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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnalysisStaff: WS Application received: 3/6/2017 CITY OF MIAMI PLANNING DEPARTMENT Staff Report & Recommendation To: Chairperson and Members Historic Environmental Preservation Board From: Preservation Office Applicant: Miami -Dade County and Florida International University (FIU) Subject: Item No. 3 - Master Plan - Coconut Grove Playhouse The applicant, Miami -Dade County and Florida International University, is requesting approval of a Master Plan for the Coconut Grove Playhouse. BACKGROUND: This is a new application. THE PROPERTY: This Historic Site, built in 1927, is located at approximately 3500 Main Highway, also referred to as the Individually Designated Site, the Coconut Grove Playhouse. ANALYSIS: The Coconut Grove Playhouse, built in 1927, is an Individually Designated Site and located at approximately 3500 Main highway. Miami -Dade County and Florida International University are proposing a plan to reconstruct the Coconut Grove Playhouse. They have conducted an architectural history of the building and concluded that the Kiehnel & Elliott phase of the Coconut Grove Playhouse is the most significant phase of the building's architecture. Their analysis finds the alterations conducted by Alfred Browning Parker and Ferguson Glasglow Schuster, Inc. in the 1950s and 1980s, respectively, to be architecturally insignificant. The proposed master plan includes: the restoration of the foot print of the original lobby; the asbestos removal of the original lobby; the demolition of the auditorium and its later additions (after documentation of the significant architectural elements); the construction of a new auditorium incorporating some of the architectural details from the original; and the construction of a parking garage with apartment units above and next to the theatre. In regards to the lobby, they propose to follow Section VIII of the National Register Bulletin which includes: restoring the front building to the 1927 Kiehnel design, to remove the later additions, to restore the original finishes, replace non -original windows and doors with new windows and HEPB- APRIL 4, 2017 Page 1 of 3 Staff: WS Application received: 3/6/2017 doors that are sympathetic to the original design; return the ground floor use to those that are conducive to an active pedestrian environment; and restoration of the original roof lines. It must be noted that the individual Historic Designation Report for the Coconut Grove Playhouse does not reference the interior of the structure as architecturally significant and as such the Historical and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) has no purview over what occurs to the interior. Chapter 23-4 (c)(2)(c) of the City Code states that if the interior of a building is to be regulated by the City that the designation report "... describe precisely those features subject to review and shall set forth standards and guidelines for such regulations. Interior spaces not so described shall not be subject to review under this chapter." The Designation Report states that "only the south and east facades possess architectural significance" and as such are the only contributing features to the building. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties embody two important goals: the preservation of historic materials and the preservation of a building's distinguishing character. In accordance with the criteria for defining architectural features of a structure, the defining features of the historic Playhouse built by Kiehnel & Elliott that should be preserved are the south and east facades. Despite the HEPB not having purview over the interior of the Playhouse, what follows is a review of the interior as it relates to the proposed Master Plan. The original floor plan and architectural details were created by Kiehnel & Elliott in 1927. The original floor included four sets of double arched entrances on either side of the auditorium for a total of eight. These archways led into the movie theatre's auditorium from the lobby and were supported by Solomonic Columns. In the 1950s, Alfred Browning Parker altered the original floor plan and architectural details by raising the slope of the floor and adding a mezzanine level. In doing this, two sets of the double arched entrances, on either side of the auditorium, were removed and the remaining archways were converted into cased openings with the Solomonic Columns being removed. The building was expanded during both the Alfred Browning Parker architectural phase in the 1950s and the Ferguson Glasglow Schuster, Inc. architectural phase in the 1980s. These expansions included additions that connected the Playhouse's original building with nearby structures and housed new stores, green rooms, kitchens, storage rooms, and a bar and lounge. Though Alfred Browning Parker's intervention is not considered to be of particular architectural significance, it is connected with the building's culturally significant phase. It is during this phase that the Coconut Grove Theater became the Coconut Grove Playhouse with such actors performing HEPB- APRIL 4, 2017 Page 2 of 3 Staff: WS Application received: 3/6/2017 within the auditorium of the playhouse as Carol Channing, Tennessee Williams, Mickey Rooney, and Liza Minnelli. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The Preservation Office recommends that the application for a Special Certificate of Appropriateness for a Master Site Plan be Approved with Conditions. 1. The original Kiehnel structure containing the South and East facades be preserved. 2. The South and East facades of the building be restored to the Kiehnel phase of architecture. 3. The storefronts on the ground floor be re -opened. 4. Any additions to the original building be in keeping with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for New Additions to Mid-size Buildings. 5. Glass shall be clear, with the option of a Low -E coating. 6. All windows and doors that are visible from the right-of-way (as determined by staff) must match the configuration as shown in the historic photo. 7. Any ground disturbing work associated with the Master Plan will be monitored by an archaeologist and an archaeological report detailing the monitoring shall be submitted to the Historic Preservation Office. 8. This Certificate of Appropriateness is subject to approval by zoning, building, and all other required city departments. HEPB- APRIL 4, 2017 Page 3 of 3