The proximity of the ShowBiz Cinemas Homestead multiplex that opened towards the end of 2019 only three miles away was probably a contributor to the Flagship’s closing.
In 2020, due to the pandemic shutdown and unsustainable operational costs, management and operation of the Olympia Theatre was returned to the City of Miami as announced on their website (that also includes interesting historic photos):
The Halal Guys restaurant referred to in my first May 9th, 2018 comment is closed so the exact spot where the Sunset Theatre once stood before demolition is now an empty storefront.
Meanwhile a version of Fox’s has opened in the space where the original (that I’ve mentioned in my previous comments) had been with similar decor and dim lighting but a different floor plan. The neon Fox’s sign that had been on the front of the building since the 1940’s has been moved to the back above where the main entrance is now.
All Google Street View images for this address show a vacant lot that looks to have been empty for years. I believe the building that contained the 79th Street Twin II Cinema was demolished perhaps decades ago.
As can be seen in Google Street View images, the entire building that in its final incarnation was Flea Market USA but had once included the Star Twin when it was the Woolco Shopping Center, was demolished sometime between April 2019 and February 2020.
I used to gaze down upon the surprisingly large Flea Market USA while passing by on northbound Metrorail trains, but on a more recent trip a year or so ago was startled to suddenly see a vast empty lot.
I have been able to match the posts holding up the Woolco sign in the photo Al Avarez linked to in his April 15th, 2011 comment to the posts holding up the Flea Market USA sign in Google Street View, as well as the building behind the sign in both images, so it was the same place.
Wow, I was too young in the 1970’s to be aware that such content as shown in the ads posted here for the Star Twin existed in the movie exhibition marketplace.
Where in the large building was the Star Twin located?
While it was open, was anything associated with it visible from the parking lot or street, such as a marquee?
Wow, I’ve noticed that the web address for this entry ends in “theaters/1”, which seems to indicate that the Chinese Theatre was the very first cinema to be listed on Cinema Treasures.
And this comment of mine is #1650 (or #1642 according to the tally in the comments section), going back 20 years… : )
Says that the tradition of leaving imprints in the courtyard began 95 years ago today when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in freshly poured cement, then Sid Grauman who was giving her, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks a tour of the theater asked them to put their footprints, handprints and autographs. Also mentions the imprints have aged well due to a top secret cement recipe.
The episode includes Jim’s Crispy Fried Chicken as a place she had worked at as a teen and I see from Google Maps at least that is still open. : )
Wow, mine is the first comment on this page since 2008. Also it was fun responding to a comment that was left 15 years ago, and by someone who is still active on Cinema Treasures today. : )
The neon “Miami” sign can be seen above the marquee in archival photos on the Miami Theatre’s photos page such as this one and this one.
I took the “It’s a Miami Thing” photo above on August 21, 2021 like the other two I uploaded. The photo’s info was somehow changed to “March 13” when I clicked on the file’s “File Information” and I forgot to correct it before uploading.
Although it does not mention O Cinema, this Miami New Times article from October 5, 2021 describes the history of the changes to the Wynwood neighborhood that may have led to the cinema’s closure and the demolition of the building:
Click here to view a vandalized version of the auditorium I remember visiting in my comment above.
I wish there were photos from when it operated as the Grove Harbour.
This article from the Abandoned Florida website says it was used for theater classes by the Academy of Arts & Minds school when it occupied the property, which has been abandoned since it closed in 2018:
This Miami Hurricane (U. of Miami student newspaper) article from October 7th, 2021 describes plans for the Coral Gables Art Cinema to expand into an adjacent location by adding a second screen:
The article includes renderings of the proposed floorplan and of the front of the building, showing the original location on the right side of the entrance to the parking garage, and the new second location on the left in the storefront at 240 Aragon Avenue where Patio & Things furniture currently is.
Biscayne Bay Tribune article from August 30, 2021:
The Riviera Theatre, as well as the entire Riviera Plaza shopping center of which it was a part, was demolished in the days leading up to May 25th, 2021, when I gazed down from the northbound Metrorail car I was riding on and saw machinery removing the last piles of debris.
Only the marquee still stands alone at the sidewalk on US-1. (I walked by today and confirmed this. I hope the developers leave it there or incorporate it into the new Publix project as I’ve always enjoyed how it sort of had its own identity physically separate from the building.)
