culture. In the wake of the
Spanish American War, as ties between the United States and Cuba grew ever closer, Bacardi sought to
take advantage of the blossoming tourism market, creating outdoor cafes and gardens to complement the
distillery complex, realizing that the public perception and experience of a built environment would have
an impact on how it was perceived. This
philosophy would be observed going forward, both
in Cuba and abroad.,2
Bacardi began its international expansion in the
first decades of the twentieth century.
Unfortunately, the 1919 passage of the Volstead
Act in the United States curtailed the production
and sale of alcohol in the country, after Bacardi
had initially established a production plant in New
York. The company managed to turn Prohibition
into a positive, though, capitalizing on Cuba's
proximity to the United States, easily accessible by
a flight from Miami. Bacardi advertised itself as
representative of Cuban alcohol production,
offering Americans a chance to legally drink and
party without having to travel very far. In this time
period, Miami began to be known as the "Gateway
to the Americas," a nomenclature which cut both
ways. Miami was the place through which
residents of the United States gained access to
Latin America, but it also was a place where Latin American goods and companies could enter the
American market.13
, i P 3 l k,
;-0 1, - -
di
- a t
it; llf .�.;
11r.XRII uI 1
4411 4 I
t
Figure 2: Art Deco Edificio Bacardi, located in I Ia ana,
Cuba. Built in 1930, this building evinced a forward -looking
outlook, communicating to the country and world that the
Bacardi corporation was something to be admired. The
building was renovated in the 1990s and is still being used as
an office building. Source: Jacque Jabs Travel Blog
12 Allan T. Shulman, Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art, and Identity, (Rizzoli, New York, 2016), 17-18.
' 1 "The Bacardi Buildings Designation Report," City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, October 6,
2009, 8.
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 8 Page
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Bacardi Buildings Complex
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Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
As the twentieth century progressed, Bacardi moved beyond Santiago de Cuba and opened a new office
in the country's capital, Havana. In 1930, the company completed construction on a new Art Deco office
building, the city's first skyscraper. For decades after its construction, Havana's Bacardi Building was
the tallest in the city.i4 Its architects were Rafael Fernandez Ruenes, Esteban Rodriguez castell, and Jose
Menendez. The building was designed to be a monument as well as an office building, constructed of
sturdy materials, such as steel and concrete, with a decorative finish of natural granite, terracotta, and
pressed bricks. The building has a central tower topped by a bronze bat. 15 The design of Havana's
Bacardi Building was meant to evoke that of American skyscrapers, but imbued with a tropical flair,16
The building's appearance gives a sense of stateliness and weight, illustrating the impression of a
company certain of its own importance and influence.
Figure 3: 1958 Model design of the unbuilt Bacardi
Administration Building in Santiago, Cuba. The idea of an
above -ground pavilion obscuring a floor of the building would
appropriated for the Bacardi Buildings complex in Miami.
Source: Chicago History Museum
be
After the Second World War, Cuba was in the
midst of a golden age economically. Sugar
production and tourism both brought massive
profits to the country, and Bacardi benefitted
from both of these trends. While the Cuban
economy grew, and a strong middle class
developed, the government was corrupt,
beholden to United States business and
criminal interests. President Fulgencio Batista,
who led the country during the 1950s, had
come to power through a coup d'etat and ruled
as a dictator. Concerned about the impact
government intervention might have upon the
Bacardi corporation, the company's president, Jose "Pepin" Bosch, began to move some of the Bacardi
corporate structure out of Cuba, expanding internationally to the Bahamas. Bosch and the Bacardi
corporation were initially supportive of the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro, continuing the
tradition of the company's founder. As time went on, Bosch began to doubt that Castro would have the
best interests of the Bacardi company at heart, and he continued the process of slowly moving key
documentation for the Bacardi brand out of Cuba. He mailed each and every Bacardi trademark
certificate, one by one, to the company's New York office, After Castro took over the country in 1959,
he quickly moved to nationalize the nation's industries, including Bacardi, In response, Bosch and other
Bacardi executives fled the country, heading to Miami along with many of the other "golden exiles."17
Prior to leaving Cuba, the Bacardi corporation had developed a working relationship with Modernist
Prussian -born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose buildings were famous for their honesty,
1' "Bacardi Building," Atlasobscura.com, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bacardi-building, Accessed January 2, 2018.
"Edificio Bacardi," Dcubanos.com, https://www.dcubanos.com/rinconcubaledificio-bacardil, Accessed January 2, 2018.
