Florida Theatre
205 E. Flagler Street,
Miami,
FL
33131
205 E. Flagler Street,
Miami,
FL
33131
4 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: ABC Theatres, Paramount Pictures Inc.
Firms: Kemp, Bunch & Jackson
Previous Names: New Hippodrome Theatre, Rex Theatre
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Apr 16, 2009 — Remembering Cinerama (Part 27: Miami)
One of the many theatres located on Flagler Street, across from the Olympia Theatre (now the Gusman Center). This originally opened as the New Hippodrome Theatre on January 5, 1917 with Clara Kimball Young in “The Common Law”. It was the second theatre with the Hippodrome name built in downtown Miami. It was closed in 1930, and became the Rex Theatre on November 7, 1931 with Peggy Shannon in “The Secret Call”. It was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary E.J. Sparkes. It was closed and remodeled into the Florida Theatre on April 9, 1948 by the Jacksonville based architectural firm Kemp, Bunch & Jackson, reopening with June Allyson in “Good News”.
I remember seeing Mia Farrow in “Rosemary’s Baby” at this theatre. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what the inside of the theatre looked like. I believe this theatre played some Cinerama travelogues, but by that time I had left the city. The Florida Theatre was closed in 1972.
Contributed by
Bob Berg
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Recent comments (view all 26 comments)
It was THE theater that showed Cinerama. And the box office lady proudly boasted a very youthful neckline.
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.
“Suddenly, Last Summer” in the photo section.
Jane’s Bits blog article about the history of the Hippodrome.
Newspaper ads from 1920’s for films playing at 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.
Click here for someone’s Amazon listing for an original postcard of the Hippodrome.
Reopened as Florida on April 9th, 1948 with “Good News”. Grand opening ad posted.
Opened as Hippodrome on January 5th, 1917 and as Rex on November 7th, 1931. Grand opening ads posted.
When did this theatre close? Was it demolished?
It closed as a cinema in 1972. I don’t know when the building came down.