This theatre is now a bunch of stores. I am surprised that it closed. Westchester is a pretty busy area. We moved there in 1973. As a teen in high school we went to that theatre many times. The Westchester and the old Coral Way Drive In were hangouts, of course after the movies, we all went to Lums! I graduated from Coral Park back in 76. This was the time when this theatre was at it’s prime, it was a Loews.
After 1980 a lot of things changed in Miami, so I am not surprised that the theatre is now a store. Most of the theatres in Miami are now stores. All the great ones are gone, which is a total shame.
Great album. I really enjoyed it! I can’t help to wonder where you guys get all these pics. Let me know if you ever run across a picture of the old Strand Theatre in Miami. I would love to have a picture of it.
On a personal basis, I don’t remember either the 27th Avenue Drive, or the Boulevard having a Marquee that was larger than the usual. They did have a lot of neon, the 27th Avenue Drive in had the larger of the two. The Boulevard’s entrance was right on Biscayne, it was an ok sign, but I can’t remember anything remarkable about it, or different that makes it stand out in my memory. It will be interesting to see if Al chimes in. Al is what I consider an authority in Miami theatres! He may have some better insight into this.
I am glad you found it! If you could get some pictures that would be great! Especially if you can get one of the inside. There is a church there now, The Miami Mission.
Well as far as the theatre goes, this is what I know. The last time that theatre showed movies was back in 84. At that time it was The Sun Theatre, and it showed martial arts films exclusively. Before that it was an adult theatre, at that time it went by the name of Strand Art Theatre. Back in those days most adult theatres used the word “Art” in their names, not sure why, but I think that had a lot to do with legal stuff, but I may be wrong. I can tell you that in 1970 when I moved from Miami the Strand was already an adult movie house.
As a child growing up in that area, I remember the theatre being a very busy and popular place. In those days, the Wynwood/Allapatah areas were middle class neighborhoods. During the 60s, that area got bad very quickly. I think the building of I 95 turned a lot of people away, hence moving to other areas of the city. During it’s hey day, The Strand was a very nice looking theatre, their big thing was “Always 2 Features” which was on the theatre marquee and on the lighted frames of the movie posters. The marquee stuck out in triangular fashion, and underneath, it was full of round white light bulbs illuminating the entrance very nicely. As I remember it, I believe it had a ticket booth, but I may be confusing it with another of the Miami Theatres. The one thing that is very clear in my mind were the lights and the smell of popcorn which permeated the entrance.
The Strand was a sharp looking theatre, it was the first theatre that I remember. I never went inside, but I have always been curious about this theatre. If you do happen to get some pictures, I would be very appreciative if you could email me some copies, they would make a great screen saver. I have pictures of the old Miami Stadium that I uploaded into a screen saver! My email is
The Coral Way Drive in was a very busy theatre. I have no idea when it closed, but the last movie I saw there was Smokey and The Bandit!!!
I saw MASH, the original movie, at the Golden Glades Drive In. Back in those days, the Golden Glades was in the woods, there wasn’t much back there.
I listed the 27th Avenue Drive In, unique in the fact that it was the only air conditioned drive in.
The Tropicaire also held several fairs there before it became a flea market. The Around The World Fair was held there at one time. That fair was put on by the Museum of Science. This was quite a while ago, the song Time of The Season by the Zombies was the number one hit, so go figure on the actual year!
I agree, the Paramount was huge inside. As I remember it. There was a balcony also. If that is a pic of the theatre at one time, it must have been completely rebuilt.
I did some research. I found a connection at Corpus Christi church who may have some pics of the theatre in it’s day. Interestingly enough, I also found out that at one time there was a roller rink next to the theatre. The church held catechism classes there before the church was built. It seems the church dominated that theatre on Sundays for quite a few years. I have to wonder how many people actually went to the movies there. Downtown seems to have had all the big fancy theatres. It would make sense that most of the big box office smashes played in downtown and not at The Strand, but I may be wrong.
Currently the property is up for auction due to back taxes. The value is listed at $762,000.00 a tad too steep for an investment there at this time. It would be a great idea to bring the theatre back to life and open it as a club. I don’t think a movie theatre in that space would survive, but a club most certainly will, given the development plans for that entire area.
The area is going to be re-developed in the next few years. All the properties have been bought and the areas east of Biscayne and west to N. Miami Avenue is going to be, guess what? Condos and luxury lofts. This area is being populated by those who wish to live in Biscayne Park, but have not been able to do so. Biscayne Park is now a mecca like South Beach was in the early 80s. It is going to be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years.
