Help Us Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse
Why Miami-Dade County's Plan for the Coconut Grove Playhouse
Jeopardizes its Historic Designation
Counterpoint to Miami-Dade County’s justification for the destruction of 83% of the almost 100-year-old Coconut Grove Playhouse building. Yes, the County plan does in fact jeopardize its historic designation according to the state’s Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, and it does violate the City of Miami’s historic preservation laws. Unlike the Sears Tower, where only the tower was designated, the entire Playhouse was designated historic by a unanimous vote of the City’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board because the main playhouse auditorium has much more historic significance than the
Sears retail area.
Sears retail area.
- There are indeed public processes involved with de listing any historic property from City, State or National historic designation—since it is a lengthy and careful process to get them designated. And yes, properties being considered for designation undergo the “COA process every day with the intent of revitalizing them while preserving the defining features and character that evoke their historic significance.” Well, not quite every day, since Florida has relatively few historic properties compared to, say, New England. All the more reason to preserve them.
- The “adaptive re-use” plan for the Playhouse—that demolishes 83% of the structure— "just like the Sears Tower" is based on one sentence in the 2005 Designation Report, even though the author of that report said this in her sworn testimony: “I was also a bit chagrined at myself because at the end of the report I made the statement only the south and east facades are distinctive, which has led, I think to people assuming that I am saying that only the east and south facades are important and, therefore, we don’t need to worry about the building envelope itself… the building footprint is what we are recommending to you for designation.” (Uguccioni at pp. 5-6).
- The County claims that their plan does not jeopardize the historic recognition of the Playhouse, and in fact it uplifts it.” As if to say that 83% demolition would not de-list the Playhouse because, “There is no process to automatically remove a historic property from either local designation or from the National Register.” The fact that the State of Florida which owns the building says the County “plan” violates almost every tenet of historical preservation means that, if everyone at every level ignores what the county has done, the 17% of the Playhouse left standing would remain historically designated and not remain, instead, forever as a monument to how not to preserve our historic treasures.
Hear what the experts have to say...
Melissa Meyer Assoc. AIA LEED AP BD+C Adjunct Professor Miami Dade College School of Architecture and Interior Design
Comparing the Sears Tower and the Playhouse is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two different building typologies.
"If the proposed plans are implemented the property will no longer possess the historic character and integrity that allowed the property to be listed in the National Register. Therefore, the Playhouse could be removed from the National Register." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
Significant ORIGINAL interior elements: Solomonic columns, double proscenium arch, etc. can be restored in their existing original locations, WHILE allowing for the integration of modern theater technology, and the ADDITION of modern theater support spaces (to replace non-historic support spaces).
"In the context of the proposed project, our office does not consider restoring the façade to the 1927 design to be inappropriate, as long as the remainder of the building is consistent with that period." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
The photo below is an example of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, i.e., a cruel joke, and in no way resembles preservation—mere shards, fragments, bits and pieces, ripped from their original context—to create an ironic, mournful display of kitsch. (See County photo of historical elements “on display.”)
"The Standards are flexible and allow for a property to be modernized and improved to meet current needs while still maintaining the historic nature of the property." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
View letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
Comparing the Sears Tower and the Playhouse is like comparing apples and oranges. They are two different building typologies.
- In the Sears Tower, the most significant typological element is the TOWER. Hence the building's name.
- In the Playhouse, the most significant typological element is the THEATER. That's what makes it an historic landmark. With the historic theater demolished, and the County plan implemented, you are left with an historic facade fronting a completely DIFFERENT building typology—a SHOPPING CENTER with an insignificant small auditorium—resulting in the complete loss of historic character, landmark status and integrity that got the building listed in the first place.
- Also lost—the opportunity for 20% in federal tax credits for the rehabilitation of historic properties that are typically used as leverage to engage in private/public partnerships (for the development of the remainder of the Playhouse parcel) as well as millions in available grant funding for restoration, rehabilitation and educational programming.
"If the proposed plans are implemented the property will no longer possess the historic character and integrity that allowed the property to be listed in the National Register. Therefore, the Playhouse could be removed from the National Register." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
Significant ORIGINAL interior elements: Solomonic columns, double proscenium arch, etc. can be restored in their existing original locations, WHILE allowing for the integration of modern theater technology, and the ADDITION of modern theater support spaces (to replace non-historic support spaces).
"In the context of the proposed project, our office does not consider restoring the façade to the 1927 design to be inappropriate, as long as the remainder of the building is consistent with that period." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
The photo below is an example of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, i.e., a cruel joke, and in no way resembles preservation—mere shards, fragments, bits and pieces, ripped from their original context—to create an ironic, mournful display of kitsch. (See County photo of historical elements “on display.”)
"The Standards are flexible and allow for a property to be modernized and improved to meet current needs while still maintaining the historic nature of the property." (See letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer)
View letter from Jason Aldridge, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
