MIAMI — Miami commissioners unanimously granted an appeal Thursday that would clear the way for the restoration and expansion of the historic Coconut Grove Playhouse.
The vote reverses a decision from the planning, zoning and appeals board.
Preservation advocates were pushing to save the nearly 100-year-old landmark, and now officials will move ahead with redevelopment plans that would include a new, modern theater.
Built in 1927, the Coconut Grove Playhouse evolved into one of the country’s most important regional theaters.
Legendary artists adorned its stage, and even former President Harry Truman paid the place a visit.
In 1989, Local 10 News covered the play “Mixed Blessings,” which centered on a Miami-Cuban family.
A crown jewel of its time, the venue is now reduced to bones.
The last curtain fell at the historic theatre in 2006, and now the cracked and crumbling blue building silently sits amid bustling retail shops and restaurants.
The first phase is expected to open next year in time for the Playhouse’s centennial.
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