If you are looking for a quincallerie (hardware store), gros savon (soap), and beurre chaud (bread), then you must make a trip to Little Haiti, the neighborhood where Miami's growing number of Haitians have carved out a place they call their own. Little Haiti's population is of 33, 908. Little Haiti captures much of the flavor of world-famous Haitian primitive art, rich with the colors of the Caribbean. The Haitians have built up businesses along N. Miami Ave. and N.E. 2nd Avenue, excellent examples of this industrious community strong sense of ethnic pride and entrepreneurial energy.

Within minutes from Little Haiti, one of the best secrets in Miami is kept, the Design District, generally considered one of the 5 most important in the U.S. Also known as N.E. 40th Street, this 10-block area where beauty and aesthetics abound, has a concentration of showrooms, art galleries, furniture and fabrics that cater to the residential and commercial interior design and architectural industry.

The historic Buena Vista district is a residential enclave with a mix of Mediterranean style homes. The Little River commercial district is an area in transition, experiencing a revival with a Haitian/Caribbean flair. Lemon City/Little River houses an industrial center of growing economic importance, becoming one of the major employers in the area and one of the major manufacturing and distribution centers in the city.

Little Haiti Map

Click on the shaded area to see map details

Little Haiti Park

The vision for the Little Haiti Park project includes four non-contiguous components: recreational, cultural, governmental, and child development. The recreational component of the project will include two soccer fields, a jogging trail/vita course, and playground and picnic areas, along with ample parking. The landscape architectural firm of Curtis & Rogers is designing the park's Master Plan.

The cultural component will include the redevelopment of the Caribbean Marketplace currently being developed by the design firm of Zyscovich, Inc. This multi-purpose facility will feature a Black Box Theatre and a "state-of-the-art" dance facility. Additionally, the redeveloped Caribbean Marketplace will include an art gallery and community room, and will serve as the home of the area's Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) office.

The governmental component will include the NET and both a proposed regional library and regional neighborhood center. Lastly, the project will include a child development component that will include daycare facilities, wading pool, Internet, and after-school study facilities.

The Need for A Community Park

With limited availability of land and access to other area parks, the residents from the Little Haiti area have always felt the need for their own first class park to conduct sports and activities that are culturally significant to them. Championed by Commissioner Arthur E. Teele, Jr. and as part of the Homeland Defense / Neighborhood Improvement Bonds approved by voters in November 2001, the City of Miami has been able to move forward with $25 million allocated to the First-class, Full service Little Haiti Park.

Statistics show the area is severely underserved considering the amount of schools located in the area and the lack of area parks that offer after-school programs. Additionally, many studies show the dramatic correlation between juvenile crime and the lack of recreational opportunities. The burden of being the poorest large-city in the country, combined with the fact that the area has the lowest park acreage percentage in the City with only 1.8% of the total, accentuates the crucial need for a full-service park.

The full service park in the area is not only seen as essential to the revitalization of this historic neighborhood, it is also seen as a catalyst for a better quality of life, crime reduction, and promotion of a healthier lifestyle for adults and children alike.

This project promises to be the focal point that will epitomize positive change and promote both economic development and home ownership in this community!

Information provided by the City of Miami Homeland Defense Neighborhood Improvement Bond Oversight.

Initial Groundbreaking for Little Haiti Park

Photo by Jorge Perez

The initial groundbreaking ceremony for Little Haiti Park was held during the month of July. The City of Miami is pleased to announce this first phase, which will involve the new construction of a Wendy’s Restaurant on the corner of N.E. 62 Street and 2nd Avenue within the general park boundaries.

Wendy’s International, Inc. is one of the world’s largest restaurant companies and was recently selected as one of the “100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2004”. The Wendy’s site is directly across from the Little Haiti-Edison Credit Union on N.E. 2 Avenue and will complement the mix-use park area creating in addition more than thirty new jobs.

Wendy’s is donating one-third of the pie-shaped parcel to the City for use as part of the park. The public will be able to enjoy this portion as well. A replica of the Neg Mawon statue, designed by artist Albert Mangones, will be placed at its center. The sculpture is iconic for Haiti and has, in recent years, become a symbol for freedom and independence across the Caribbean. The restaurant will be one of Wendy’s newly designed test stores featuring a Caribbean themed exterior.

City of Miami officials were present at the groundbreaking ceremony including the Chairman of the Miami City Commission, Art Teele, Jr., who has been spearheading the creation of Little Haiti Park as well as Joe Keith, Wendy’s Director for Development in the Southeast Region of the United States based out of Atlanta.

Little Haiti Park between N.E. 64 Terrace to the North, 59th Street to the South, and between N.E. 2 and 4th Avenues is planned as a first class full service park. The park is funded with $25 million from the general obligation bonds approved by the voters in November of 2001. Several key components include recreational activities with soccer fields and playgrounds, the redevelopment of the Caribbean Marketplace featuring the “Black Box Theatre” and a dance facility, daycare facilities, pools and instructional Internet facilities. Other portions of the park are in various stages of environmental processes and land acquisition.

 

Caribbean Marketplace

When the Caribbean Marketplace opened its doors in 1990, it became a symbol of beauty and pride. It was a place where the locals would meet and greet, shop, and just enjoy a place of their own. But when it closed a few years ago, the community had lost its glorious landmark. Now that’s all about to change.


Located at 5925-27 NE 2nd Avenue, the Caribbean Marketplace was originally designed like the famed Iron Market in Port-au-Prince. Architect Charles Harrison Pawley, who is Haitian-born and Miami-bred, created the original design in 1984. The building received the National Honor Award in 1991 from the American Institute of Architects, the most prestigious award of its kind.

Current plans are underway to restore the Caribbean Marketplace to its original splendor. With Mr. Pawley's assistance, the architectural firm Zyscovich, Inc., is facilitating the project, along with City of Miami architects.

Once completed, the Caribbean Marketplace will be the cultural component of the Little Haiti Park project and will house the NET Office, art galleries, the Black Box Theatre, parking facilities, and will feature Caribbean arts and crafts, food, and music.
In conjunction with Little Haiti park, the Caribbean Marketplace will not only reenergize the neighborhood, but it will provide residents with a sense of pride and bring a much needed economic revival to the area, where locals and visitors will have the opportunity to patronage area restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and specialty stores

Information provided by the City of Miami Homeland Defense Neighborhood Improvement Bond Oversight.

 

Little Haiti NET

For more information about Little Haiti, Please contact the Little Haiti/ Edison NET office. The mission of the NET office is to help improve the quality of life of residents and businesses in the area. NET facilitates access to City services for citizens and serves as a clearinghouse for information. In addition to its role as a promoter of neighborhood enhancement and civic education, NET serves as a link between the residents and their government.

NET Service

Contact the Little Haiti NET office if you have questions or concerns about the following:

Other Services include but are not limited to:

• Information on City of Miami services and programs, housing, economic development, social programs and public improvements.

• Provide information on county, state and federal services.

• Provide and listen to ideas for improving your neighborhood

• Communication between City of Miami and neighborhood and homeowner association
  

For further information, contact the
Little Haiti/Edison/Little River NET office.
The office is currently located at
7815 NE 2nd Ave.
Miami, Florida 33138
Phone: (305) 795-2337