Letter: Coconut Grove Playhouse needs better leadership

Commissioner Raquel Regalado indicated in her July 2 op-ed that she is breaking her explicit campaign promise to restore the Coconut Grove Playhouse and is now supporting the county’s plan to demolish 75 percent of this historic theater on the National Register of Historic Places, a plan that her predecessor in office, Xavier Suarez, fought.

Commissioner Regalado explains her 180-degree flip-flop by trotting out the discredited and misleading narrative that has been perpetuated by the county plan’s backers for many years now.

It is important to remember that the county does not own the playhouse, but rather leases it from the State of Florida. Not surprisingly, the State of Florida has made clear that it does not support the county’s demolition plan.

In a March 1, 2019, letter, the Florida Department of State concluded that the county’s proposed plan “is not consistent with the [Historic Preservation] Standards” of historic designation of the site and “would have an adverse effect to this historic property based on the resulting loss of the property’s historic character and integrity.”

It is also important to note that the city of Miami has designated the playhouse a historic site and is vehemently fighting the county in court to stop the proposed demolition. Meanwhile, the playhouse sits empty, and the county continues to be in breach of the terms of the lease and blames everyone else for nothing moving forward.

The only novelty in Commissioner’s Regalado op-ed is her comparison of the playhouse project to the renovation of Miami Senior High School.

Although the original architects were the same, her comparison completely disregards the theatrical history of the playhouse. By replacing, through demolition, the main theater with a 300-seat house, the county will be replacing something that is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places with a performance space that could be found just about anywhere else in the country. In effect, she is taking Coconut Grove and its theatrical, cinematic and architectural history out of its playhouse.

Commissioner Regalado mentions a need to find a compromise to end the political roadblock but offers none whatsoever. There are many good options of compromise which are not discussed here, some of which have already been refused by the county. She also states that a change of plan at this point would require going back to the state. However, as outlined above, the state is clearly in opposition to the county’s plan.

Miami is a cosmopolitan, global city that is attracting talented new arrivals every day. But let’s be honest — one of the frequent criticisms of Miami is the lack of cultural opportunities.

We need better leadership on this issue and a true compromise that works for everyone, not a tired old plan to demolish a historic cultural site and replace it with unneeded retail space.

Commissioner Regalado encourages taking the political aspects out of this ongoing conflict, but her op-ed clearly puts herself in the thick of it.

Sherri Peacock, family of the Coconut Grove Playhouse builder Albert Peacock

David Winker, attorney

This story was originally published July 9, 2021 at 11:05 AM.