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Minor repairs are being made to the Coconut Grove Playhouse in the coming week.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection hired a contractor to repair the old Coconut Grove Playhouse’s boarded-up wall and broken windows.
Boards and nails had come loose, and there was concern that they might fall and hurt someone, according to FDEP spokesman Patrick Gillespie. Some broken windows were also boarded up. The boards will be painted the same color as the wall to help with the overall appearance of the old building.
The repairs will also help keep people from trespassing. The building has had a problem with break-ins, and Miami police arrested someone who tried to steal the copper wires from the building.
Residents have grown concerned about the deteriorating appearance of the building, which has been closed since 2006. The theater is in a prominent location on Main Highway, and they are upset that it has been left in such poor condition.
“I feel a continual sense of outrage that this situation has been allowed to get to where it is right now,” said Coconut Grove resident Nathan Kurland. Kurland was the chairman of Give It Back, a group of residents who fought to get the Playhouse running again.
After the state’s take-back of the property last year and the pending deal with Florida International University to take over the theater, many people had hoped there would be some update to the structure. But Kurland does not believe that these repairs show any progress.
“I want someone from the state to get up there and tell us categorically what they’re doing,” he said.
The project cost less than $6,000. Miami-based contractor P&N Construction was hired for the repairs.
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