Miami city commissioners voted for historic designation of St. Jude Melkite Catholic Church in Brickell over the opposition of church leaders, the Miami Herald reported.
The church has spent more than $30,000 to fight the designation, which their lawyer argues would increase the church’s operating expenses and reduce the value of its property, dwarfed by neighboring skyscrapers.
The dispute arose in August, when a small group of parishioners and supporters started pushing for historic designation because of the role the church played in the Cuban Revolution.
Sisters from the Assumption, an order of nuns who prayed at the church and lived in nearby buildings, helped Carmelite sisters expelled from Cuba after Fidel Castro seized power.
In April, the city’s preservation board turned down designation in a 4-2 vote.
That decision was appealed, leading to the commission’s approval early Friday morning. [Miami Herald] — Emily Schmall