In my comment dated August 8th, 2020, I mentioned that a new Publix was being planned for this property.
As I post this, I am sitting in the dining area of the Riviera Plaza Publix.
On the evening of August 16th, 2025, I walked alone around the perimeter of the soon-to-be supermarket that appeared almost ready to open.
Up close, I experienced a pang of nostalgia, as the way the building and its new, wide sidewalks take up the entire property emphasized the fact that nothing physically remains of the Riviera Theatre/Plaza stores that had been a regular part of my neighborhood life back in the 1990’s. I thought of the stand-alone marquee that I had hoped in my previous comment dated June 1st, 2021, would be preserved in some manner (pictured in the newspaper clipping in rivest266’s comment above this one).
As I left the stillness of the area, I felt a bit haunted remembering that on a Saturday night such as this, there often would have been a line at the box office waiting to see that weekend’s latest releases.
At 7am on September 25th I attended the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Publix.
Inside while shopping, I wondered at what points was I standing at a spot where previously I had sat watching movies. When I encountered a customer I knew and mentioned this to her, she related and said she had seen “Grease”(1978) here.
Later, when “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John played on the store’s speakers, I got choked up, though I was missing a relationship to a place, not a person. In my head I started changing the lyrics at the end of the song: “Watching the movies. Eating at Subway. And I guess that’s why they called it Riviera. I used to watch movies. Now it’s a Publix…”
While heading to check out, I noticed I may have been the last of the group of first customers to finish, perhaps due to time spent reminiscing and taking the new place in. Before leaving I tried out the dining area, munching on some of my purchases, where I discovered a sign declaring it to be a wifi hotspot.
I have enjoyed this Publix several times since and feel that visiting the former Riviera Plaza strip mall property on the opening day of its new identity gave me some closure.
I’ll close what might be my final comment on this cinema with a link to a Miami Herald article from August 30th, 2025, via Yahoo News, that includes some memories of the Riviera Theatre:
I hope the book I donated will continue to be displayed in what this Miami Herald article about the CGAC’s expansion plans describes as “a vintage-inspired rotating window exhibit that will showcase Krams’ extensive collection of late 19th through 20th century cinema technology” when the second screen opens.
Also if you Google “O Cinema Wynwood” then click on “see photos” to the right of the search results, there are a lot more depicting what the place was like.
In March 2025 a controversy occurred when the mayor of Miami Beach felt O Cinema should be closed for showing the film “No Other Land”. A city commission meeting at which there was public pushback ended in the theater’s favor.
An internet search using terms such as “O Cinema No Other Land” results in news stories from local and national sources detailing the situation.
During several trips to Seattle starting in 2008, I visited the Grand Illusion three or four times and it became my favorite Seattle cinema for its cozy environment and interesting offerings.
When I returned to Seattle in September/October 2015 to consider moving there, I found that many of the decades-old local businesses whose presence imbued the area with a vibe of creativity I had enjoyed being in were suddenly gone and continuing to disappear, apparently due to an influx of tech industry workers and the rising rents they can afford, changing the feel of the city and my mind about living there… but at least the Grand Illusion was still there.
Reading here that the Grand Illusion will be forced to relocate, and assuming its original location will be replaced by new construction of less character, I am reminded of my disappointment. (I felt haunted into early 2017, like I had visited an old acquaintance named Seattle, and found them changing in a direction that suddenly ended what might have become a friendship.) I hope the coziness I remember will relocate with it.
This context of accelerated change inspired a song for a Seattle area band which became my “theme song” for this situation, “Gold Rush” by Death Cab For Cutie.
If I had moved to Seattle, by now I would have had enough stamps on the Grand Illusion “Cinephile Card” I still keep as a souvenir to earn a free admission.
I visited the Grand Illusion several times on my trips to Seattle and each time I’d arrive, I always enjoyed approaching the scene in this photo from across the street, then ascending the stairs between the two poster boxes with the inviting house-like building on the left, (a separate business from the cinema).
On the day that I see that this cinema’s status has been changed to “demolished”, it will bother me knowing these structures are sure to be replaced by something of lesser character.
In early July 2019, while visiting Seattle for the first time since creating this listing for the University Theater in December 2017, I had the interesting experience of suddenly happening upon the former cinema while driving on NE 55th Street and pulling up to the intersection at University Way in my rental car. There it was to my left, the cute yellow building I had not seen in a year and a half since viewing images of it on my laptop in Miami on the opposite corner of the country. I turned and slowly drove past it, as the physical mentally encountered the virtual.