16 Kathyrn E. O'Rourke, "Mies and Bacardi," Journal of Architectural Education, Volume 66, Number 1, 2012, 59.
17 "The Bacardi Buildings Designation Report," City of Miami Hstoric and Environmental Preservation Board, October 6,
2009, 8-9.
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
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Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
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Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
openness, and simplicity. Pepin Bosch had hired Mies to design a new headquarters for the company in
Santiago de Cuba. Like the earlier Havana Bacardi Building, the building was intended to make a
statement to the public
about the corporate culture
of the Bacardi company.
The concrete building was
to have a single above-
ground story (with an
underground level hidden
building'sby the was to have o nir eIt entirely -glass
slab .j 5 .
walls and a flat
cantilevered roof, designed
to protect the office
occupants from the tropical sunlight of Santiago de Cuba. The building was meant to leave the
impression of a museum on a visitor, appropriate since the Bacardi family were avid art collectors and
had earlier established a museum in Santiago with a Neoclassical design. The Mies design for a new
corporate headquarters was intended to signal to upper-class consumers around the world that the
Bacardi brand was a paragon of taste and modernity. The plans were interrupted by the dawn of the
Castro regime, but the branding goals of Bacardi did not change, even as they set up shop in other
nations.l s
Bacardi had long wanted to set up long-term
administrative and production infrastructure in
Mexico City, but such projects had never managed
to take off. After promoting Bacardi rurn in
combination with Coca-Cola as an "instant party,"
Mexican sales skyrocketed in the 1930s. By the end
of the 1950s, Bacardi was ready to make an
architectural mark in Mexico, as they
simultaneously pulled out of Cuba. Mies was once
again hired to design an office building, this time
located in the city of Tultitlan, within the Mexico
City metropolitan area. His second Bacardi design
attempt was different than the first, consisting of a
large rectangular office space enclosed by gray
glass supported by a small clear glass Lobby and
twenty-four black steel beams. The basic design philosophy was reminiscent of Mies' Seagram Building
in New York City, although it maintained a similar visual impression to the design for the Cuba project,
being a short flat -roofed building in the midst of a pavilion. The building had an open plan, intended to
Figure 5: Model of the Bacardi Administration Building's
upper floor, looking down into the lobby. Source: Chicago
History Museum
Figure 4: Mies van Der Rohe's 1962 Bacardi Administration Building in Tultitlan,
Mexico. The prominence of glass, as well as cantilevered upper floors, would also be key
design features for Miami's Bacardi Buildings. Source: Bacardi Limited
IB Kathym E. O'Rourke, "Mies and Bacardi: Mixing Modernism, c.1960," Journal ofArchitectural Education, Volume 66,
Number 1, 2012, 60-62.
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bring sunlight into the building and inspire good feelings for the workers, who would not be consigned
to solitary segregated spaces. Like Havana's Bacardi Building, the Tultitlan one was supposed to connect
the past and future. Promotional material for the building said that "OLD AND NEW are blended in ..
the Bacardi plant at Tultitlan.... Like a mirage in this timeless landscape of giant cactuses lies the
magic of the twentieth century."19 Mies' building was designed to connote the mastery of mankind over
nature, and over the past.
While Mies' sophisticated architecture fit the
cultural aesthetic of Bacardi as a corporation,
Bosch also wanted to build a factory that
demonstrated the ambition and imagination of
the brand. To do this, he hired a Spanish -born
Mexican engineer named Felix Candela, who
designed a new bottling plant for the company.
Candela was famous for his sweeping use of
concrete shells, and notable for the way he
eschewed straight lines and embraced curves.
Located next to Mies' administration building,
the two projects showed differing but not
conflicting perspectives on modernity.2°
Al
red 4
= _ � F Y
Figure 6: InteriorofFelix Candela's 1960 Bacardi Bottling Plant.
Note the sweeping curves of the concrete roof, and the prolific use
of windows. Source: Bacardi Limited
Bacardi's architectural entry into the United States, characterized by the Bacardi Buildings complex in
Miami, epitomizes the intercultural ground upon which the company was built and thrived, with its
design spanning the various influences that had defined Bacardi for a century.
ARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The Bacardi Buildings are significant at the local level under Criterion C in the areas of Architecture and
Art. The buildings are locally significant examples of the International style of architecture, though with
unique artistic flairs which disregard some of the fundamental tenets of the style. Using international
architects and artists as key contributors and guides for the design process, the Bacardi Buildings reflect
a transnational approach to corporate identity in built form. Specifically, they reflect mid-century trends
in Latin American architecture. The Bacardi Buildings reflect the city of Miami's status as an
international destination, with the city situated as the "Gateway to the Americas."
