The Little Haiti Cultural Complex broke ground in 2006, the realization of a long-held vision by the late Miami City Commissioner Arthur E. Teele Jr. to build a cultural anchor within the Little Haiti neighborhood.
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The complex’s landmark Caribbean Marketplace building opened in 1990, sixteen years before the surrounding cultural complex broke ground in 2006.
Inside the Little Haiti Cultural Complex
The complex was developed around the Caribbean Marketplace, also known as Mache Ayisyen, a landmark building modeled after Port-au-Prince’s famous Iron Market. The marketplace itself opened in 1990, more than a decade before the surrounding cultural complex took shape, and cost $1.2 million to build.
A Hub for Afro-Caribbean Arts
Today the complex includes an art gallery, theater, and marketplace space, drawing more than 100,000 visitors and program participants a year. It functions as a gathering point for local and international artists connected to the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, hosting exhibitions, performances, and cultural events rooted in Haitian heritage.
Recent Investment in the Complex
After years of deferred maintenance, the Little Haiti Cultural Complex began a round of needed repairs in 2024, aimed at preserving the facility for future generations of artists and visitors.
More about regional cultural institutions can be found in the culture category.