The page for this cinema on the Abandoned Florida website, that includes a variety of photos, says the cinema and the entire complex of which it was a part was demolished in 2017:
“The complex sat empty until 2017, when the property was bought by a developer for $29 million. Later that same year, it was demolished to make way for two high-rise residential towers, standing at 42 and 38 stories tall. The towers will have over 40,000 square feet of shops and restaurants on the lower levels, and 1,200 one and two bedroom apartments. The first phase of the project is planned to be completed by 2021.”
I’ve seen this confirmed by 2019 Google Street View images, which show a large construction project where the older images show the Riverfront entertainment, dining and shopping complex.
I attended the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival here maybe 20 years ago.
In 2007, the final film I saw at what I knew as the Las Olas Riverfront Cinemas was “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”, a documentary about men competing to achieve the world record high score on the classic video arcade game Donkey Kong. : )
Today I saw a tv news segment about an effort by the National Association of Theatre Owners called #SaveYourCinema, to rally people to contact their representatives in the United States Congress and tell them to do something to help stop movie theaters from going out of business before they can fully reopen.
I have uploaded photos I took of a historical marker/plaque for the Hollywood Theatre/Ritz Theatre that is attached to the wall on the left end of the storefront at 1921 Hollywood Boulevard that has been the home of Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub & Restaurant for several years. The plaque includes a description and an archival photo.
The spot where the plaque is placed against the wall painted orange is visible in the 2019 Google Street View image.
Click here for a map of downtown Hollywood’s historic landmark plaques, though the Hollywood/Ritz is the only former theatre so recognized probably because the others arrived later and the marker project is about the city’s earliest important businesses.
Oh wow, before I read the first sentence of the second paragraph of the description for this listing (“Never more than a late-run nabe…”) I had never heard of the term “nabe” before. How often have any of you heard the term used in reference to a cinema?
A Google search for “nabe meaning” results in “a local movie theater”. The Wiktionary page says “Neighborhood theater, neighborhood cinema”, and seems to indicate it was mostly a New York City thing. (I grew up on Long Island in the 1970’s-80’s but I wasn’t from the city and rarely interacted with it.)
This website promoting the current incarnation of the venue says “In the ’90s, when Miami’s fashion and film industries were riding high, artists such as Madonna, U2, J. Lo, Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin shot album covers and music videos there. Major photographers such as Helmut Newton, Herb Ritz, Patrick Demarchelier, and Bruce Weber shot campaigns for major fashion magazines and world renowned fashion designers using supermodels of the era to create their content.”
The proximity of the ShowBiz Cinemas Homestead multiplex that opened towards the end of 2019 only three miles away was probably a contributor to the Flagship’s closing.
I agree. The theater should be updated to closed. No longer listed on the Flagship Cinemas website: https://flagshipcinemas.com/
I have uploaded a photo of the Rio on the cover of the book “Cinemental Journeys”, almost 10 years after AMStar mentioned it in a comment above.
After taking the photo above, I donated this copy of the book to O Cinema South Beach, where it may be on the bookshelves of their auditorium.
In 2020, due to the pandemic shutdown and unsustainable operational costs, management and operation of the Olympia Theatre was returned to the City of Miami as announced on their website (that also includes interesting historic photos):
https://www.olympiaarts.miami/olympia-theater.html
Van Gough: The Immersive Experience has been occupying the Olympia for a while now. I hope it is keeping the theater going.
The Halal Guys restaurant referred to in my first May 9th, 2018 comment is closed so the exact spot where the Sunset Theatre once stood before demolition is now an empty storefront.
Meanwhile a version of Fox’s has opened in the space where the original (that I’ve mentioned in my previous comments) had been with similar decor and dim lighting but a different floor plan. The neon Fox’s sign that had been on the front of the building since the 1940’s has been moved to the back above where the main entrance is now.
All Google Street View images for this address show a vacant lot that looks to have been empty for years. I believe the building that contained the 79th Street Twin II Cinema was demolished perhaps decades ago.
The Star Twin discussed in the comments on this page has its own page on Cinema Treasures.
As can be seen in Google Street View images, the entire building that in its final incarnation was Flea Market USA but had once included the Star Twin when it was the Woolco Shopping Center, was demolished sometime between April 2019 and February 2020.