International Style Context
The International style emerged in 1932, having its origins in a traveling exhibition put on by New
9 Kathyrn E. O'Rourke, "Mies and Bacardi: Mixing Modernism, c.1960," Journal of Architectural Education, Volume 66,
Number 1, 2012, 60-64.
20 Kathyrn E. O'Rourke, "Mies and Bacardi: Mixing Modernism, c. 1960," Journal of Architectural Education, Volume 66,
Number 1, 2012, 65-66.
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
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York's Museum of Modern Art. The show, titled Modern Architecture: International Exhibition, after
spending six weeks at MoMA, traveled the country, showing Americans a new architectural philosophy,
one defined by steel, concrete, and glass, with buildings constructed in a way which eschews
unnecessary ornamentation. The International style was, as its name implies, something that crossed
borders, with the initial show featuring works by representatives of 16 countries. With practitioners
including German Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, French Le Corbusier, and Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, the
style was devoid of elements defined by a single culture.21 The international style did not combine
elements of different cultures to make a synthesized whole, but rather removed itself from specific
national influences. While much of modern architecture pursued particular ideological and civic
agendas, the International style typically did not.
International style buildings had a very consistent philosophy of design. The buildings were
characterized by the honesty of their form, with the structural underpinnings being clearly visible from
the outside, instead of being obscured or hidden. The facades of the buildings were primarily ribbon
windows, with glass making up the majority of an International style wall. Buildings in this style are
usually rectangular boxes, sleek and having no curves. International style skyscrapers were often termed
-anonymous glass boxes," criticized for their lack of individual character or personality, with very few
ornamental features. The International style was predominantly used for large buildings such as office or
apartment buildings, very rarely being applied to houses, with its most iconic works being skyscrapers."
The Bacardi Buildings as International Art and Design
11,,% I! IN 1`l, I111. 1111. iu
Figure 7: "Bacardi in Many Lands" promotional material from
1962. Source: The Bacardi Archive
In the early 1960s, in the wake of the Cuban
Revolution, Bacardi engaged in a hemispheric
expansion, opening new corporate infrastructure
in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and the United
States. Bacardi celebrated its centennial in 1962
with a motto reflecting their new situation:
"Bacardi in many lands." Bacardi chairman Jose
Bosch tended to hire Cuban exiles for projects,
trying to support and promote Cuban culture
throughout the hemisphere through the class of
people who had fled Castro's regime. To build a
headquarters for Bacardi Imports, the part of the
Bacardi company tasked with handling United
States distribution, Bosch hired Enrique Gutierrez
of the Puerto Rican architectural firm SACMAG.
`'I "A Movement in a Moment: The International Style," Phaidon.com,
http://www.phaidon.comlagenda/architecture/articles/2016/june/30/a-movement-in-a-moment-the-international-style/. June
30, 2016, Accessed January 3, 2018.
22 "Architectural Styles of America and Europe — International," Architecturestyles.org,
https:/larchitecturestyles.org/international/, Accessed January 3, 2018.
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He had previously worked with Gutierrez, a Cuban exile, on the creation of a visitor pavilion for
Bacardi's Puerto Rico distillery. With a shape reminiscent of a bat with spread wings, the concrete slab
pavilion seemed to defy gravity. Bosch selected Gutierrez for this project not only because of his
previous working relationship, but also because of what Gutierrez' personal story represented. Gutierrez
had fled Cuba with a bounty on his head for his opposition to the Cuban Revolution and the Castro
regime. He moved to Puerto Rico for its closeness to Cuba, anticipating a quick return once Castro's grip
on power faded. Bosch trusted Gutierrez to be able to express the corporate culture and identity of
Bacardi in built form, not only because of his skills as an architect, but also because of his life
experiences.23
Bosch presented Gutierrez and the team of SACMAG
architects a clear guiding vision for what role he
wanted the first Bacardi building in America to fill,
and what he wanted it to represent. Bosch's orders
were for the project to be "outstanding and distinctive
in design, yet large enough only to house executive
offices and personnel totaling less than 50 people,"
according to SACMAG architects Edwin C. Bliss and
Angel Herrera. With knowledge of the owner's
wishes, and knowing the location of the building, a
team of architects and engineers assembled to create a
beautiful and working building for the Bacardi
company. Bliss and Herrera wrote in 1965 that the
architects and engineers decided that "the building,
Figure 8: Brazilian artist Francisco Brennand preparing
the azulejos for the Bacardi Building, which would then
be transported to Miami and reassembled along three
elevations of the building. Source: The Bacardi Archive
due to its location on a principal boulevard, should attain height yet retain a simple silhouette with
feeling of lightness and elegance and of course, serve the owner functionally."24 While the building was
to be situated within a commercial district along a main artery for the city of Miami, it was to be among
the tallest in its area, complementing the modernist aesthetic of its neighbors with a slightly more
fanciful interpretation of the International style. Gutierrez would take the building blocks established by
Mies and Candela for earlier Bacardi projects, but imbue new and innovative artistic elements.25
The 1963 Bacardi Imports Tower is, at its core, faithful to the Miesian form, The building's streetside
facade is defined by glass, and its design as a seven -floor building hung by cables and pullies from four
concrete marble -clad columns and rooftop trusses maintains Mies' dedication to honesty in design and
construction. A passer-by can easily determine how the building works, and gets a sense of what it is
used for.26 At the same time, there is a profound illusion to how the Bacardi Buildings complex was
