Strand Theatre
3033 NW Seventh Avenue,
Miami,
FL
33127
3033 NW Seventh Avenue,
Miami,
FL
33127
6 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 81 comments
I did some research on old Miami Heralds and found out the Strand opened at this address in 1918. It changed name to the SEVENTH AVENUE in 1926 and back to STRAND in 1938 after being taken over by Wometco.
Miami Guy,
That could very well be it. That 26 hurricane was a bear, and then there was a second one in the latter 30’s, I believe it may have been 1936, but I may be wrong. Regardless, after these storms many buildings were trashed, so I could see where the changes in “landscape” could have occured. I wish there were someone who lived during those years that could shed a light on what happened at the Strand site, as well as downtown. That map you posted was just incredible, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about it.
I have been trying to get more info on the Strand. I have posted on several websites that could generate information, but so far, only what I have posted here has come to light. What amazes me about this theatre, is that other than the Lyric, the Tivoli, and the Olympia, this is the only theatre in Miami that looks like it did when it first opened. Given the 1924, or 1926 date, it is obvious that this theatre originally was a silent movie house, it had to be, due to the year. What surprises me is that no one has made an attempt to save the building, or that the property hasn’t been classified as a historic site. Personally, I think it should be. The problem with the Strand is the area where it sits. I think that if the theatre was brought back to it’s original intent, it wouldn’t survive. The area where the Strand sits is poor, it was literally doomed the second I-95 was completed. I recently stopped there to see if the church was open to take a peak, but it was closed. I decided to go across the street to get a soda at a local Honduran cafeteria, and it was obvious that the area is both poor, and a tad on the rough side, although not horrifically. The folks in the restaurant were very friendly, it’s just that the area is run down. At one time NW 7th Avenue where the Strand sits, and the neighborhood around it was a very popular area to live in. I lived on NW 34th Street just west of NW 7th Avenue, across Corpus Christi until age 5. I remember several stores lining both NW 7th Avenue and NW 36th streets. NW 36th Street has had a better survival as far as shopping is concerned, where NW 7th Avenue has had very little comeback, if any.
When I think that there was Dexter’s Roller Rink, the theatre, the 5 & 10, The Shrimp Place restaurant, Miami Stadium, a few other shops whose name I can’t remember, and Moore Park, that tells me that life in that neighborhood was as I remember it as a kid. Fun! Sadly I never went inside the Strand, wish I had.
Miami Guy, do you still live in Miami? I currently live in Pompano Beach about 38 miles north. It would be fun to have a local friend who shares some of the same interests I have in Old Miami! There are not too many of us “natives” running around these days, it seems everyone has moved further north or out of the state all together.
Louis and Al —I’m just thinking out loud here, but one possible explanation for the two different dates could be that The Strand was originally built in 1924, then damaged by the hurricane of 1926, and rebuilt, so that what’s showing in the City’s building records could be the last/most recent building permit info.
With so many buildings in ruin after the hurricane of 1926, I would imagine that the City had an expedited building approval process, and it’s also not inconceivable that some building owners would try to take advantage of that process to modernize/expand their properties even if they weren’t damaged by the storm.
Just a thought.
Yes it is. That theatre is still there. Has a lot of history too. I need to drive by there, haven’t been in that area in a long time. It’s a war zone down there, probably the most crime infested area of Miami.
Louis, the Lyric (817 NW 2ND AVENUE) may still be there as a church.
Al,
After carefully checking out all the old Miami movie houses still standing, it appears that the Olympia and the Strand are the only ones who have kept their original theatre design. The Strand should be considered a historic landmark since it was around when silent films were the norm. There are not too many theatres from that time left, at least not here in South Florida.
No Louis, the 1924 edition does not carry addresses.
Al,
Does that old film year book state the physical address of the Strand Theatre owned by H. A. Leach?
Here is a recent picture of the Strand Theatre. Notice that on where the marquee sat, you can see where the name was changed back to the Strand. Originally this marquee was all metal and the Strand name was done vertically in neon letters. In it’s hey day, this theatre looked very sharp.
