The Biltmore was my neighborhood theater when I was growing up in the ‘40’s. It was located in the middle of the block, on the north side of NE 40th Street between NE 1st and NE2nd Aves. On the corner of NE 1st Ave. was a club for Spanish-American War veterans, which later became a branch Post Office.
Being a neighborhood theater, the Biltmore did not show 1st run movies. In those days, first-run movies were only shown in downtown theaters and on Miami Beach during the hotel(Winter) season. Back then, all of Miami Beach closed for the summer, right after Passover/Easter.
The Capitol was on the West side of N. Miami Avenue between NW 3rd and 4th Streets, Whereas the Dixie/Rio was on the East side of NE 1st Ave between Gesu Church and what was the main Post Office in those days (between NE 2nd and 3rd Sts. Dade Junior College did not exist in those days. By the time DJC was built, the theater and hotel next door was gone, as was the Cortez Hotel which was on the Corner of NE 1st Ave and 3rd St., diagonally across from the PO.
I was a little too young,at that time, to know if it was part of a chain or not.
Incidentally, I grew up on NW 52nd St & N. Miami Ave. I always thought that the Strand and Corpus Christi was a little too far South to be in Allapatah. As I remember it, That neighborhood ran from 36th St and NW 7th Ave to 79th St. Its Western border was NW 17th Ave. In those days, the N.W. Negro residential district was West of 17th Ave and ended at 27th Ave., to about 79th St.
By the same token, Little River was the area around N.E. 79TH St., between NE 2nd Ave. and the Bay. Lemon City was the area around NE 64th St., East to the Bay. There was an old open-air movie theater ( 4 walls, screen and seats, with no roof) dating from the 1920’s on NE 2nd Ave around 70th St., but I cannot remember its name.
Incidentally, does anyone have any information on the old Biltmore Theater on NE 41st St.?
AlAlvarez is in error. He is confusing the Rio with the Capitol, which was on N. Miami Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets.
The Rio was originally named the Dixie Theater, and was located on west side of N.E. 1st Ave., next to the Dixie Hotel, between N.E. 2nd and 3rd Streets. The name was changed sometime in the ‘60’s after the race riots made the name Dixie unpopular.
I have to disagree with willimd about the Miami Theater having a Black only section. As someone who grew up in the Miami of the 1940’s and early 1950’s and who went to school at Gesu in downtown Miami I can categorically state that none of the downtown theaters had Black only sections. Such a thing was against the strict State of Florida segregation laws, which were strictly enforced. In addition, the Miami Theater was on East Flagler Street and was about 4 blocks away for NW 1st St.
Sorry, I have no idea when it was built. You might try checking the public records for property at that address. Dade County has an excellent site on line that will allow you to research any property in the county. It will have info on when buildings were erected on property.Hope this helps.
The Strand was a neighborhood house. I attended many Saturday double features as a kid in the mid ‘40’s for 9 cents admission. In the late 1940’s, R.C. mass was held in it on Sundays in the year before the current Corpus Christi Church and School was built.
This theater was located on N.E. 1st ave between 2nd and 3rd Street. It showed second run films from just after WW II until the early ‘60s.
George Stegmeir
You have the address wrong. The address you list was in what was called “colored town” and was for the Harlem Theater which was for Afro-Americans only. The Capitol Theater was located at 310 North Miami Avenue. After becoming TV station WTVJ, it never reverted to being a theater because its theater interior had been destroyed, and the neighborhood was not condusive to a modern movie theater.
George Stegmeir
The Biltmore was my neighborhood theater when I was growing up in the ‘40’s. It was located in the middle of the block, on the north side of NE 40th Street between NE 1st and NE2nd Aves. On the corner of NE 1st Ave. was a club for Spanish-American War veterans, which later became a branch Post Office.
Being a neighborhood theater, the Biltmore did not show 1st run movies. In those days, first-run movies were only shown in downtown theaters and on Miami Beach during the hotel(Winter) season. Back then, all of Miami Beach closed for the summer, right after Passover/Easter.
The Capitol was on the West side of N. Miami Avenue between NW 3rd and 4th Streets, Whereas the Dixie/Rio was on the East side of NE 1st Ave between Gesu Church and what was the main Post Office in those days (between NE 2nd and 3rd Sts. Dade Junior College did not exist in those days. By the time DJC was built, the theater and hotel next door was gone, as was the Cortez Hotel which was on the Corner of NE 1st Ave and 3rd St., diagonally across from the PO.
I was a little too young,at that time, to know if it was part of a chain or not.
Incidentally, I grew up on NW 52nd St & N. Miami Ave. I always thought that the Strand and Corpus Christi was a little too far South to be in Allapatah. As I remember it, That neighborhood ran from 36th St and NW 7th Ave to 79th St. Its Western border was NW 17th Ave. In those days, the N.W. Negro residential district was West of 17th Ave and ended at 27th Ave., to about 79th St.
By the same token, Little River was the area around N.E. 79TH St., between NE 2nd Ave. and the Bay. Lemon City was the area around NE 64th St., East to the Bay. There was an old open-air movie theater ( 4 walls, screen and seats, with no roof) dating from the 1920’s on NE 2nd Ave around 70th St., but I cannot remember its name.
Incidentally, does anyone have any information on the old Biltmore Theater on NE 41st St.?
AlAlvarez is in error. He is confusing the Rio with the Capitol, which was on N. Miami Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets.
The Rio was originally named the Dixie Theater, and was located on west side of N.E. 1st Ave., next to the Dixie Hotel, between N.E. 2nd and 3rd Streets. The name was changed sometime in the ‘60’s after the race riots made the name Dixie unpopular.
I have to disagree with willimd about the Miami Theater having a Black only section. As someone who grew up in the Miami of the 1940’s and early 1950’s and who went to school at Gesu in downtown Miami I can categorically state that none of the downtown theaters had Black only sections. Such a thing was against the strict State of Florida segregation laws, which were strictly enforced. In addition, the Miami Theater was on East Flagler Street and was about 4 blocks away for NW 1st St.
Sorry, I have no idea when it was built. You might try checking the public records for property at that address. Dade County has an excellent site on line that will allow you to research any property in the county. It will have info on when buildings were erected on property.Hope this helps.
The Strand was a neighborhood house. I attended many Saturday double features as a kid in the mid ‘40’s for 9 cents admission. In the late 1940’s, R.C. mass was held in it on Sundays in the year before the current Corpus Christi Church and School was built.
The famous artist John Sloan painted a picture of this theater.
This theater was located on N.E. 1st ave between 2nd and 3rd Street. It showed second run films from just after WW II until the early ‘60s.
George Stegmeir
You have the address wrong. The address you list was in what was called “colored town” and was for the Harlem Theater which was for Afro-Americans only. The Capitol Theater was located at 310 North Miami Avenue. After becoming TV station WTVJ, it never reverted to being a theater because its theater interior had been destroyed, and the neighborhood was not condusive to a modern movie theater.
George Stegmeir