23 Howard Cohen, "Bacardi Building Architect Enrique Gutierrez Dies at 86," Miami Herald, June 13, 2017.
24 Edwin C. Bliss and Angel Herrera, "Bacardi Building — An Unusual Structure for an Unusual Building," ,Journal of the
American Concrete Institute, December 1965, 1521.
Allan T. Shulman, Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art, and Identity, (Rizzoli, New York, 2016), 149.
26 Kathyrn E. O'Rourke, "Mies and Bacardi: Mixing Modernism, c.1960," .Journal of Architectural Education, Volume 66,
Number 1, 2012, 69.
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designed. The basement floor for both of the buildings, which also serves as their parking garage, is
hidden under the plaza the buildings are built upon, the plaza being the basement's roof.27 A similar idea
had been proposed for Mies' original design for a Bacardi headquarters in Santiago de Cuba in the late
1950s, though his design had the obscured underground portion as a basement office space rather than a
parking garage. The Bacardi Buildings complex uses its space efficiently, not dedicating acres of
expensive land in downtown Miami to a parking lot. Instead, it integrates parking into the design in an
attractive way.
Ewa 4..r-S21EtLIVV-A-
Figure 10: The 1956 Central Library of the National
Autonomous University of Mexico is covered with stone
mosaic murals depicting the history and culture of the
nation of Mexico. Spanning over 4,000 square meters, the
visually impressive building inspired the a_ulejo use on the
Bacardi Building in Miami. Source: Catherine Krantz
While the Bacardi Imports Tower's Biscayne
Boulevard facade is a paragon of Miesian office
building design, the three other elevations break the
mold established by the Prussian master. Inspired by
the use of mural in modern Mexican architecture,
most notably on the 1956 Central Library of the
National Autonomous University of Mexico, Jose
Bosch aimed to direct the creation of a building that
fused art and architecture. To accomplish this, he
hired a
Brazilian artist
named
Francisco
Brennand, who
was equally
invested in
expanding
cooperation
between practitioners of the two forms. With 28,234 hand -painted
ceramic tiles, Brennand created a floral mosaic which adorns the
south, west, and north sides of the building. Following the
traditional form of azulejo tilework, the images are predominantly
blue. According to Brennand, the imagery of the mural represents
the "discovery by Europeans of the South American continent,"
with the plants representing the alien floral forms encountered by
the first European visitors to the New World. The color blue was
chosen to predominate the piece to represent and reflect the blue
skies of Miami and Brazil. The muted shades of blue were chosen
so as not to dominate the building's visual impression, instead
complementing the Miesian built fonn.28 The tiles were assembled
like a puzzle by the firm of Frank J. Rooney, who built the building on
Figure 9: I963 Miami Herald photograph
of the Bacardi Imports Tower under
construction, with the tilework underway
on the south side of the building. Source:
Miami Herald
Gutierrez'
design. Each six -by-
- • Edwin C. Bliss and Angel Herrera, "Bacardi Building — An Unusual Structure for an Unusual Building," Journal of the
American Concrete Instigate, December 1965, 1521.
28 Allan T. Shulman, Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art, and Identity, (Rizzoli, New York, 2016), 151-152.
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Figure 11: Annex Design IV by Johannes Maria Dietz, 1972. Source: The
Bacardi Archive
six-inch tile was assigned a code
number based upon a master plan
and were placed from bottom to top
up the seven stories of the
building.29 Affixed to the building
by mastic cement, not a single tile
has fallen off of the building since it
was constructed in 1963.