In recent years, the elements that gave Seattle a vibe I used to enjoy visiting continue to go away…
Compare these to a photo of mine I have uploaded of the storefront as it was during my trip to New Mexico in July 2019 – the marquee is still there!
The description I never posted was to end with:
“In 2019 Iron Cafe, an Asian restaurant, became the latest business to occupy the theatre’s former space – but the rectangular sign that was the Don Pancho’s marquee still projects over the sidewalk.”
In April 2022 it is still viewable on Google Maps.
In addition, I appreciate Ranjit’s paragraphs on “The Demise of Cinema” about the sense of community small art cinemas could invoke in the 1960’s and 70’s that in today’s age of smartphones is mostly gone.
Compare this image to those of the Don Pancho’s when it was open at the top of this page or the black and white image in the upper left-hand corner of this page, both on Ranjit Sandhu’s rjbuffalo website.
If I remember correctly, for some reason when I posted my October 1st, 2018 comment the heading for this listing was spelled “Towne”, so I went with that despite the ads shown in the photos section. The heading was apparently corrected sometime since.
Thanks for verifying that it became the supermarket. I will think of that if I attend the Street Painting Festival (updated link) that takes place this weekend on the streets around the Lake Worth Playhouse, then visit the shopping center the supermarket is in to eat at the Panda Garden restaurant I mentioned. Maybe the Guatemalan-Mayan immigrants whose presence I enjoyed will be there again.
I wish there were a photo posted from the point of view of someone gazing down upon Lincoln Road from the patios/balconies, as I mention in my comment from February 18th, 2023, to better illustrate what I am describing.
The Miami Beach branch of Books & Books that I mention in my January 12th, 2016 comment is gone and the whole space including the hallway that lead to the Alliance (later bookstore) seems to now be occupied by a hookah bar.
I wonder if they still use the Alliance’s restrooms (which had been used by Books & Books).
Before or after seeing a film, I would stand here for several minutes contemplating the view and gazing down upon the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall stretching east into the distance, like people-watching from above.
This was my favorite thing about the Regal South Beach.
Outdoor patios with this view were available on both the second and third floors.
In the 1990’s, before the Regal South Beach opened, I would make the trip over to Lincoln Road to visit the Alliance Cinema before the Regal probably contributed to its closure.
In my comment dated August 8th, 2020, I mentioned that a new Publix was being planned for this property.
As I post this, I am sitting in the dining area of the Riviera Plaza Publix.
On the evening of August 16th, 2025, I walked alone around the perimeter of the soon-to-be supermarket that appeared almost ready to open.
Up close, I experienced a pang of nostalgia, as the way the building and its new, wide sidewalks take up the entire property emphasized the fact that nothing physically remains of the Riviera Theatre/Plaza stores that had been a regular part of my neighborhood life back in the 1990’s. I thought of the stand-alone marquee that I had hoped in my previous comment dated June 1st, 2021, would be preserved in some manner (pictured in the newspaper clipping in rivest266’s comment above this one).
As I left the stillness of the area, I felt a bit haunted remembering that on a Saturday night such as this, there often would have been a line at the box office waiting to see that weekend’s latest releases.
At 7am on September 25th I attended the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Publix.
Inside while shopping, I wondered at what points was I standing at a spot where previously I had sat watching movies. When I encountered a customer I knew and mentioned this to her, she related and said she had seen “Grease”(1978) here.
Later, when “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John played on the store’s speakers, I got choked up, though I was missing a relationship to a place, not a person. In my head I started changing the lyrics at the end of the song: “Watching the movies. Eating at Subway. And I guess that’s why they called it Riviera. I used to watch movies. Now it’s a Publix…”
While heading to check out, I noticed I may have been the last of the group of first customers to finish, perhaps due to time spent reminiscing and taking the new place in. Before leaving I tried out the dining area, munching on some of my purchases, where I discovered a sign declaring it to be a wifi hotspot.
I have enjoyed this Publix several times since and feel that visiting the former Riviera Plaza strip mall property on the opening day of its new identity gave me some closure.