Al I think the handiwipe thing was an urban legend, then again I never knew anyone who really went there. There were many “stories” of kids who said they sneaked in via a trunk of a car, etc. Every time I passed this theatre there were no cars waiting in line.
I have to wonder how they got away with X rated films in a drive in? Keep in mind back in those days all of those films were XXX. I don’t think that soft porn came to be until services such as OnTv and The Private Channel Network came to be. I believe The Private Channel was the early name of what is now HBO. OnTv was a scrambled version of Channel 51 after it went belly up as an english speaking station, WSMS.
Soft porn is a 2nd filming of a porn flick that takes place while the XXX version is being filmed, the soft porn camera just uses a different angle. That type of porn flick is all new, at the time there was no market for that type of porn. The porn theatres actually played the bonafide “pervert friendly” flicks. Today there is a demand for “soft porn” this are the Strong R rated pics shown on Showtime, Cinemax, and HBO late at night. These are also titled and promoted as “female friendly” porn, there was no request for this type of film in the late 60s and into the late 70s. All the porn theatres were male dominated, rarely would a female be found in one of these, at least this is what I have been told by an aquaintance who is in the industry. I had to ask, because I always thought that a porn drive in theatre was a tad strange. I wonder how many of these every actually existed?
The Village Theatre was about a mile west of the Palm Springs on the south side of the road. The Village was in the rear of a strip mall that was somewhat long. It was close to the old KMart.
The Village Theatre was a neighborhood movie house. There was nothing really special about it. What I found fascinating about this theatre was not the movies, but rather all the cute girls that hung out there. The Village was one of those places where many parents dropped off their teens on Saturday nights to enjoy a movie! So, yes I do remember this theatre very fondly. I had so muc fun there, I can’t remember any of the movies that I went to see there.
Anyone know if this theatre was ever a normal theatre? It never had a good appearance on the outside. The marquee was horrendous as was the entrance, and everything else. I never went in this theatre.
Al is correct as far as the hose goes, but the diameter was much bigger than an ordinary air hose used to fill your tires. The hose was more like the vacuum hoses you now see at gas stations. The 27th Avenue Drive In featured an ac unit where the cold air was blown into the car via a large 6 inch diameter tube. The tube was connected to a plastic flange that fit just right when you closed your car window. We used to put it on the back seat because the air would freeze you to death if you put it on the driver’s window. Our station wagon’s layout was idea for this purpose.
Next door to the Town Theatre was a Juice Bar named Sloppy Joes! They served actual juices made in front of your eyes from fresh veggies and fruits. My personal favorite was the coconut juice. I will never forget this place, on the wall they had “America will be 200 years old in 1976”. I have no clue when that establishment went up, but it was there in the early to mid 60s. I always went there after a movie at the Paramount. I never went into the Town Theatre, there were never any kid type movies playing there, at one time it was an adult movie house. The Paramount had more exciting movies such as James Bond, and the last movie I ever saw there, Beneath The Planet of The Apes.
Thanks for the lead. I found the tax records for the property. Amazingly it is worth 730 K. In the tax records it states the property was built in 1926. I have to wonder if it was a theatre from the get go. I wish I could find the original building permit, that would shed some light on this theatre.
George do your remember this theatre as part of a theatre chain?
Movietheatreowner, given that you are familiar with the Rio, I was wondering if you had any information on The Strand Theatre on NW 7th Avenue in Miami. I see that you most likely own a theatre. I am doing a pictorial history of the Allapatah area, and I desperately need pictures of The Strand Theatre.
I always wondered why that theatre had 2 entrances. When I was a kid, that rear entrance had been closed, I never saw it in operation. I thought it was to alleviate congestion from the front entrance.
Do you have any idea what year the theatre was built? Any pictures? I grew up in the area, moved out of there in the mid 60s. I am doing a historical piece on this area. The area is being re-developed currently there is nothing written about the allapatah area. The historical museum in Miami doesn’t have much, I have been researching this for a few years now. You are the first person to have any info on The Strand.
Woody I have been looking at all the pics you have posted, Great Work! The Sheridan’s building no longer exists, it was a free standing building. The picture you have there shows the west side of the Forge restaurant, not sure what that is now, but it’s not where the Sheridan was. I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey there. Wonderful theatre.
