Grove Playhouse
Lessons learned at Pinecrest Gardens Cultural Arts Park
by former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner
As Mayor of Pinecrest, our first major project was to focus on breathing life into Pinecrest Gardens, which had been a major tourist attraction since 1936, known as the Parrot Jungle , purchased by the Village of Pinecrest in 2002. The “Jungle“ was transformed into beautiful botanic gardens, but the wonderful facilities notably the 500 seat open air amphitheater known as the Banyan bowl, had been the site of the famous Parrot shows while a tourist attraction, had been abandoned and sat empty, was not being utilized for its highest and best use.
The first step was to bring in a theatrical/ performance arts consultant who ultimately recommended the creation of a Cultural and performing arts venue. The Village Council embraced that vision and committed modest investments for a stage, sound system, lighting and eventually new seats were installed. Since its completion in 2012, Pinecrest Gardens is now a Cultural Arts venue, where our South Florida community enjoys a yearly Jazz series, Orchestra, local school Drama performances, Dance, community theatre and children’s theatre. However, we quickly learned that recruiting the musicians and other theater groups who would perform at Arsht, or Broward center was not possible with a 500 seat theatre. The Banyan Bowl has limitations on its ability to attract many performers and performance companies, and as we learned, size matters. Pinecrest Gardens is quite proud of the cultural arts venue created. Thanks in large part to our extraordinary Pinecrest Gardens Director, Alana Perez, it has fulfilled the community mission and vision, to allow the site to meet its historic (it has been entered on the National Registry of Historic Places) and future potential and has reached its highest and best use as we were able to breathe wonderful life into it.
It is time for Miami Dade County to breathe life back into the beloved Coconut Grove playhouse, which will require it to be restored to its highest and best use. To meet the needs of the 21 st century Coconut grove, which is again vibrant, attracting thousands of residents to the many new high end residential towers and who expect high calibre talent to be available. The neighboring communities of Coral Gables, Pinecrest, South Miami and Key Biscayne as well all hunger for a fully restored theatre, one that will provide far more than a small community theatre. It is what the business and residential communities demand. It’s time for the new County Mayor to determine the best fit for the building and the programming, is to preserve the entire footprint, and to fully restore our Coconut Grove Playhouse.
What the prior county Administration proposed is something that does not honor the highest and best use as it does not commit to full restoration of a dynamic theatre and would never attract the talent the facility is capable of attracting. It is time for a new County plan.