I’ll close what might be my final comment on this cinema with a link to a Miami Herald article from August 30th, 2025, via Yahoo News, that includes some memories of the Riviera Theatre:
“A New Publix is Coming to a Familiar Place — Across the Street from an Old Publix”
I hope the book I donated will continue to be displayed in what this Miami Herald article about the CGAC’s expansion plans describes as “a vintage-inspired rotating window exhibit that will showcase Krams’ extensive collection of late 19th through 20th century cinema technology” when the second screen opens.
Plans to add a second screen at 240 Aragon Avenue move forward.
Miami New Times article from July 29, 2025 which includes a simulated tour on YouTube:
“First Look: Coral Gables Art Cinema Unveils Expansion Plans”
Miami Herald article from August 9th, 2025, (that also says the Bill Cosford Cinema has upgraded its screen):
“These Two Coral Gables Movie Theaters Are Undergoing Renovations. See the Plans”
Miami Today article from September 3rd, 2025:
“Coral Gables Art Cinema Nearing Awaited Expansion”
Also, the current lobby is a location for a Free Blockbuster box, as explained in this Miami New Times article from July 24, 2025:
“Take a Movie, Leave a Movie With the Free Blockbuster Box at Coral Gables Art Cinema”
I just found this Miami New Times article from March 18, 2019 about the closing night party with a few photos:
“O Cinema Wynwood Closes with Promises of ‘Awesome Things in the Future’”
Also if you Google “O Cinema Wynwood” then click on “see photos” to the right of the search results, there are a lot more depicting what the place was like.
A new O Cinema location will be opening in Miami’s Little River neighborhood.
Miami New Times article from February 20, 2025:
“O Cinema Announces Expansion to Little River”
Miami New Times article from June 5th, 2025:
“Three Years In, Rooftop Cinema Club South Beach Is Still DIY — With Some Upgrades”
Miami Herald article from June 26, 2025:
“In Murky Deal, Miami May Give Storied 1926 Olympia Theater To Pitbull’s Charter School”
CBS 4 news video on YouTube: “Debate Over Future of Historic Olympia Theater”
CBS 4 news video on YouTube: “Sale of Miami’s Olympia Theater Moving Forward, But Not Quite a Done Deal”
Miami Herald article from July 24, 2025:
“With Questions Still Lingering, Miami Delays Decision On Olympia Theater Sale”
Miami Herald article from June 27, 2025:
“Miami’s Olympia Theater Holds Lifetime of Memories For This Reporter. And Probably You”
Miami New Times article from March 6th, 2025 describing the current situation:
“Long-Shuttered Olympia Theater Will Reopen for the Miami Film Festival”
In March 2025 a controversy occurred when the mayor of Miami Beach felt O Cinema should be closed for showing the film “No Other Land”. A city commission meeting at which there was public pushback ended in the theater’s favor.
An internet search using terms such as “O Cinema No Other Land” results in news stories from local and national sources detailing the situation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/video/how-public-outcry-saved-miami-beach-cinema-from-eviction-after-drawing-mayors-ire-miami-life-extr/
During several trips to Seattle starting in 2008, I visited the Grand Illusion three or four times and it became my favorite Seattle cinema for its cozy environment and interesting offerings.
When I returned to Seattle in September/October 2015 to consider moving there, I found that many of the decades-old local businesses whose presence imbued the area with a vibe of creativity I had enjoyed being in were suddenly gone and continuing to disappear, apparently due to an influx of tech industry workers and the rising rents they can afford, changing the feel of the city and my mind about living there… but at least the Grand Illusion was still there.
Reading here that the Grand Illusion will be forced to relocate, and assuming its original location will be replaced by new construction of less character, I am reminded of my disappointment. (I felt haunted into early 2017, like I had visited an old acquaintance named Seattle, and found them changing in a direction that suddenly ended what might have become a friendship.) I hope the coziness I remember will relocate with it.
This context of accelerated change inspired a song for a Seattle area band which became my “theme song” for this situation, “Gold Rush” by Death Cab For Cutie.
If I had moved to Seattle, by now I would have had enough stamps on the Grand Illusion “Cinephile Card” I still keep as a souvenir to earn a free admission.
Please update to demolished, as per my previous comment above this one.
Palm Beach Post article from October 20, 2023:
“Demolition at The Square: AMC Movie Theater, Retail Space Torn Down for New Office Towers”
I visited the Grand Illusion several times on my trips to Seattle and each time I’d arrive, I always enjoyed approaching the scene in this photo from across the street, then ascending the stairs between the two poster boxes with the inviting house-like building on the left, (a separate business from the cinema).
