BY LILA ARZUA
 larzua@herald.com

 Clusters of sightseers huddled beneath umbrellas Sunday, sometimes for more than half an hour in the rain, to experience the place Elián González once called home.

 The Little Havana residence opened its doors as a museum, and on the first day, hundreds made a pilgrimage to 2319 NW Second St. to see the house where history
 happened.

 ``This is something that had to be done,'' said Elián's great-uncle Delfín González, surrounded by a constellation of Elián photograph collages. After buying the home last
 year, Delfín González and his family have spent months planning the museum, named Unidos en Casa Elián -- United in Elián House.

 Admission is free.

 For now, the exhibit will be open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 ``This was a historic moment during which Elián took steps in liberty,'' said González, who spent his own money to convert the home into a shrine to the boy, now 7.

 Outside, vehicles maneuvered gingerly through the already narrow street, encroached even further by cars parked several deep along the sides. A line of people stretched
 down the sidewalk, as the small house could only accommodate about a dozen guests at a time.

 Among them was City of Miami Mayor Joe Carollo, who came with his two daughters. For many of the other visitors, it was also a family affair -- Banigno Sosa said his
 7-year-old daughter Silvia had asked to go after she heard about the museum on television.

 ``The memory is a bit bitter, but it is a memory,'' said Sosa as his daughter admired Elián's racecar bed.

 Nearby, Mirta Valdés broke down in tears when she spotted a Big Bird doll she had given Elián, perched on shelf with dozens of his favorite juguetes or toys.

 ``I loved Elián very much,'' said Valdés, who lives in the neighborhood and used to visit almost daily to check on the boy in the days when the media camped out near the
 home.

 Not on display was another toy she had given Elián -- a stuffed plaything bigger than the boy was at the time. It and hundreds of other gifts and mementos are stored
 away, far too many to exhibit at one time.

 The family plans to continuously change the presentations to show all the tokens in turn.

 ``Here people have a little corner where they can remember him,'' said Delfín González, who welcomed visitors along with his sister Georgina, brother Lázaro, and Lázaro's
 daughter Marisleysis, who visited the exhibit briefly.

 They consider the home a work in progress and invite the community to offer ideas.

 As it is now, Denver resident Elba Hechevarria found the museum beautiful, but heartbreaking -- especially where Elián spent his last minutes inside the home.

 Hechevarria, a real estate entrepreneur, stood in the room where Elián was seized by federal agents on April 22, 2000, to be reunited with his father, an act that angered
 many in Miami's Cuban exile community.

 ``I am from Cuba, and even though my kids were born and grew up here, I feel for my country,'' said Hechevarria, who traveled from Colorado this weekend to visit the
 museum.

 For great-uncle Lázaro González -- who along with his family moved out after the raid -- the memorabilia is a way to navigate between the joys of Elián's stay in Miami,
 and the lingering sadness.

 He said he doesn't know how many people will show up, but emphasized that everyone is invited -- ``for all to know that Elián's toys are well taken care of,'' he said.
 
 
 
 

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