First FIU President Charles E. Perry, left, stands in 1972 on the steps of FIU’s first building, Primera Casa, with American artist Albert Vrana. To enhance the aesthetics of the building affectionally known as PC—the five-story, concrete structure was once the largest in the State University System with more than 200,000 square feet of floor space—Vrana received a $40,000 commission to create the bronze Las Cuatro Razas (The Four Races), which is 103 feet wide and still adorns the facade today.
Vrana, who passed away in 1994, created the sculptured mural to reflect the university’s mission of providing quality education to meet the needs of the diversity of Floridians. His work was inspired by his years of travel in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe.
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