Amid concerns that commercial spaces are taking over their community, a group of residents in Coconut Grove are planning how to push back against the contentious redevelopment of the historic Playhouse theater.
In April, Miami-Dade County officials confirmed that it would move forward with plans to demolish a portion of the Coconut Grove Playhouse and replace it with a smaller, modern theater and commercial space.
The move comes after nearly two decades of court battles over whether to preserve or demolish the building. The Playhouse opened in 1927 and operated until 2006. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018鈥� one of the highest historic designations in the country.
READ MORE: After 18 years, construction on a revamped Coconut Grove Playhouse is set to begin
Under the county鈥檚 partial demolition plans, about 80% of the playhouse would be razed with the original facade being maintained. Construction on the project would continue through the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
The group, Preserve the West Grove, was formed in 2021 to address the ways that the surrounding community 鈥� the West Grove and Little Bahamas 鈥� were being affected by the pressures of gentrification on areas that were historically segregated.
鈥淚鈥檓 concerned [with] the development that will eventually take over Charles Avenue and the Black West Grove,鈥� said Shirley Gibson, at a group meeting last week. She was raised on Charles Avenue near the Playhouse. Gibson鈥檚 great-grandmother came to the West Grove area in 1879. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 my biggest concern 鈥� losing the community 鈥� because we鈥檙e just like one big family.鈥�
Of the many new and redevelopment projects happening in the Grove, the playhouse, they believe, might have one of the biggest effects on the area.
鈥淲e鈥檙e concerned about the fabric of the community being changed through encroaching commercialization.鈥�Courtney Berrien
Aside from the partial demolition, the county plans to turn part of the historic 11,000-seat theatre into commercial space equipped to house bars, restaurants and shops.
鈥淚t feels like right now none of us want to have huge construction going on at the end of our street," said Paul Dean Jackson. He inherited property once owned by his great-grandfather, Ebenezer Woodbury Franklin Stirrup, a pioneer of the West Grove who emigrated from the Bahamas and became one of the largest landowners in the area. 鈥淩egardless of how the community may feel about it, we鈥檙e the core central closest to it and it鈥檚 going to really impact our lives if that goes through," he said.
Jackson, like others at the meeting, would have rather see the playhouse be restored and preserved solely as a civic center.
鈥淭he community is in consensus that we鈥檙e really concerned about how the playhouse develops,鈥� said Courtney Berrien, one of the board members for Preserve the West Grove. 鈥淲e鈥檙e concerned about the fabric of the community being changed through encroaching commercialization.鈥�
According to the City of Miami鈥檚 municipal codes, residents within 500 feet of historic structures may be considered 鈥渋ntervenors,鈥� or people who can be recognized by the historic and environmental preservation board as being able to make presentations, examine witnesses, rebut evidence and make final arguments during hearings.
This, they say, gives them standing to contest the county鈥檚 plans that were greenlit by a demolition permit issued in April by the city鈥檚 building department.
鈥淲e do not want our streets to become traffic zones for businesses that might be connected to the playhouse in one way or another,鈥� said Berrien.
