Proposal to Declare the Assault Brigade 2506 Museum and Library a Historic Preservation Site
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Proposal to Declare the Assault Brigade 2506 Museum and Library a Historic Preservation Site 1. General Information: Historic Name: The Bay of Pigs Veteran Association Brigade 2506 Current Name: The Bay of Pigs Veteran Association Brigade 2506 Present Owner: The Bay of Pigs Veteran Association Brigade 2506 Present Use The building is being used as a Museum and Library as well as a large classroom to teach students and visitors about the unsuccessful effort to overthrow the communist regime in 1961 by the Brigade 2506. Additionally, visitors learn about the continuing struggle by opponents and dissidents to free Cuba from the oppressive and tyrannical communist regime. Present Zoning District: T4-R Tax Folio Number: 0141100633030 2. Significance: Over a period of years, members of the Brigade 2506 and members of the Cuban community in South Florida raised money for the construction of the building that would serve as a Museum and Library for the Brigade 2506. The amount raised was $85,793. A small house was donated by a member of the Brigade 2506, Raúl Masvidal, and had an assessed value of $59,477. The city of Miami gave a contribution of $75,000. The small house was completely rebuilt and expanded to accommodate the Museum and Library. The architect of the building was María Elena Valls. The building is located at 1821 Southwest 9th Street, Miami, Florida, 33135. It was inaugurated on April 17, 1986. On that day, President Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to Miguel M. Álvarez, President of the Bay of Pigs Veteran Association Brigade 2506, stating the following: "I commend you and all other freedom fighters of the Brigade 2506 for your great courage, love of country and devotion to the cause of liberty. For 25 years, yours has been a glory that will not fade. The United States, as it did during José Martí's exiled here, continues to stand as the hope and helper of free men everywhere. It is our fervent wish that all our neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean will be able to breathe the air of freedom for which so many have made so many sacrifices. We are heartened by the growing trend toward democracy in Latin America, and we are confident that the people of Cuba will be able someday to enjoy the blessings of the free and democratic society rather than the suffering and oppression of the present totalitarian communist regime. We look forward to the day when Cuba will have a government that represents its people. Knowing the bonds of friendship between the Cuban and the American people, we know that a free Cuban government will also be a friendly one. Again, I salute you. God bless all of you". The building, which houses the Brigade 2506 Museum and Library, has an extraordinary and exceptional historical significance for its role in the history of the city of Miami's Cuban community. It exemplifies the historical, political, cultural, and social life of the Cuban community as well as the bravery of the members of the Brigade 2506 who fought against the tyrannical communist regime to bring freedom to Cuba. On June 9, 1994, the city of Miami Commission approved a Resolution declaring the city of Miami the symbolic capital of the Cuban people in Exile and Little Havana as its historical and cultural enclave. The Brigade 2506 Museum and Library is located in the center of Little Havana, an area of the city of Miami. The historical building has been visited and continues to be visited by thousands of tourists from all over the world as well as national, state, county, and city elected and appointed leaders and prominent individuals in the nation. The Bay of Pigs Museum and Library preserves books, maps, proclamations, photographs, documents, letters, flags, weapons, uniforms, and other items of the Assault Brigade 2506 soldiers, sailors, and aviators who invaded Cuba on April 17, 1961. The Brigade Museum and Library also includes pictures of the United States pilots and members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who fought along with the Cuban soldiers at the Bay of Pigs. The soldiers of the Brigade 2506 were sent to Cuba by President John F. Kennedy under the direction of the Central Intelligence Agency to overthrow the tyrannical and oppressive communist regime of the dictator Fidel Castro. The building of the Brigade 2506 is near the Cuban Memorial Boulevard, which is located on Southwest Eight Street and 13 Avenue. These two- block stretch off Calle Ocho has various monuments dedicated to Cuban freedom fighters. The most prominent monument is the world renowned Eternal Torch in honor of the Brigade 2506, a memorial to the 104 