This theatre is now a bunch of stores. I am surprised that it closed. Westchester is a pretty busy area. We moved there in 1973. As a teen in high school we went to that theatre many times. The Westchester and the old Coral Way Drive In were hangouts, of course after the movies, we all went to Lums! I graduated from Coral Park back in 76. This was the time when this theatre was at it’s prime, it was a Loews.
After 1980 a lot of things changed in Miami, so I am not surprised that the theatre is now a store. Most of the theatres in Miami are now stores. All the great ones are gone, which is a total shame.
Al,
Great album. I really enjoyed it! I can’t help to wonder where you guys get all these pics. Let me know if you ever run across a picture of the old Strand Theatre in Miami. I would love to have a picture of it.
There you go! I guess I was older when I saw these. It’s funny how we gauge things later in life.
On a personal basis, I don’t remember either the 27th Avenue Drive, or the Boulevard having a Marquee that was larger than the usual. They did have a lot of neon, the 27th Avenue Drive in had the larger of the two. The Boulevard’s entrance was right on Biscayne, it was an ok sign, but I can’t remember anything remarkable about it, or different that makes it stand out in my memory. It will be interesting to see if Al chimes in. Al is what I consider an authority in Miami theatres! He may have some better insight into this.
Stage Manager,
I am glad you found it! If you could get some pictures that would be great! Especially if you can get one of the inside. There is a church there now, The Miami Mission.
Well as far as the theatre goes, this is what I know. The last time that theatre showed movies was back in 84. At that time it was The Sun Theatre, and it showed martial arts films exclusively. Before that it was an adult theatre, at that time it went by the name of Strand Art Theatre. Back in those days most adult theatres used the word “Art” in their names, not sure why, but I think that had a lot to do with legal stuff, but I may be wrong. I can tell you that in 1970 when I moved from Miami the Strand was already an adult movie house.
As a child growing up in that area, I remember the theatre being a very busy and popular place. In those days, the Wynwood/Allapatah areas were middle class neighborhoods. During the 60s, that area got bad very quickly. I think the building of I 95 turned a lot of people away, hence moving to other areas of the city. During it’s hey day, The Strand was a very nice looking theatre, their big thing was “Always 2 Features” which was on the theatre marquee and on the lighted frames of the movie posters. The marquee stuck out in triangular fashion, and underneath, it was full of round white light bulbs illuminating the entrance very nicely. As I remember it, I believe it had a ticket booth, but I may be confusing it with another of the Miami Theatres. The one thing that is very clear in my mind were the lights and the smell of popcorn which permeated the entrance.
The Strand was a sharp looking theatre, it was the first theatre that I remember. I never went inside, but I have always been curious about this theatre. If you do happen to get some pictures, I would be very appreciative if you could email me some copies, they would make a great screen saver. I have pictures of the old Miami Stadium that I uploaded into a screen saver! My email is
The Coral Way Drive in was a very busy theatre. I have no idea when it closed, but the last movie I saw there was Smokey and The Bandit!!!
I saw MASH, the original movie, at the Golden Glades Drive In. Back in those days, the Golden Glades was in the woods, there wasn’t much back there.
I listed the 27th Avenue Drive In, unique in the fact that it was the only air conditioned drive in.
The Tropicaire also held several fairs there before it became a flea market. The Around The World Fair was held there at one time. That fair was put on by the Museum of Science. This was quite a while ago, the song Time of The Season by the Zombies was the number one hit, so go figure on the actual year!
Al,
I agree, the Paramount was huge inside. As I remember it. There was a balcony also. If that is a pic of the theatre at one time, it must have been completely rebuilt.
George,
I did some research. I found a connection at Corpus Christi church who may have some pics of the theatre in it’s day. Interestingly enough, I also found out that at one time there was a roller rink next to the theatre. The church held catechism classes there before the church was built. It seems the church dominated that theatre on Sundays for quite a few years. I have to wonder how many people actually went to the movies there. Downtown seems to have had all the big fancy theatres. It would make sense that most of the big box office smashes played in downtown and not at The Strand, but I may be wrong.
Currently the property is up for auction due to back taxes. The value is listed at $762,000.00 a tad too steep for an investment there at this time. It would be a great idea to bring the theatre back to life and open it as a club. I don’t think a movie theatre in that space would survive, but a club most certainly will, given the development plans for that entire area.
The area is going to be re-developed in the next few years. All the properties have been bought and the areas east of Biscayne and west to N. Miami Avenue is going to be, guess what? Condos and luxury lofts. This area is being populated by those who wish to live in Biscayne Park, but have not been able to do so. Biscayne Park is now a mecca like South Beach was in the early 80s. It is going to be interesting to see what happens over the next 5 years.
