HomeMy WebLinkAboutSubmittal-Rick Gonzalez-Email and Letter-Division of Historical Resources-Coconut Grove PlayhouseSubmitted into the public record Mrig
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From: Parsons, Timothy A. <tmothy.parsons@dos.myflorida.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 7, 201717:40
Subject: Re: important info needed DHR
To: Spring, Michael (Office of the Mayor) <michael.sprine@miamidade.goy>, Tomlinson, Angela E.
<angela.tomlinson@dos.myflorida.com>
Cc: Fitz -Patrick, Christie (Burrus) <christie.fitz-Patrick@dos.myflo rid a.com>, Rodriguez, Yasha
<vasha.rod rieuez@clos.myflorida.com>, Denis, Marie (CUA) <marie.denis@miamidade.gov>, Kirtley,
Eddie (CAO) <eddie.kirtley@miamidade.eoy>, Cody, Sarah (RER)
<sarah.codyadelman@miamidade.gov>, Storhoff, Timothy P.<timothy.storhoff@dos. myflorida.com>
Michael,
Thank you for your patience in awaiting this reply. As you know, I've been out of the office and
wanted to confer with DHR staff before responding.
After technical review of Special Category Grant Application 19.h.sc.100.166 (Coconut Grove
Playhouse) from Miami -Dade County, the Division of Historical Resources reached a
determination of ineligibility for the grant application, due to inconsistency of the proposed
project with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Historic Preservation
(the "Secretary's Standards"). This determination was discussed with me in detail before it was
finalized, and I agreed with our staff's assessment.
In further explanation of this determination of ineligibility, please note that the Special
Category Grant program is governed by Chapter 1A-39, Florida Administrative Code, and the
Special Category Grants Guidelines that are incorporated therein. Pursuant to Rule 1A-
39.001(7)(c), F.A.C., all grant work funded by the Division must conform to the standards
contained in the Secretary's Standards, and additionally, the Special Category Grant Guidelines,
in Section IV.4, provide that expenditures for work not consistent with the Secretary's
Standards are non -allowable for expenditure of grant funds and as contributions to required
match.
This project, as presented in the application and associated attachments (including architectural
drawings), does not conform to the Secretary's Standards, in that if carried out as proposed it
would not comply with the following Standards for Rehabilitation:
Standard No. 1. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires
minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces and spatial relationships.
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Standard No. 2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The
removal of distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces and spatial relationships that
characterize a property will be avoided.
Standard No. 4. Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right
will be retained and preserved.
Standard No. 5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes and construction techniques or
examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.
Standard No. 6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the
severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature will
match the old in design, color, texture and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing
features will be substantiated by documentary and physical evidence.
Standard No. 9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not
destroy historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property.
The new work will be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the historic
materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the integrity of the
property and its environment.
Standard No. 10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in
such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the historic
property and its environment would be unimpaired.
As proposed, this project will result in the loss of integrity of the building. The entire interior of
the building would be replaced as part of the proposed structural work. Plans submitted with
the application show the complete loss of the interior organization of the front building. In
addition, the historic theater space where the activities that make this property significant
would be demolished to construct a new building. This would render the property ineligible for
the National Register under its significance as a theater.
These findings during technical review of Application 19.h.sc.100.166, supported a
determination of ineligibility due to inconsistency with the Secretary's Standards, and as a
result, the application was placed in "Ineligible" status in the DOS Grants Online System
(www.dosgrants.com) on September 5, 2017, as shown in the application's online Activity Log.
On September 5, automatically generated messages were sent to individuals shown in the
grants system as Organization Managers and Submitters. The Organization Managers and
Submitters for Miami -Dade County are:
Daniels, LaTousha Daniels,
LaTousha latousha.daniels@miamidade.gov Submitter
Spring, Michael ms4@miamidade.gov Organization Manager
Leslie, Marialaura Marialaura.Leslie@miamidade.gov Organization Manager
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Leslie, Marialaura ML8@miamidade.gov Organization Manager
I hope that this clarifies the situation and answers your questions. As you know I am a
supporter of the County's efforts to revitalize the Coconut Grove Playhouse and return it to its
former vibrancy. A determination of ineligibility for this grant certainly isn't a judgement on the
value of the proposed work. However, what is proposed isn't allowable under this grant
program. Please let me know if you have any additional questions, or if there is anything else
that I can clarify.
Best,
Tim
Timothy Parsons, Ph.D., RPA
Director, Division of Historical Resources I State Historic Preservation Officer I Florida
Department of State 1 500 South Bronough Street I Tallahassee, Florida
32399 1 850.245.6306 1 www.flhentage.com
From: Spring, Michael (Office of the Mayor) <Michael.Spring@miamidade.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, November 7, 2017 2:55:04 PM
To: Tomlinson, Angela E.
Cc: Parsons, Timothy A.; Fitz -Patrick, Christie (Burrus); Rodriguez, Yasha; Denis, Marie (CUA); Kirtley,
Eddie (CAO); Cody, Sarah (RER)
Subject: RE: important info needed DHR
Dear Angie.
We still have not heard anything from your office about the specific basis for deeming our
application ineligible, who made this determination, and why the three contact people in my
Department for this grant received no direct notification of this.
