Florida Theatre

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.

The Film Daily Yearbook, 1950 gives the Florida Theatre a seating capacity of 1,000.

The address listed for the Florida Theater is:
205 E Flagler St
Miami, FL 33131

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.

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"...

Ad for 3 -strip Cinerama at the Florida, downtown Miami.
http://cinerama.topcities.com/florida.htm

Florida Theatre, downtown Miami.

http://www.pbase.com/donboyd/image/77098085

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?

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.

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.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/3405239634/

Cinerama in Miami.

http://cinematreasures.org/news/20931_0_1_0_C/

I think this photo confirms that the Florida was a new building at the Rex location and not a conversion:

View photo

At the Florida in 1966.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/3575968853/

The April 3, 1948, issue of Boxoffice said that the opening of the new Florida Theater had been set for April 9. The architects were Kemp, Bunch & Jackson of Jacksonville, with Steward & Skinner of Miami. The house was owned by Paramount Enterprises.

Though miamiguy says in a comment above that the Hippodrome was down the street from the Rex, it looks like they were the same theater with the entrance relocated, the Hippodrome is given at the same address as the Florida, but its actual street number must have been lower. The Boxoffice article says the Florida was "...constructed on the site of the old Hippodrome, later the Rex." Photos linked from the Hippodrome page show that its entrance was on the corner of the building, rather than the Flagler Street front where the entrance to the Rex was located, but is clearly the same building that later housed the Rex. The building was certainly not large enough to hold two theaters of 1,000 seats each.

The article also says "Parts of the old building were used in the reconstruction job." It doesn't specify which parts, or how much of the original building remained. Comparing the photos, the facade at least must have been entirely new, but if Rex is going to be an aka then Hippodrome should be as well.

A few views of the Hippodrome Theatre here:
http://ibistro.dos.state.fl.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/x/0/5?library=PHOTO&item_type=PHOTOGRAPH&searchdata1=hippodrome
Another vintage view of the Hippodrome Theatre on the corner of Avenue B:
http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/photos/cities/miami/miami1/miami1025.htm

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.