Al I think the handiwipe thing was an urban legend, then again I never knew anyone who really went there. There were many “stories” of kids who said they sneaked in via a trunk of a car, etc. Every time I passed this theatre there were no cars waiting in line.
I have to wonder how they got away with X rated films in a drive in? Keep in mind back in those days all of those films were XXX. I don’t think that soft porn came to be until services such as OnTv and The Private Channel Network came to be. I believe The Private Channel was the early name of what is now HBO. OnTv was a scrambled version of Channel 51 after it went belly up as an english speaking station, WSMS.
Soft porn is a 2nd filming of a porn flick that takes place while the XXX version is being filmed, the soft porn camera just uses a different angle. That type of porn flick is all new, at the time there was no market for that type of porn. The porn theatres actually played the bonafide “pervert friendly” flicks. Today there is a demand for “soft porn” this are the Strong R rated pics shown on Showtime, Cinemax, and HBO late at night. These are also titled and promoted as “female friendly” porn, there was no request for this type of film in the late 60s and into the late 70s. All the porn theatres were male dominated, rarely would a female be found in one of these, at least this is what I have been told by an aquaintance who is in the industry. I had to ask, because I always thought that a porn drive in theatre was a tad strange. I wonder how many of these every actually existed?
Al,
The Village Theatre was about a mile west of the Palm Springs on the south side of the road. The Village was in the rear of a strip mall that was somewhat long. It was close to the old KMart.
The Village Theatre was a neighborhood movie house. There was nothing really special about it. What I found fascinating about this theatre was not the movies, but rather all the cute girls that hung out there. The Village was one of those places where many parents dropped off their teens on Saturday nights to enjoy a movie! So, yes I do remember this theatre very fondly. I had so muc fun there, I can’t remember any of the movies that I went to see there.
Anyone know if this theatre was ever a normal theatre? It never had a good appearance on the outside. The marquee was horrendous as was the entrance, and everything else. I never went in this theatre.
Al is correct as far as the hose goes, but the diameter was much bigger than an ordinary air hose used to fill your tires. The hose was more like the vacuum hoses you now see at gas stations. The 27th Avenue Drive In featured an ac unit where the cold air was blown into the car via a large 6 inch diameter tube. The tube was connected to a plastic flange that fit just right when you closed your car window. We used to put it on the back seat because the air would freeze you to death if you put it on the driver’s window. Our station wagon’s layout was idea for this purpose.
Next door to the Town Theatre was a Juice Bar named Sloppy Joes! They served actual juices made in front of your eyes from fresh veggies and fruits. My personal favorite was the coconut juice. I will never forget this place, on the wall they had “America will be 200 years old in 1976”. I have no clue when that establishment went up, but it was there in the early to mid 60s. I always went there after a movie at the Paramount. I never went into the Town Theatre, there were never any kid type movies playing there, at one time it was an adult movie house. The Paramount had more exciting movies such as James Bond, and the last movie I ever saw there, Beneath The Planet of The Apes.
Does anyone have a list of the theatres that were owned by Claughton Theatres?
Thanks for the lead. I found the tax records for the property. Amazingly it is worth 730 K. In the tax records it states the property was built in 1926. I have to wonder if it was a theatre from the get go. I wish I could find the original building permit, that would shed some light on this theatre.
George do your remember this theatre as part of a theatre chain?
Movietheatreowner, given that you are familiar with the Rio, I was wondering if you had any information on The Strand Theatre on NW 7th Avenue in Miami. I see that you most likely own a theatre. I am doing a pictorial history of the Allapatah area, and I desperately need pictures of The Strand Theatre.
I always wondered why that theatre had 2 entrances. When I was a kid, that rear entrance had been closed, I never saw it in operation. I thought it was to alleviate congestion from the front entrance.
Do you have any idea what year the theatre was built? Any pictures? I grew up in the area, moved out of there in the mid 60s. I am doing a historical piece on this area. The area is being re-developed currently there is nothing written about the allapatah area. The historical museum in Miami doesn’t have much, I have been researching this for a few years now. You are the first person to have any info on The Strand.
Lost Memory. I believe that is the youth group center for The Miami Mission, which I believe is a church. Were you ever in this theater?
Woody I have been looking at all the pics you have posted, Great Work! The Sheridan’s building no longer exists, it was a free standing building. The picture you have there shows the west side of the Forge restaurant, not sure what that is now, but it’s not where the Sheridan was. I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey there. Wonderful theatre.