Progress continues on revival of Coconut Grove Playhouse

MIAMI — For the past twenty years the doors to the Coconut Grove Playhouse have been closed.

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Now that plans to revive Miami’s historic playhouse are moving forward, Local 10 News got a look inside the iconic building that opened its doors in 1927.

“Phase one was the shoring up and the beginning of the restoration,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado. “The third floor isn’t in as bad of shape, the second floor was in worse shape because there were some leaks in the bathroom there. Back in the day the actors lived up there.”

There has also been preservation work during the construction.

“We also gathered all the historical pieces and we have them stored,” said Regalado. “A lot of people have asked us about the markers, the arch; that is all put away, and now we will start building the second piece of it which is the corridor that goes between the two buildings.”

Regalado said the next phase will be the construction of a new 300-seat state-of-the-art theater.

“Theater is part of the fabric of any community that is thriving and wants to attract the kind of talent we want here in Miami-Dade, so it is important to have a theater like the Coconut Grove Playhouse,” said Coconut Grove Playhouse Executive Director Juan Jose Escalante.

The award-winning theater company GableStage will operate the restored theater.

It’s a reopening that will also be a bit of a homecoming for Escalante, who once worked at the theatre’s box office.

“I saw so many plays, I saw so many people who are now Oscar winners now, who started their work on the craft right here on this stage,” he said. “We are going to have five productions a year, but most importantly we are going to have a very robust community engagement and education program here.”

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Regalado spoke regarding who owns the land, how the restoration is being funded and who is responsible for its operation and maintenance.

“The land belongs to the state of Florida but all the funding is Miami-Dade County,” she said. “The city of Miami, when my father was the mayor, actually earmarked $10 million, but then they took it away. So this is all county cultural affairs funding, and one of the things that we tried to explain to everyone is that it needs to be completely self-sustaining. So there’s pockets of it that have a little bit of commercial, and the reason for that is the county is not committed to the operation and maintenance of this building. So we created it in a way where GableStage and the little retail that we allowed is going to make it completely self-sustainable.

“The next phase is $40 million,” she continued. “That’s going to get us to the opening, but the county is not committed to (Operations and Management). When you start adding the litigation and the time and the cost and everything, it’ll probably end up being closer to $60 million when we’re all done. But it’s a beautiful historic building and we’re committed to restoring it and really bringing something lovely into the portfolio of Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs.”

According to the Miami-Dade Beacon Council, “Miami’s world-renowned creative sector is one of the cornerstones of the city’s economy.”

In 2023, Miami-Dade’s Department of Cultural Affairs said a “groundbreaking nationwide study” found that the county’s “Arts and cultural sector generates $2.1 billion in economic activity and supports over 31,000 jobs in Miami-Dade County.”

Back in 2012, the county said “Miami-Dade County’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations represent a significant business industry in Miami-Dade County–one that generates almost $1.1 billion in local economic activity, an almost 17% increase over the last study released five years ago.”

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Playhouse Preservation FAQ