Bunche Theatre
2299 W. Bunche Park Drive,
Miami,
FL
33054
2299 W. Bunche Park Drive,
Miami,
FL
33054
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The Bunche Theatre opened on May 18, 1951 with Betty Grable in “My Blue Heaven”. It was listed in editions of Film Daily Yearbook 1952-1955. It was closed in September 1959. It was an African-American theatre.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Is it listed as the Bunche Theater in the FDY?
The Bunche Park section of Miami-Dade dates back to the early fifties and was established for black WWII veterans and named after the then recent the Nobel Peace Prize winner. The theatre was closed by the late sixties.
That address doesn’t make sense. As far as Miami goes, I have never seen a W on an address. It has to be SW, because Miami goes as far north as 210th street, and that is right on the broward county line. This has to be the Perrine bordering on Homestead area, in which case, it would SW, not W.
Bunche Park is near Miami Lakes and may now be part of that city.
The address is either 2299 or 2990 W. Bunche Park Drive (more than likely 2299 – West of NW 22nd Avenue). The address above is a typo.
2299 W. Bunche Park Drive places it where it should have been located.
The first movie I saw was at Bunche Theater. It was “TARANTULA”.. A huge spider that met his demise at the hand of some F-100 jet fighters. Scared me stiff!!! I sure would like to know if someone has a photo of the theater and/or the Bunche Park Shopping Center that it was a part of. By the way, the theater later became a bowling alley. .. sad. I spent many Saturday afternoons at matinees there. PLEASE IF ANYBODY HAS A PHOTO … ANOTHER THING! Bunche Park was located in unincorporated Dade County, bordered to the South by the Biscayne Canal, to the West by NW 27th Ave., to the North by 167th Street (now the Palmetto (826) and on the East by NW 17th Av. I was raised on 155th Street & 23rd Ave., just a block and a bridge crossing away. I could see the back of the theater from my front yard (across the canal).
Please feel free to email me:
All of you! Thanks for the comments. I am certain of the address and the theater’s location. Please see my Nov.7th comment. I’m merely trying to locate a photo of the building as it was the western most business of The Bunche Park Shopping Center in Opa-Locka, Florida.
The Bunche Park neighborhood was a post-War community designed for African American homeowners. The Bunche Park Shopping Center was announced in June of 1950 to be anchored by a movie theater and a Harlees five and dime store. Wometco’s Bunche Theatre opened in the plaza May 18, 1951 with Betty Grable in “My Blue Heaven” following a lengthy opening ceremony headlined by Mt. Zion Baptist Church’s Reverend Edward T. Graham and music by the Dorsey High School band. All proceeds from that showing was donated to playground equipment for Bunche Park.
Beatrice Eve Clark - a cashier since 1935 for Wometco - was the opening day cashier at the Bunche. She gravitated to Assistance Manager in 1952 and became its manager. Clark oversaw the transition to widescreen projection in 1955 allowing the Bunche Theatre to play CinemaScope titles. The theater stopped advertising likely closing in September of 1959 due to very low patronage. The theater was replaced by a bowling alley. If reports are correct, the entire complex was torn down in 1966. Though disappointing, demolished would be an appropriate current status.