The Ralph M. Munroe Marine Stadium, also known as the Miami Marine Stadium (MMS), was built and completed in 1963 at a cost of around $2M and is the first stadium purpose-built for powerboat racing in the U.S. Other world class and nationally televised special event races, water sports, sporting events and concerts were also held at MMS.

Poured entirely in concrete, the 6,566 seat stadium was designed by Cuban architect Hilario Candela, FAIA. Consisting of a dramatic 326-foot long cantilevered folded plate roof supported by eight big slanted columns anchored in the ground through the grandstand, it was the longest span of cantilevered concrete on earth at the time. It is a masterwork of civic architecture and modern construction.

In the wake of the Hurricane Andrew in 1992, MMS was declared an unsafe building. Its condemnation and abandonment has led to significant deterioration, environmental damage, and extensive graffiti. However, MMS has remained an attraction for its photographic panoramic view of the central business districts and barrier islands of Miami. Over the years many efforts have been made to restore and revive MMS. Following the City of Miami local historic designation in 2008, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added MMS its 2009 list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places and it has recently been nominated for addition to the National Register of Historic Places.

R.J. Heisenbottle Architects are performing a phased historical restoration of the stadium including building conditions assessment and recommendations report, building programming services, cost estimating, laser scanning and documentation of existing conditions and graffiti removal testing in Phase