Picture link:
<img src=“www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org/images/strand_theatre_miami.jpg”>
We now know the name of the skating rink next door to the Strand. It was called Dexter’s Roller Rink. Amazingly I found a CD on Ebay that has copies of the different logos these roller rinks used back in the day. Apparently it was sporting to put the stickers of the rinks on your skating duffles!
Thanks to Miami Jackson for the lead on Mr. Ward!
Miami Jackson,
Thank you for the referral. Dick was a wealth of information. He was able to shed a light on the Dade and Regent theatres of Allapatah. In addition he provided me with some information that was valuable in understanding delays before and after WWII, when it came to building.
I have posted the information he provided on the threads that pertain to those 2 theatres. We are still looking for more information on the Strand, hopefully some more folks who are familiar with it will find their way here!
Maybe the third time will be the charm. I’ve had two previous messages deleted. Bottom line: There’s a Miami Jackson website on MyFamily.com made up of grads from the 1950’s. Dick Ward is the guy who runs the site. He was a Miami police officer for 30+/– years. I’m sure he, or one of the many other members could give you some info on the Strand. His email is .com
Interesting as always. The theatre was there in 34, if there was a listing in 24, then 34 was a definite. City of Miami building records shows that building as built in 26. As far as I know, that theatre was always the Strand, with the exception of those few years where it was the Sun Sun.
If you go to the Corpus Christi church website, you will see references made to the Strand, where services were held prior to the church being built.
Louis, I have some old Film Year Books. The 1924 edition already lists the Strand along with the Fotosho, Hippodrome, Airdome, Biltmore, Lyric, Lincoln, Fairfax and Paramount.
H.A Leach is listed as the Strand owner but there is always the possibility of another old Strand. There is no listing for it in my 1934 book.
Al,
The last name of this theatre was the Strand. Apparently it was changed back to the Strand after it was purchased by another owner, who apparently had it for about 4 months before it was sold again to a religious group who converted it to a church, since that sale there have been 4 churches there.
If you look at the picture posted, you can see the Strand name, the problem is that originally, the theatre’s name was on a red metal background with neon letters. When it became the Sun Sun, the metal with the neon letters was taken down, and the name Sun Sun was painted on the wall where the original name had been. After the theatre was sold, the Sun Sun name was painted over, and the Strand name was re-painted on the concrete surface. So basically the theatre closed as The Strand. This theatre was still Sun Sun in 1986, it became the Strand again in 87, and closing as a theatre in the latter part of 87, becoming a church sometime in 88, perhaps 89.
According to the City of Miami building records, the building at 3033 NW 7th Avenue was built in 1926. That may be wrong though.
Where did you see that the Strand was showing movies in 24? As you know, from the pics you got of the original grand opening program of the Miami Theatre, the Strand was owned by Wometco in 47 when that event took place. I have always been curious as to the origins of this theatre and whether the building was built with the purpose of being a theatre. The City of Miami records don’t really give any details as far as original owner, type of permit etc. But I know that you have a remarkable way of finding out these things! So I am all ears.
I think the name here should be changed to Sun-Sun Cinema which was the actual name in 1975. I can’t find any record of the ‘Sun Theatre’ name.
The Strand was already showing movies in 1924.
Lost,
That picture is off the Google Maps satellite view. Amazingly most of the streets in Miami have actual pics. Check it out on Google Maps, there is a little man type of Icon that you can place on the street or address you want to view.
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/64es44
Some Sun Theater ads here:
View link
The Strand appears as part of Wometco Enterprises on the 4/18/1947 theatre list posted on the back of the Miami Theatre’s inagural program/brochure.
Well finally got around to going by the old Strand Theatre. The marquee has been painted over, the theatre is now officially a church, I took some pics but I need to get them on my server so I can post links to them, and share them with all of you.
