Florida Theatre
205 E. Flagler Street,
Miami,
FL
33131
205 E. Flagler Street,
Miami,
FL
33131
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It closed as a cinema in 1972. I don’t know when the building came down.
When did this theatre close? Was it demolished?
Opened as Hippodrome on January 5th, 1917 and as Rex on November 7th, 1931. Grand opening ads posted.
Reopened as Florida on April 9th, 1948 with “Good News”. Grand opening ad posted.
Click here for someone’s Amazon listing for an original postcard of the Hippodrome.
The address is correct but the Street View image is not.
In Street View look for a storefront that says “205 Digital Marketplace” under a blue awning.
In my opinion the building is not demolished.
To me the storefront and building look like they could be the same ones in this photo on the photos page with some cosmetic physical alterations, and the Street View image can be rotated to match the tall building that still exists behind the Florida Theatre in the photo.
Jane’s Bits blog article about the history of the Hippodrome.
Newspaper ads from 1920’s for films playing at the Hippodrome.
“Suddenly, Last Summer” in the photo section.
Florida Theatre manager Ralph Puckhaber was head of marketing for ABC Florida State Theatres when I started working for them in 1974, twenty years after the article above was published. He was a flamboyant man who always wore plaid jackets with his trademark pink socks.
It was THE theater that showed Cinerama. And the box office lady proudly boasted a very youthful neckline.
I have vague memories of the Rex Theatre in Miami. I may have
been in it once with my parents, but don’t remember for sure. In
1947 or so, when I was around six, I think it burned down, or
burned partially. I do remember my parents telling me it had
wood floors. The Florida, as I recall, was mostly a new building.
This Miami News article contradicts Boxoffice and says the Florida is a remodel of the Rex.
View link
According to Boxoffice magazine (November 20, 1961)the Rex building was torn down for the Florida. It states that the Rex and Hippodrome were the same location but the Florida was a new building.
A few views of the Hippodrome Theatre here:
View link
Another vintage view of the Hippodrome Theatre on the corner of Avenue B:
View link
At the Florida in 1966.
View link
Cinerama in Miami.
http://cinematreasures.org/news/20931_0_1_0_C/
miamiguy, since the Rex closed only a year before the Florida opened, you are most likely correct that this was most likely a modern conversion of the Rex.
The Rex operated from 1931 to 1947 and the Florida from 1948 to 1974.
Here is a 1948 photo, the year it became the Florida.
View link
Here’s a heavily cropped photo of the Rex Theater from 1932. I included the Ponce de Leon Hotel (at right) in the crop as a point of reference to compare with other photos that may surface.
The Hippodrome that Al mentioned over on the Town Theater’s page is off to the left of the woman in white.
This Miami map from 1938 shows the “Rex Theater” on East Flagler Street, and the map’s index lists the address for the Rex as “207 E. Flagler St.”
So, I’m wondering if the Florida wasn’t an expansion or a re-build of the original Rex Theater?
Florida Theatre, downtown Miami.
http://www.pbase.com/donboyd/image/77098085
Ad for 3 -strip Cinerama at the Florida, downtown Miami.
http://cinerama.topcities.com/florida.htm
Being raised in Coral Gables (winter months) from 1957 to 1970 Coming from a family of Canadian theatre owners, I use to spend a lot of time in movie theatres. The Florida had a big enough interior, a little art deco style, I remember seeing OUR MAN FLINT there (1966) the marquee displayed ‘Who needs 007’ we’ve got “OUR MAN FLINT”…
I saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and several single projector Cinerama films here as a kid. As a black action house in the early 70’s the ABC Florida had a riot during a showing of THE BUS IS COMING that was quite sensationalized in the local news.
The interior was quite modern compared to the other downtown theatres. The Swedish cashier did not understand the M rating and kept chasing me away from the box office. Years later I became her manager at the Shores Theatre and we laughed about it.
The Film Daily Yearbook, 1950 gives the Florida Theatre a seating capacity of 1,000.
I saw “Escape from the Planet of the Apes” in this theatre…the line wrapped around the block to 2nd Avenue and it was packed.