On the day that I see that this cinema’s status has been changed to “demolished”, it will bother me knowing these structures are sure to be replaced by something of lesser character.
In early July 2019, while visiting Seattle for the first time since creating this listing for the University Theater in December 2017, I had the interesting experience of suddenly happening upon the former cinema while driving on NE 55th Street and pulling up to the intersection at University Way in my rental car. There it was to my left, the cute yellow building I had not seen in a year and a half since viewing images of it on my laptop in Miami on the opposite corner of the country. I turned and slowly drove past it, as the physical mentally encountered the virtual.
In recent years, the elements that gave Seattle a vibe I used to enjoy visiting continue to go away…
Seattle Times article from March 22nd, 2023, “Boarded-up Coliseum Theater to become downtown Seattle art space” with temporary installations by XO Seattle.
A wide shot of the antiquities gallery is included in the slide show at the top of this page on the CGAC’s website about renting the theater.
While researching the description I decided not to post as I mentioned in my February 16th, 2023 comment, I encountered Ranjit Sandhu’s/rjbuffalo’s voluminous informative website about Albuquerque cinemas. His first chapter on the Don Pancho’s includes a color photo at the top, while a black and white photo is in the upper right-hand corner of a collage of Albuquerque theaters in his second chapter.
Compare these to a photo of mine I have uploaded of the storefront as it was during my trip to New Mexico in July 2019 – the marquee is still there!
The description I never posted was to end with:
“In 2019 Iron Cafe, an Asian restaurant, became the latest business to occupy the theatre’s former space – but the rectangular sign that was the Don Pancho’s marquee still projects over the sidewalk.”
In April 2022 it is still viewable on Google Maps.
In addition, I appreciate Ranjit’s paragraphs on “The Demise of Cinema” about the sense of community small art cinemas could invoke in the 1960’s and 70’s that in today’s age of smartphones is mostly gone.
On Ranjit’s webpage there is also a list of and some descriptions for Albuquerque cinemas that are yet to have entries on Cinema Treasures.
Compare this image to those of the Don Pancho’s when it was open at the top of this page or the black and white image in the upper left-hand corner of this page, both on Ranjit Sandhu’s rjbuffalo website.
aeterna,
If I remember correctly, for some reason when I posted my October 1st, 2018 comment the heading for this listing was spelled “Towne”, so I went with that despite the ads shown in the photos section. The heading was apparently corrected sometime since.
Thanks for verifying that it became the supermarket. I will think of that if I attend the Street Painting Festival (updated link) that takes place this weekend on the streets around the Lake Worth Playhouse, then visit the shopping center the supermarket is in to eat at the Panda Garden restaurant I mentioned. Maybe the Guatemalan-Mayan immigrants whose presence I enjoyed will be there again.
I wish there were a photo posted from the point of view of someone gazing down upon Lincoln Road from the patios/balconies, as I mention in my comment from February 18th, 2023, to better illustrate what I am describing.
I wish there were a photo posted from the point of view of someone gazing down upon Lincoln Road from this spot to illustrate what I am describing.
Oh, of course, thank you Mike Rivest266.
I haven’t dealt with newspapers.com (yet?) for fear of happily going down a rabbit hole of newspaper archaeology. : )
I believe one of the films I made the trip over to the Alliance Cinema to see may have been “Visions of Light: the Art of Cinematography”
The Miami Beach branch of Books & Books that I mention in my January 12th, 2016 comment is gone and the whole space including the hallway that lead to the Alliance (later bookstore) seems to now be occupied by a hookah bar.
I wonder if they still use the Alliance’s restrooms (which had been used by Books & Books).
Before or after seeing a film, I would stand here for several minutes contemplating the view and gazing down upon the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall stretching east into the distance, like people-watching from above.
This was my favorite thing about the Regal South Beach.
Outdoor patios with this view were available on both the second and third floors.
Here is another angle from Google Maps.
The closest building below this spot was the Colony Theatre, with its white neon marquee lit up at night.
When gazing down upon Lincoln Road from the patios, the closest building below was the Colony Theatre, with its white neon marquee lit up at night.
In the 1990’s, before the Regal South Beach opened, I would make the trip over to Lincoln Road to visit the Alliance Cinema before the Regal probably contributed to its closure.