163rd Street & Patio Theatre
1245 NE 163rd Street,
North Miami Beach,
FL
33162
1245 NE 163rd Street,
North Miami Beach,
FL
33162
3 people
favorited this theater
The twin-screen, 1,200 seat, 163rd Street Theatre was opened on September 28, 1960 with Bing Crosby in “High Time”. It was run in conjunction with the 163rd Street Shopping Center. For years it was a busy first run house with a terrazzo lobby in a serpentine pattern, translucent fiberglass walls in the lobby with colored lights behind. It was part of the Wometco (Wolfson Meyers Theatre Company) from it’s inception.
In 1970 a seperate third screen was added (seating capacity unknown), named the Patio Theatre.
As the suburban neighborhood changed from well heeled Jewish retirees to working class West Indian, attendance dropped off and it was demolished around 1991. I was an usher there in the 1970’s and my brother before me in the 1960’s.
Contributed by
Roy Bower
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Recent comments (view all 32 comments)
it was demolished and became a home depot
The 163rd St. was a single screen until it twinned around 1983. Yes, The Patio screen was completely separate. It had 850 seats. both sides had 70mm capability. In fact, during the end of RETURN OF THE JEDI’s run, an attempt was made to run the 70mm print in one of the now 300 seat sides, since the projector had been left upstairs during the twinning. It…did not go well. We would often get 70mm exclusives before the other theaters.
I Just posted a Photo of Wometco’s 163 rd Street and Patio Theatres. I Did This Marquee in 1980 for their Holiday Attractions.
163rd circa 1961
“The Graduate” opened here fifty years ago today. The film went on to play a successful four months while playing concurrent in a few other area venues. And to commemorate the classic film’s golden anniversary, here’s a new retrospective article which includes some exhibition history (and other) details.
Here’s the ad.
Found on Newspapers.com
So, Linda Gray actually did the poster?
Grand opening ad and an ad from Loew’s
163rd St. theatre opening Wed, Sep 28, 1960 – 32 · The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) · Newspapers.com
Opened September 28th, 1960
This theatre was split into two screens and the Patio theatre became cinema no. 3 on July 3rd, 1981. Grand opening ad posted.