soldiers and pilots who gave their lives fighting for the freedom of Cuba and to protect the national security of the United States. An annual ceremony on the anniversary of the invasion commemorates the soldiers who attempted to overthrow the Castro regime. A bronze map of Cuba is dedicated to "The ideals of people who will never forget the pledge of making their Fatherland free." The Cuban Memorial Boulevard also features a bronze statue done by Nestor "Tony" Izquierdo of a soldier at the Bay of Pigs. There is also a statue of the Virgin Mary and a marker that reads "Motherhood is God's Greatest Blessing" representing the typical Cuban family's reverence of motherhood and deep devotion to the Virgin Mary. The last monument is a bronze bust of General Antonio Maceo, the brave Afro-Cuban general who died fighting for independence of Cuba during the 19th century. He was known as the "Bronze Titan" for his courage and undying love for his country. On that same street there is the Casa del Preso or House of the Prisoner, where former Cuban political prisoners hold meetings. Nearby is the Domino Club/Máximo Gómez Park at 1444 Southwest 8th Street. This is a well known park in Little Havana where Cuban senior citizens gather every day to play domino, drink Cuban coffee, smoke cigars, talk politics, and reminisce about Cuba. The park is named for General Máximo Gómez, the Dominican-born chief of the Cuba Liberation Army. Tourists from all over the world visit the Brigade 2506 Museum and Library as well as the monuments along the Cuban Memorial Boulevard and the Domino Club/Máximo Gómez Park. This entire area is considered the heart of the Cuban community in South Florida. Another beautiful monument honoring the pilots and mechanics who fought and died at the Bay of Pigs is located at Tamiami Airport. The memorial has a large column with a bronze plaque with the names of the brave pilots and mechanics who gave their lives for the freedom of Cuba. It also has an enormous Cuban flag at the base of the monument that can only be seen from the air covering the entire area. The memorial also includes the pictures of the 10 Cuban Brigade 2506 pilots who were shot down while fighting superior enemy planes. The Brigade 2506 Air Force assisted the infantry by bombing the thousands of enemy soldiers who descended upon the beaches and who were supported by over 40 Stalin tanks, mortars, and heavy artillery. The memorial displays the pictures of the four American pilots from the Alabama National Guard who were shot down while flying two B-26s in a suicidal mission on April 19, 1961. The memorial features a B-26 bomber that was donated by the United States Air Force and is similar to the ones used by the Brigade 2506 Air Force. Each year, a ceremony is also conducted at this Memorial on the anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion. The Miami Metro Commission has dedicated a street with the name of the Brigade 2506. President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan came to Little Havana in 1980 and placed flowers next to the Eternal Torch of the Brigade 2506 to honor the Brigade soldiers, sailors, and aviators who died trying to free Cuba. Since the return of the Brigade 2506 prisoners of war to the United States on December 24-25, 1962, United States presidents, as well as congressional leaders, have issued annual proclamations honoring the members of the Brigade 2506 on April 17, the anniversary of the invasion of Cuba. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools issued a proclamation honoring the Brigade 2506 on the 50th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 2011. The exceptional significance of the building that houses the Brigade 2506 Museum and Library has been recognized by the Historical Association of Southern Florida which placed a bronze historical marker in front of the building. The historical marker states the following: Impact of the Bay of Pigs on Miami In the early months of 1961 Cuban refugees in Miami flew from Opa-Locka Airport to Guatemala to become part of the almost 1,500 men of the Brigade 2506. The Brigade's Bay of Pigs invasion on April 17, 1961, resulted in defeat with over 100 men killed and the rest imprisoned. The invasion's failure did not destroy the dream of returning to Cuba but it did make many look at Miami as more than a temporary refuge. At the same time the Cuban community anxiously waited while negotiations between the United States and Cuba secured the release of the prisoners. Two days before Christmas in 1962, the prisoners began arriving by air at Homestead Air Force Base and were reunited with their families at Dinner Key Auditorium. Two publications reported on the exceptional historical significance of the Brigade 2506 Museum and Library.