Coconut Grove Playhouse
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Material Information

Title:
Coconut Grove Playhouse
Series Title:
Nicole Combeau Coconut Grove Photographs
Creator:
Nicole Combeau ( Photographer )
Publication Date:

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
West Grove
Miami
Photograph
Coconut Grove Playhouse (Miami, Fla.)
Theater architecture -- Florida -- Miami
Historic buildings -- Florida -- Miami
Genre:
Photograph
Spatial Coverage:
Florida--Miami--Coconut Grove--West Grove
Coordinates:
25.7257902683291 x -80.2447933084345

Notes

Abstract:
Historical marker for the Coconut Grove Playhouse, located at 3500 Main Hwy. Inscription Side 1: This theater is one of the few structures in downtown Coconut Grove that typifies the flamboyant era of the 1920s. Envisioned by Miami entrepreneurs Irving Thomas and Fin Pierce, The Grove was a luxurious movie theater designed in the Spanish Rococo style by noted architect Richard Kiehnel, who also designed the Miami Senior High School, the Scottish Rite Temple, and many South Florida homes. The Grove was the most elaborate theater with the largest capacity in Miami. Before its opening in 1926, Thomas sold the theater to the movie studio Paramount Enterprises, Inc., believing that the studio could bring in larger attractions. As one of Paramount’s 11 theaters in Southeast Florida, it was equipped with the latest model Wurlitzer pipe organ and was one of the few air conditioned buildings in the area. In addition, the building served multiple purposes with storefronts on the ground floor, offices on the second, and apartments on the third. The theater enjoyed a brief period of success before it closed during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Side 2: World War II, the theater was used as a training school for U.S. Army Air Corps navigators. Following the war, the building was closed until 1955 when it was purchased for $200,000 by George Engle, who decided to transform it into a performing arts center. Engle hired prominent Modernist architect Alfred Browning Parker to redesign the theater. The remodeled theater opened on June 3, 1956, as the Coconut Grove Playhouse and was Miami’s first live theater. The opening was headlined by the U.S. premiere of Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece “Waiting for Godot.” After changing ownership multiple times, the theater was purchased by the State of Florida in 1980. Despite its turbulent history, the Coconut Grove Playhouse evolved into one of the most important regional theaters in the country and remains a beloved venue for the theatrical community in Miami. ( en )
Funding:
Support for this project was provided by the Mellon funded Race, Risk, and Resilience: Building a Local-to-Global “Commons for Justice” Grant.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Holding Location:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Commons for Justice