I used to gaze down upon the surprisingly large Flea Market USA while passing by on northbound Metrorail trains, but on a more recent trip a year or so ago was startled to suddenly see a vast empty lot.
I have been able to match the posts holding up the Woolco sign in the photo Al Avarez linked to in his April 15th, 2011 comment to the posts holding up the Flea Market USA sign in Google Street View, as well as the building behind the sign in both images, so it was the same place.
Wow, I was too young in the 1970’s to be aware that such content as shown in the ads posted here for the Star Twin existed in the movie exhibition marketplace.
Where in the large building was the Star Twin located?
While it was open, was anything associated with it visible from the parking lot or street, such as a marquee?
Wow, I’ve noticed that the web address for this entry ends in “theaters/1”, which seems to indicate that the Chinese Theatre was the very first cinema to be listed on Cinema Treasures.
And this comment of mine is #1650 (or #1642 according to the tally in the comments section), going back 20 years… : )
CBS Saturday Morning news segment, “The History of the Forecourt of the Stars,” from April 30th, 2022:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/the-history-of-the-forecourt-of-the-stars-the-tcl-chinese-theatre/#x
Says that the tradition of leaving imprints in the courtyard began 95 years ago today when actress Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in freshly poured cement, then Sid Grauman who was giving her, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks a tour of the theater asked them to put their footprints, handprints and autographs. Also mentions the imprints have aged well due to a top secret cement recipe.
The “It’s a Miami Thing” exhibit was extended to September 4, 2022.
One of the neon “Miami” signs from above the marquee of the Miami Theatre visible in archival photos such as this one and this one is the centerpiece of the “It’s a Miami Thing” exhibit at the HistoryMiami Museum that has been extended to September 4, 2022.
I have uploaded photos of it to the photos page from my visit to the museum.
To add to Patsy’s comment above from March 5, 2007, I watched an episode of “20/20” reviewing the life of Anna Nicole Smith broadcast on August 13th, 2021 in which her childhood friend explains to Anna Nicole’s daughter that there was little to do while growing up in Mexia and that “There’s no movie theaters”. I looked up the town on Cinema Treasures to see if there had ever been any and it appears all four were gone before her time, (though as I post this comment this page does not indicate when the Mexia Theater closed).
The episode includes Jim’s Crispy Fried Chicken as a place she had worked at as a teen and I see from Google Maps at least that is still open. : )
Wow, mine is the first comment on this page since 2008. Also it was fun responding to a comment that was left 15 years ago, and by someone who is still active on Cinema Treasures today. : )
The neon “Miami” sign can be seen above the marquee in archival photos on the Miami Theatre’s photos page such as this one and this one.
I took the “It’s a Miami Thing” photo above on August 21, 2021 like the other two I uploaded. The photo’s info was somehow changed to “March 13” when I clicked on the file’s “File Information” and I forgot to correct it before uploading.
Although it does not mention O Cinema, this Miami New Times article from October 5, 2021 describes the history of the changes to the Wynwood neighborhood that may have led to the cinema’s closure and the demolition of the building:
“Gentrification Complete: Will Wynwood’s Progress Be Its Downfall?”
Click here to view a vandalized version of the auditorium I remember visiting in my comment above.
I wish there were photos from when it operated as the Grove Harbour.
This article from the Abandoned Florida website says it was used for theater classes by the Academy of Arts & Minds school when it occupied the property, which has been abandoned since it closed in 2018:
https://www.abandonedfl.com/academy-of-arts-minds/
The Mr. Moe’s bar/restaurant that I had mentioned as being across the street is also closed.
After decades of dormancy, the Ace Theatre has received funds from the National Parks Service History of Equal Rights grants program to begin restoration!
Detailed Miami Herald article from October 18, 2021:
“A Theater With Deep Roots in the Grove’s Black Community Will ‘Finally Get its Voice Again’”
Miami Times article from July 21, 2021:
“West Grove ACE Theater Awarded Nearly $400K For Restoration”
Caribbean News article from July 17, 2021:
“West Grove’s ACE Theater Foundation Receives Award From the National Park Service”
Ace Theatre Facebook page.