The Bacardi Imports Administration
Annex building, constructed in
1973, offers a different but
complementary expression of Modernist style. When the company needed more office space a decade
after the initial building was constructed, they expanded to the west, adding a second building to the
plaza, one which seems to follow a similar design mission to the original, but in a far different way.
Designed by Cuban architect Ignacio Carrera-Justiz, who had married into the Bacardi family, the Annex
building was designed to inspire a comparable sense of weightlessness and visual interest to its
predecessor.30 The dominant feature of the Bacardi Imports Administration Annex building is its
cantilevered construction. A small pedestal carries a two-story office space which extends out twenty-
four feet on each side. Each wall of the cantilevered levels of the building is covered in stained glass
tapestries, leaving the entire visual impression of the building from each side dominated by artwork. The
stained glass tapestries, manufactured under the direction of French stained glass artists Gabriel and
Jacques Loire, derive from paintings by German artist Johannes Maria Dietz, which depict the
production of rum from sugar cane. The four walls of stained glass are each similar, differentiated by
color. Jose Bosch planned for the Annex to be illuminated at night, turning it into a sort of billboard for
the Bacardi company.31
Both of the Bacardi buildings in Miami demonstrate
a profound interest by the Bacardi corporation and its
mid-century leadership in making a statement to
onlookers, as well as expressing the
internationalization of Bacardi specifically, but the
Americas more generally. Each developed following
the basic guidelines of the International style of
modern architecture, the buildings nonetheless each
departed from more traditional interpretations of the
form through the use of bold and dramatic artistic
forms, integrated into the very structure of the
Figure 12: 1973 nighttime photograph of the Bacardi
Imports Administration Annex, illuminated. Source: The
Bacardi Archive
"° Fred Fogarty, "A 28,000 Piece Puzzle!" Miami Herald, September 22, 1963.
3° Tom Gjelten, Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause, (Penguin Books, 2009), xiv,
31 "The Bacardi Buildings Designation Report," City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, October 6,
2009, 15-16.
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N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
buildings. The buildings are designed to impress on two levels; both the shape of the buildings and the
artwork adorning them are intended to inspire wonder. They represent an internationalist fusion of
design and artistic philosophy, drawing together elements from Europe and the Americas to create a
pleasing and challenging whole.
Criterion G — Resource Fewer than Fifty Years Old
While the Bacardi Buildings Complex was created in 1963, and is thus over fifty years old, the Bacardi
Imports Administration Annex building was constructed in 1973 and is therefore five years away from
meeting the fifty-year age requirement. The Bacardi Imports Tower as well as the plaza, which also
functions as a parking garage, make up the majority of the area covered by the nomination. The Bacardi
Imports Administration Annex building, while slightly less than fifty years of age, contributes to the
significance of the complex because it follows many of the same design principles and influences as the
original parts of the complex. The majority of the nomination is over fifty years old, and the age of the
newer building does not detract from the resource.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9 Page
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"A Movement in a Moment: The International Style," Phaidon.com,
http://www.phaidon.com/agendalarchitecture/articles/20161junel30/a-movement-in-a-moment-
the-international-style/, June 30, 2016, Accessed January 3, 2018.
`'Architectural Styles of America and Europe — International," Architecturestyles.org,
https://architecturestyles.org/international/, Accessed January 3. 2018.
"Bacardi Building," Atlasobscura.com. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bacardi-building, Accessed
January 2, 2018.
Jacob Bernstein, '`Postcards from the Edgewater." Miami Not. Times, July 13, 2000.
Bliss. Edwin C. and Angel Herrera, "Bacardi Building — An Unusual Structure for an Unusual
Building," Journal of the American Concrete Institute, December 1965, 1521-1532.
Clark, James C., 200 Ouick Looks at Florida History, (Sarasota, Pineapple Press, Inc., 2000).
Cohen, Howard, "Bacardi Building Architect Enrique Gutierrez Dies at 86," Miami Herald, June 13,
2017.
"Edifie io Bacardi." Dcubanos.com, https://www.dcubanos.comlrinconcuba/edificio-bacardi/, Accessed
January 2, 2018.
Fogarty, Fred, "A 28,000 Piece Puzzle!" Miami Herald, September 22, 1963.
Gjelten, Tom, Bacardi and the Long Fight fir Cuba: The Biography of a Cause, (Penguin Books, 2009).
Grenier, Guillermo J. & Corinna J. Moebius, A History of Little Havana, (The History Press, 2015).
