Mayor Suarez addresses crowd across from Playhouse
On Friday morning, Mayor Francis Suarez held a press conference in front of the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The results - the Mayor vetoed the recent vote by the City Commission who agreed 3-2 to approve the appeal by the County regarding their plans to build a new playhouse.
The City's HEP Board denied a certificate of demolition to the county, which recommend knocking down most of the structure and rebuilding it. That brought the county before the City Commission on an appeal, on May 8. Many favor the plans of local architect Richard Heisenbottle, who has a history of restoring historical buildings without destroying them. The County's plans were almost a whole other project, with a small playhouse thrown in as an afterthought because that was required.
Now it's back to the Commission, where a vote of 4-1 is needed.
In the past, the Mayor stated, “We have to understand how we got here. And I think it's important. Number one, there are three cultural facilities that I want to save under my leadership as mayor, the Playhouse, the Gusman Center, and the Miami Marine Stadium, and I'm committed to those three things. Secondly, you have to understand the County has had a horrible track record with these kinds of facilities. They were overrun; I think it was a $200 million overrun with the Arsht Center, a $40 million overrun with the Frost Museum, and now we're in this dilemma where they have done nothing for 5 1/2 years with the Playhouse."
On Friday morning, Mayor Francis Suarez held a press conference in front of the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The results - the Mayor vetoed the recent vote by the City Commission who agreed 3-2 to approve the appeal by the County regarding their plans to build a new playhouse.
The City's HEP Board denied a certificate of demolition to the county, which recommend knocking down most of the structure and rebuilding it. That brought the county before the City Commission on an appeal, on May 8. Many favor the plans of local architect Richard Heisenbottle, who has a history of restoring historical buildings without destroying them. The County's plans were almost a whole other project, with a small playhouse thrown in as an afterthought because that was required.
Now it's back to the Commission, where a vote of 4-1 is needed.
In the past, the Mayor stated, “We have to understand how we got here. And I think it's important. Number one, there are three cultural facilities that I want to save under my leadership as mayor, the Playhouse, the Gusman Center, and the Miami Marine Stadium, and I'm committed to those three things. Secondly, you have to understand the County has had a horrible track record with these kinds of facilities. They were overrun; I think it was a $200 million overrun with the Arsht Center, a $40 million overrun with the Frost Museum, and now we're in this dilemma where they have done nothing for 5 1/2 years with the Playhouse."
