Biscayne Park Theater

A photo, signed by Verne O. Williams, of an obliterated structure with one wall remaining and the caption “Theater Building, Miami Shores” appears on page 72 of the book “The Florida Hurricane & Disaster, 1926” by L. F. Reardon.

Page 59 of the book “North Miami, 50 Years of Challenge and Change“ by Camp Vaughan, found in the Miami-Dade County Public Library system’s Main Library branch, includes the statement “All but the front of the Biscayne Park Theater was destroyed” by the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926.

North Miami used to be called Miami Shores from 1926 until 1931, when it was changed to North Miami and what had been a separate subdivision of Miami also called Miami Shores became the municipality of Miami Shores that it still is today, so the theater in the photograph may have been located somewhere in what is now North Miami and its name may have been Biscayne Park Theater.

The small triangular Village of Biscayne Park that shares the name of the theater is between what is now North Miami and Miami Shores, but it does not seem to have a business district and was never called Miami Shores, so the theater was probably not located there unless the person who wrote the caption for the photograph did not realize that is where the photo was taken and the book about North Miami was referring to a theater that was not in North Miami.

Perhaps the Biscayne Park Theater occupied a place on NE 125th Street, which is a business district in North Miami, four streets north of the border with Biscayne Park. Pages 95-97 of the book “Boulevard of Dreams” by Seth Bramson show there were other businesses with “Biscayne Park” in their names operating on that street in 1926.

More information will be appreciated.

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

David_Schneider on April 2, 2017 at 9:33 am

The naming of North Miami and Miami Shores is discussed in local history books such as Seth Bramson’s aforementioned “Boulevard of Dreams: A Pictorial History of El Portal, Biscayne Park, Miami Shores and North Miami ” and “Miami’s Historic Neighborhoods: A History of Community”, edited by Becky Roper Matkov, both available in the Miami-Dade Public Library system.

It’s also mentioned on North Miami’s Wikipedia page.

Al Alvarez on February 28, 2020 at 7:50 pm

I found a Miami Herald ad for the Grand Opening January 15, 1926 for a live review called ‘FOUNTANIA AT MIAMI SHORES’ at East Dixie Highway and 125th Street, the inaugural attraction at the ‘newest amusement theatre". This seems to have been quite a fancy and sprawling amusement location with lots of bells and whistles I have yet to find any signs of movies having been shown.

David_Schneider on October 6, 2020 at 11:29 am

Al,

You are referring to an entertainment complex (probably not the Biscayne Park Theater) that included Pueblo Feliz (“Visit the quaint streets of old Spain before the shows” one newspaper ad says), and Teatro de Alegria…. Like you noted, it seems to have never exhibited films.

In his book “From Farms and Fields to the Future: The Incredible History of North Miami Beach”, Seth Bramson says it was built “fronting today’s NE 16th Ave and 123rd Street”.

Click here to see an artist’s depiction on a postcard.

Another listing for the postcard describes the show “Fountania” as having been a “Florida historical pageant”.

The complex was also damaged and closed by the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926, then what was left burned down sometime later.