The library is at 101 West Flagler Street next to the Museums. You can park across the street at the Cultural Center parking lot. You get a $5.00 parking discount if you show a museum sticker. Otherwise it is $11.00 on weekdays.
If you bring a pen drive (memory stick) you can copy microfilm articles onto your drive for free as their viewers are actually connected to computers. I have some items on PDF that I will post when I figure out how to convert them to JPG.
This appears to be the only local library that has Miami Herald/Miami News microfilm going back to the early teens.
I went to the Miami public library downtown and searched on microfilm. The Herald website articles do not go too far back. Sorry, no photos of the Strand but there were ads for live shows accompanying the movie and talent night competitions prior to the Wometco take over.
Regarding George Stegmeir’s post of July 10, 2006. I did find the BILTMORE located at 151 N.E. 40th Street and operating from 1921 to 1953.
An open air theatre at 79th street at 2nd Avenue may have been the RIALTO (1926). I had once heard it was mostly frequented by Seminole Indians and had a metal grate for a floor. It was allegedly intended to segregate the Seminoles out of the ROSETTA. When it rained, all hell broke loose as the crowd ran over to the indoor theatre demanding admission.
MayfairMan, I love hearing the recollections and never tire of them. Since Miami is so transient and so many older people are not online, these memories may otherwise be lost forever, so bring them on.
I sometimes wish I could go back in time and hear the Mayfair cashier repeat; “Little boy, this movie is in Czech with subtitles. Are you sure you want to see this?”
This type of info would have been a welcome addition. In my theatre research I also stumbled upon another Miami weirdness. The 1926 telephone book had a section for “Colored people”. This odd bit of segregation would surely have made it easier to find black friends and family.
The first Paramount opened in 1916 and ran until at least 1928 at 26 East First Street.
The Fairfax was opened in 1922 by the Leach family and Publix Theates and was renamed Paramount in 1931 when Publix gained major interest in the theatre due to the depression woes of the Leach family. At this time the Sparks chain was created and named after Publix' Florida General Manager Edward Sparks.
It was given a major Art Deco treatment in 1938. By 1940 when the courts forced the Paramount-Publix Monopoly to split up, regional company Florida State Theatres was formed.
The Leach family, major local owner/partners of the Fairfax prior to 1931 also had interests in the Airdome and Strand and half-interest in the Fotosho.
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.
Also known as the SUNSET ART, this location may have opened as the SOUTH MIAMI in 1946 and then changed names to the HIWAY in 1950. It became the SUNSET in 1952 and was taken over by Wometco shortly after.
This issue of Boxoffice flagged by HowardBHaas on the Beekman page features a rare shot of the Arcadia just before it became the Baronet. Go to page 160.
Sounds like you threw the baby out with the bathwater. Couldn’t people just remove themselves from the unwanted pages?
The library is at 101 West Flagler Street next to the Museums. You can park across the street at the Cultural Center parking lot. You get a $5.00 parking discount if you show a museum sticker. Otherwise it is $11.00 on weekdays.
http://www.hmsf.org/about-visit-museum.htm
If you bring a pen drive (memory stick) you can copy microfilm articles onto your drive for free as their viewers are actually connected to computers. I have some items on PDF that I will post when I figure out how to convert them to JPG.
This appears to be the only local library that has Miami Herald/Miami News microfilm going back to the early teens.
Louis,
I went to the Miami public library downtown and searched on microfilm. The Herald website articles do not go too far back. Sorry, no photos of the Strand but there were ads for live shows accompanying the movie and talent night competitions prior to the Wometco take over.
Regarding George Stegmeir’s post of July 10, 2006. I did find the BILTMORE located at 151 N.E. 40th Street and operating from 1921 to 1953.
An open air theatre at 79th street at 2nd Avenue may have been the RIALTO (1926). I had once heard it was mostly frequented by Seminole Indians and had a metal grate for a floor. It was allegedly intended to segregate the Seminoles out of the ROSETTA. When it rained, all hell broke loose as the crowd ran over to the indoor theatre demanding admission.
I can’t get that like to work, Harvey.
Here is a new link to the August 14, 2007 photo.
View link
MayfairMan, I love hearing the recollections and never tire of them. Since Miami is so transient and so many older people are not online, these memories may otherwise be lost forever, so bring them on.
I sometimes wish I could go back in time and hear the Mayfair cashier repeat; “Little boy, this movie is in Czech with subtitles. Are you sure you want to see this?”
I have seen a wide shot photo which clearly shows one other small building at the corner. The State opened in 1930.
Thanks for the insight MayfairMan!
I recently visited Historical Museum of South Florida where they currently have an exhibit on the African Diaspora in Miami.
http://www.hmsf.org/
This type of info would have been a welcome addition. In my theatre research I also stumbled upon another Miami weirdness. The 1926 telephone book had a section for “Colored people”. This odd bit of segregation would surely have made it easier to find black friends and family.
They will need to invest in digital projection so print cost won’t be an issue.
This may have opened as the Palms theatre in 1963.
As the Premier, this location was open by 1964 and was closed by 1976. The address a that time was 22 N. Krome Avenue.
I suspect that since these 42nd street businesses all share exits and in some cases some are inside others, they may a share a main postal office.
Oddly enough Modell’s next door and the old Liberty Theatre are both also 234 West 42nd Street.
This was operating as the SKYDOME in 1931.
The first Paramount opened in 1916 and ran until at least 1928 at 26 East First Street.
The Fairfax was opened in 1922 by the Leach family and Publix Theates and was renamed Paramount in 1931 when Publix gained major interest in the theatre due to the depression woes of the Leach family. At this time the Sparks chain was created and named after Publix' Florida General Manager Edward Sparks.
It was given a major Art Deco treatment in 1938. By 1940 when the courts forced the Paramount-Publix Monopoly to split up, regional company Florida State Theatres was formed.
The Leach family, major local owner/partners of the Fairfax prior to 1931 also had interests in the Airdome and Strand and half-interest in the Fotosho.
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.
The Sunset address was 5970 S. Dixie Highway.
Also known as the SUNSET ART, this location may have opened as the SOUTH MIAMI in 1946 and then changed names to the HIWAY in 1950. It became the SUNSET in 1952 and was taken over by Wometco shortly after.
The Roxy opened in 1932 and closed in 1943. It was a Sparks/Paramount theatre.
The Ritz was opened as a “negro house” servicing the mixed nationality black residents of Overtown, once known as Coloredtown.
The architect was Roy F. France who also helped designed the Miami Beach Carib.
The architect was Robert E. Collins.
The Dixie opened in 1948 and the architect was Robert E. Collins.
Good to have you back, Denpiano!
This issue of Boxoffice flagged by HowardBHaas on the Beekman page features a rare shot of the Arcadia just before it became the Baronet. Go to page 160.
View link
A good guess would be 5,963.
Congratulations Mike! Well done.