Coconut Grove Playhouse may be designated historical

The city's preservation board may designate the Coconut Grove Playhouse historic. The playhouse board is not sure how to reconcile that with plans to redevelop the property.

Patrick Farrell/Herald Staff

TO BE PROTECTED: Miami's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board said the Coconut Grove Playhouse is likely to satisfy the city's criteria for protected historical status. A final vote on the matter is expected September 6.

BY LAURA MORALES
llmorales@herald.com

The Coconut Grove Playhouse may be getting a new present for its 50th birthday: designation as a historical site.

Miami's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board agreed Tuesday that the celebrated theater is likely to satisfy the city's criteria for protected historical status. A final vote on the matter is expected Sept. 6.

Property owners must be given at least 30 days' notice of such a vote. No alterations to the property are to be made until then.

The Playhouse's board of directors recently announced an $8 million deal with Strategic Properties Group to place condos, retail space and a parking garage on the site. It also would be home to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.

Board member Rosario Kennedy said the group didn't know how the original building would fit into the new plans for the property.

Andy Parrish, the board's vice chairman and a longtime Grove resident, said the building's Mediterranean Revival style, identifiable by its ornate, Spanish baroque detailing, and its important place in Miami's cultural history make it a likely candidate for protection.

About two years ago, the preservation board selected 25 locations, including East Coast Fisheries, First Presbyterian Church and the Playhouse, for consideration as historical sites, said Luciana Lamardo-Gonzalez, the city's special-projects coordinator, in an e-mail Friday.

Already 19 of the properties have gone before the board. One was denied historical status and five, including the Playhouse, are pending, Lamardo-Gonzalez added. The designation is assigned by the city and recognized at the state level.

The preservation board recently decided to speed up the theater's designation process when members of the Playhouse's board of directors announced the development plans.

''We love the building, and it's played an important part in our lives,'' Kennedy said Friday.

"But we won't be able to compete in a future world-class city when most of our budget has to go to building maintenance.''

Kennedy also said that she and county judge Michael Chavies are putting together a committee which will meet with Grove residents and preservationists to get their ideas on how best to maintain the property's character.

Parrish said he would like to see the building renovated and maintained as a historical site.

''I think it's an incredibly important property for our community because of what it contributes to the Grove's character and the services it provides, like much-needed parking for the village,'' he said.

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