This Miami Hurricane (U. of Miami student newspaper) article from October 7th, 2021 describes plans for the Coral Gables Art Cinema to expand into an adjacent location by adding a second screen:
“Coral Gables Art Cinema, home to late-night events, cult-classic screenings, set to expand in 2022”
The article includes renderings of the proposed floorplan and of the front of the building, showing the original location on the right side of the entrance to the parking garage, and the new second location on the left in the storefront at 240 Aragon Avenue where Patio & Things furniture currently is.
Biscayne Bay Tribune article from August 30, 2021:
“Coral Gables Art Cinema Plans Expansion, Begins Fundraising”
Miami Today article from August 31, 2021:
“Coral Gables Art Cinema Expanding”
Click here for complete details from the cinema’s own website for the project:
https://gablescinema.givecloud.co/
The Riviera Theatre, as well as the entire Riviera Plaza shopping center of which it was a part, was demolished in the days leading up to May 25th, 2021, when I gazed down from the northbound Metrorail car I was riding on and saw machinery removing the last piles of debris.
Only the marquee still stands alone at the sidewalk on US-1. (I walked by today and confirmed this. I hope the developers leave it there or incorporate it into the new Publix project as I’ve always enjoyed how it sort of had its own identity physically separate from the building.)
Rest in peace Riviera…
Google Street View images show the building that had housed O Cinema was demolished by March 2020.
Wynwood Green apartments are being constructed on the site.
The page for this cinema on the Abandoned Florida website, that includes a variety of photos, says the cinema and the entire complex of which it was a part was demolished in 2017:
https://www.abandonedfl.com/sunrise-cinemas-las-olas/
The last paragraph says:
“The complex sat empty until 2017, when the property was bought by a developer for $29 million. Later that same year, it was demolished to make way for two high-rise residential towers, standing at 42 and 38 stories tall. The towers will have over 40,000 square feet of shops and restaurants on the lower levels, and 1,200 one and two bedroom apartments. The first phase of the project is planned to be completed by 2021.”
I’ve seen this confirmed by 2019 Google Street View images, which show a large construction project where the older images show the Riverfront entertainment, dining and shopping complex.
I attended the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival here maybe 20 years ago.
In 2007, the final film I saw at what I knew as the Las Olas Riverfront Cinemas was “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”, a documentary about men competing to achieve the world record high score on the classic video arcade game Donkey Kong. : )
Today I saw a tv news segment about an effort by the National Association of Theatre Owners called #SaveYourCinema, to rally people to contact their representatives in the United States Congress and tell them to do something to help stop movie theaters from going out of business before they can fully reopen.
I have uploaded photos I took of a historical marker/plaque for the Hollywood Theatre/Ritz Theatre that is attached to the wall on the left end of the storefront at 1921 Hollywood Boulevard that has been the home of Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub & Restaurant for several years. The plaque includes a description and an archival photo.
The spot where the plaque is placed against the wall painted orange is visible in the 2019 Google Street View image.
Click here for a map of downtown Hollywood’s historic landmark plaques, though the Hollywood/Ritz is the only former theatre so recognized probably because the others arrived later and the marker project is about the city’s earliest important businesses.
Oh wow, before I read the first sentence of the second paragraph of the description for this listing (“Never more than a late-run nabe…”) I had never heard of the term “nabe” before. How often have any of you heard the term used in reference to a cinema?
A Google search for “nabe meaning” results in “a local movie theater”. The Wiktionary page says “Neighborhood theater, neighborhood cinema”, and seems to indicate it was mostly a New York City thing. (I grew up on Long Island in the 1970’s-80’s but I wasn’t from the city and rarely interacted with it.)
This article from the August 17th, 2020 Miami Herald says the Paris Theater will next become a restaurant:
“Movie house. Nightclub. Adult Cinema. Video Studio. What’s Next for the Paris Theater?”
Here’s a remiamibeach.com article including some discussion of the theater’s remaining historic elements and renderings of the new concept:
“Preservation Board to Consider Planned Renovations and ‘Supper Club’ Proposal for Historic Paris Theater”
This website promoting the current incarnation of the venue says “In the ’90s, when Miami’s fashion and film industries were riding high, artists such as Madonna, U2, J. Lo, Christina Aguilera and Ricky Martin shot album covers and music videos there. Major photographers such as Helmut Newton, Herb Ritz, Patrick Demarchelier, and Bruce Weber shot campaigns for major fashion magazines and world renowned fashion designers using supermodels of the era to create their content.”