O'Rourke. Kathyrn E., "Mies and Bacardi: Mixing Modernism. c.1960," Journal of Architectural
Education, Volume 66, Number 1, 2012, 57-71.
Shulman, Allan T., Building Bacardi: Architecture, Art, and Identity, (Rizzoli, New York, 2016).
"The Bacardi Buildings Designation Report," City of Miami Historic and Environmental Preservation
Board, October 6, 2009.
"Today in history: The city of Santiago de Cuba is 500 years old, Peoplesworld.org,
http://www.peoplesworld.org/article/today-in-history-the-city-of-santiago-de-cuba-is-500-years-
old/, Accessed January 2, 2018.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No. 1024-0018
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 9 Page
2
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
Wilhelm, Joe Jr., "Bacardi and the Bat: All Bacardi Rum Supplied to U.S. Bottled in Jacksonville," fax
Daily Record, January 3 2012.
NPS Form 10-9o0-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number 10 Page
1
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION
BAYONNE PB 2-35
W3OFT LOT 7 & LOT 8 BLK I
AND PROP INT IN & TO COMMON
ELEMENTS NOT DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
LOT SIZE 184,000 X 100
BAYONNE PB 2-35
LOT 9 BLK 1
AND PROP INT IN & TO COMMON
ELEMENTS NOT DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
LOT SIZE 12880 SQUARE FEET
BAYONNE PB 2-35
LOT 10 BLK 1
AND PROP INT IN & TO COMMON
ELEMENTS NOT DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
LOT SIZE 12880 SQUARE FEET
BAYONNE PB 2-35
LOT 11 BLK 1
AND PROP INT IN & TO COMMON
ELEMENTS NOT DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
LOT SIZE 12880 SQUARE FEET
BAYONNE PB 2-35
LOT 12 BLK 1
AND PROP INT IN & TO COMMON
ELEMENTS NOT DEDICATED TO PUBLIC
LOT SIZE 12880 SQUARE FEET
Comprising the entire lot bounded by Biscayne Boulevard to the east, NE 21 sc Street to the south, Folio
01-3230-031-0090 to the west, and Folio 01-3230-026-0570 to the north.
BOUNDARY JUSTIFICATION
The above property description contains all of the historic resources associated with the Bacardi
Buildings Complex.
NPS Form 10-900-a (Rev. 8/2002) OMB No 1024-0018
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number Photos Page
1
Bacardi Buildings Complex
Name of Property
Miami -Dade County, FL
County and State
N/A
Name of multiple listing (if applicable)
LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND SUBJECTS
Photograph Subject: Bacardi Buildings Complex
Photograph Address: 2100 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami (Miami -Dade County), Florida
Photographer: Max Adriel Imberman
Date Taken: August 31, 2017
1: Biscayne Boulevard Facade of Bacardi Imports Tower, Facing Northwest
2: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, Facing Northwest
3: Entrance to Parking Garage, Facing North
4: Parking Garage, Facing Southwest
5: Parking Garage, Facing Northeast
6: Bacardi Imports Tower Elevators, Parking Garage Level, Facing West
7: Aerial View of Plaza and Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, Facing West
8: Bacardi Imports Tower, East Facade, Facing West
9: Bacardi Imports Tower North Floating Staircase, Facing West
10: Bacardi Imports Tower North Facade, Facing South
11: Bacardi Imports Tower South Facade, Facing Northeast
12: Bacardi Imports Tower West Facade, Facing Northeast
13: Lobby, Facing Northwest
14: View of Lobby from Second Floor, Facing West
15: Lobby, Facing South
16: Second Floor, Facing West
17: First Floor Elevators, Facing Northwest
18: Office Space, Facing West
19: Meeting Space, Facing West
20: Top Floor Bar, Facing South
21: Roof Air Conditioning, Facing West
22: Truss and Mesh on Bacardi Imports Tower Roof, Facing Southwest
23: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, Facing Southeast
24: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex, Facing Northeast
25: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex Pedestal Base, Facing Southwest
26: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex Stained Glass Walls, Facing Northwest
27: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex Stained Glass Wall, Facing South
28: Staircase, Facing East
29: Bacardi Imports Administration Annex Second Floor Mirror Wall, Facing Northeast
4
SACMAG OF PUERTO RICO. INC.
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BACARDI BUILDING
W
PERSPECTIVE
Figure 13: Perspective sketch of Bacardi Imports Tower by Enrique Gutierrez, 1962. Source: The Bacardi Archive
Bacardi Buildings
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