There are some new church doors, however the entrance still sports a double door system. The glass showcases where the old movie posters were placed are still there. The Strand name is gone, you can’t even tell it was there. The sign at one time was metal with the letters in neon, the only thing left is the wall where that sign was, the marquee is still there as well, but again the lights and the metal is gone, and the wall underneath has been painted. Even though it looks nothing like what it did 30 years ago, you can still tell it was a theatre at some point in time.
I will get the pictures up and running in the next few days, and post the links to them.
Used to go to the Stand every Sat. in the early 50’s.
Would get 25¢ allowance every Sat. morning…..off to the movies!
Used to go to the Stand every Sat. in the early 50’s.
Would get 25¢ allowance every Sat. morning…..off to the movies!
9¢ admission, 1¢ candy machine, 5¢ candy at counter, 10¢ for pop-
corn……off to get a seat; cartoons, serial, 2 movies. Quite an after-
noon.
Yes, there was a skating rink next to the theater. Had a birthday
party there one year…probably 8th birthday …1953.
Stage Manager,
I am glad you found it! If you could get some pictures that would be great! Especially if you can get one of the inside. There is a church there now, The Miami Mission.
Well as far as the theatre goes, this is what I know. The last time that theatre showed movies was back in 84. At that time it was The Sun Theatre, and it showed martial arts films exclusively. Before that it was an adult theatre, at that time it went by the name of Strand Art Theatre. Back in those days most adult theatres used the word “Art” in their names, not sure why, but I think that had a lot to do with legal stuff, but I may be wrong. I can tell you that in 1970 when I moved from Miami the Strand was already an adult movie house.
As a child growing up in that area, I remember the theatre being a very busy and popular place. In those days, the Wynwood/Allapatah areas were middle class neighborhoods. During the 60s, that area got bad very quickly. I think the building of I 95 turned a lot of people away, hence moving to other areas of the city. During it’s hey day, The Strand was a very nice looking theatre, their big thing was “Always 2 Features” which was on the theatre marquee and on the lighted frames of the movie posters. The marquee stuck out in triangular fashion, and underneath, it was full of round white light bulbs illuminating the entrance very nicely. As I remember it, I believe it had a ticket booth, but I may be confusing it with another of the Miami Theatres. The one thing that is very clear in my mind were the lights and the smell of popcorn which permeated the entrance.
The Strand was a sharp looking theatre, it was the first theatre that I remember. I never went inside, but I have always been curious about this theatre. If you do happen to get some pictures, I would be very appreciative if you could email me some copies, they would make a great screen saver. I have pictures of the old Miami Stadium that I uploaded into a screen saver! My email is
Thank God I’ve found this page. On an alternate route to work I’ve passed the Strand Theatre many times and I’ve found it so difficult to find any information about it online. Interestingly, it’s listed here as the Sun Theatre yet the sign at the building still says Strand. Does anybody know when it was last open as a movie house?
I’d like to take a few pictures of it soon, even though it’s been lacking in maintenence for decades.
George,
I did some research. I found a connection at Corpus Christi church who may have some pics of the theatre in it’s day. Interestingly enough, I also found out that at one time there was a roller rink next to the theatre. The church held catechism classes there before the church was built. It seems the church dominated that theatre on Sundays for quite a few years. I have to wonder how many people actually went to the movies there. Downtown seems to have had all the big fancy theatres. It would make sense that most of the big box office smashes played in downtown and not at The Strand, but I may be wrong.
Currently the property is up for auction due to back taxes. The value is listed at $762,000.00 a tad too steep for an investment there at this time. It would be a great idea to bring the theatre back to life and open it as a club. I don’t think a movie theatre in that space would survive, but a club most certainly will, given the development plans for that entire area.
The area is going to be re-developed in the next few years. All the properties have been bought and the areas east of Biscayne and west to N. Miami Avenue is going to be, guess what? Condos and luxury lofts. This area is being populated by those who wish to live in Biscayne Park, but have not been able to do so. Biscayne Park is now a mecca like South Beach was in the early 80s. It is going to be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years.