Gables Theatre
2112 Ponce de Leon Boulevard,
Coral Gables,
FL
33134
2112 Ponce de Leon Boulevard,
Coral Gables,
FL
33134
2 people
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The Gables Theatre (not to be confused with the Twin Gables on Coral Way) was a large theatre, possibly built for live shows. It opened in 1936 and closed in 1981.
Contributed by
Lewis Day
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
JWX, the theatre near Sergios was the Twin Gables, later the Gables Triple.
Oh! Thanks Al. Fancy a real-time reply about this.
New link to the photo above:
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Was this gone by the 80s? I don’t remember it from my childhood (67 – 73 in Miami), and definitely not when I went back to attend UM.
The Gables opened in 1936 and closed in 1981. A previous Coral Gables theatre also operated on Ponce De Leon Boulevard, possibly on the site of the Coral.
I grew up in Coral Gables, until finishing Coral Gables Elementary in 1968. I was a school crossing guard, and, if I recall correctly, a perk was getting free movie tickets to the Gables, which was right next door. I’m sure I saw many flicks there. I recall rushing to the theater once straight after taking off my safety vest, and seeing what, to my 10 year old sensibilities, seemed a rather disturbing film (“The Honey Pot”).
With Google StreetView, I recently started exploring some of my old childhood roadways, which I haven’t seen in forty years. When I couldn’t find the theater, I figured it was demolished. A little more searching turned up this site, confirming it was gone. Too bad…
And I saw “Wait Until Dark” there! I remember the entire audience jumping out of their seats during the scariest part.
This photo would imply that the Coral Gables Theatre (Famous players/Lasky 1500 seats)open in 1926 indeed became the Gables in 1936.
View photo
The Gables was a large house with balcony and a very large screen,
especially after the introduction of CinemaScope in the early ‘50s.
Unfortunately, the 1936 “renovation” took out almost all of the original decor from the lobby and auditorium. What I remember was a
creme colored wall with a medium blue design on each wall in a sort of stepped effect starting at the rear…nothing great. Proscenium was plain, ceiling plain. Entry doors into the auditorium were sort of greyish blue as I remember with an octogan shaped frosted window in the center upper part. The exterior underwent some significant changes after the 1936 renovation. I remember the Gables from about 1947 to 1972. The large vertical sign was plaster at the end of the theatre’s life, but earlier in my time it had mirror chips on the plaster on both sides of it, making the neon letters “GABLES” really glow at night. It seemed to get plainer as time went on.
I saw many classic films here during my years in the Gables. I took my much younger brother to see “Woodstock” here when there was a
tizzy about it showing in Coral Gables. An earlier post said that “Woodstock” played at the Coral? No, it was at the Gables.
I miss all the old theatres in the Gables; so glad that the Miracle Theatre survived…where I was an usher in my teens.
The long run of “WOODSTOCK” opened at the smaller Coral which was used for exclusive runs. The Gables ran the film later when it went wide.