Please contact me as soon as possible.
Michael
Michael Spring
Senior Advisor, Miami -Dade County Office of the Mayor
Director, Miami -Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
305-375-5049 (office)
305-794-1694 (mobile)
"Delivering Excellence Every Day"
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FLORIDA DEPARTMENT Of STATE
RON DESANTIS
Governor
Mr. Warren Adams
Historic Preservation Officer
City of Miami Planning Department
444 SW 2°d Ave, 3" Floor
Miami, FL 33130
RE: DHR Project File No.: 2019-968, Received by DHR: February 5, 2019
Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami, Florida
Dear Mr. Adams:
Submitted into the publi
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LAUREL M. LEE
Secretary of State
March 1, 2019
Our office reviewed Miami -Dade County's plans for the Coconut Grove Playhouse (Playhouse) at the
request of the City of Miami's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB), and pursuant to
Sections 267.061(2) and (3), Florida Statutes, and Section 34 of the lease of the Playhouse site between
the State of Florida and Florida International University and Miami -Dade County.
As noted in your email, the Coconut Grove Playhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The National Register nomination states that the Coconut Grove Playhouse is significant at the local level
under Criterion A in the area of Entertainment and Recreation and Criterion C for its Mediterranean
Revival architecture. The period of significance for the property includes 1927, the original construction
date, and 1956 to 1970, the Coconut Grove Playhouse's "golden age."
As requested, our office has reviewed Miami -Dade County's plans and we are responding to the HEPB's
questions based on the historic and architectural characteristics of the property described in the National
Register nomination and following the guidance provided by the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for
the Treatment of Historic Properties (the Standards). Our office reviewed the materials provided by the
City of Miami as well as the document titled Coconut Grove Playhouse: HEPB Submittal 12.14.18
provided to our office by the Miami -Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs on January 30, 2019.
Please see below our responses to the HEPB's request for guidance:
1. Is demolition of the Playhouse structure (except solely its Southerly and Easterly facades which the
County plans to preserve in its new proposed program) consistent with the Secretary of the Interior's
Standards?
The demolition of the Playhouse structure as outlined in the provided plans is not consistent with the
Standards (Standards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10). (See November 7, 2017 email, from Dr. Timothy
Parsons to Mr. Michael Spring)
Division of Historical Resources
-'44
R.A. Gray Building • 500 South Bronough Street- Tallahassee, Florida 32399 %_'c3vra�z
850.245.6300 • 850.245.6436 (Fax) • FLHeritage.com
f
Mr. Adams
DHR Project File No.: 2019-968
March 1, 2019
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2. Would demolition of the Playhouse structure (except its Southerly and Easterly facades) amount to,
or reasonably be considered as, having an adverse effect on a historic property?
Yes, our office would consider demolition of the Playhouse as outlined in the provided plans to be an
adverse effect to this historic property based on the resulting loss of the property's historic character
and integrity.
3. Are the plans for the two exterior facades which are to be saved consistent with the original plans
and consistent with the requirements of the National Register designation of the Playhouse?
The proposed facade restoration appears to be consistent with the Playhouse's original 1927 design.
However, National Register guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards recognize that
changes over time to a property acquire historic significance in their own right. Therefore, the
alterations made in the I956 to 1970 period of significance are also considered historic. We
recommend that the building be restored to a certain time period — in this case either 1927 or 1956 to
1970 — and not receive treatments consistent with multiple time periods. In the context of the
proposed project, our office does not consider restoring the fagade to the 1927 design to be
inappropriate, as long as the remainder of the building is consistent with that period.
4. Please address whether the open-air "paseo space " which is proposed for the interior sides of the to -
be -saved Southerly and Easterly facades is trite to the original design for a theater lobby and the
National Register designation.
The original 1927 design for the Playhouse did not include an open air lobby. The open-air design is
not consistent with the National Register designation.
5. Were the Playhouse demolished (with the exception of its Southerly and Easterly facades), would this
likely impact the recent National Register designation? If so, would you please elaborate what that
impact would be?
Yes, demolition may affect the Playhouse's National Register designation. If the proposed plans are
implemented the property will no longer possess the historic character and integrity that allowed the
property to be listed in the National Register. Therefore, the Playhouse could be removed from the
National Register.
6. Any other matters which the DHR considers relevant to this matter.
Our office recommends restoring the Playhouse in a manner consistent with the Standards. This will
allow the property to retain the historic character and integrity that are the basis for the Playhouse's
National Register designation. The Standards are flexible and allow for a property to be modernized
and improved to meet current needs while still maintaining the historic nature of the property.
Since the Playhouse is a state-owned property the provisions of Section 267.061(2)(b), Florida
Statutes related to the resolution of adverse effects apply to the proposed project. Section
267.061(2)(b) directs state agencies "to determine that no feasible and prudent alternative to the
proposed demolition or alteration exists, and, where no such alternative is determined to exist, to
assure that timely steps are taken either to avoid or mitigate the adverse effect." Our office
Mr. Adams
DHR Project File No.: 2019-968
March 1, 2019
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recommends that Miami -Dade County (lessee) and the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, Division of State Lands (DEP) (lessor) consult to evaluate potential alternatives to the
Playhouse's proposed demolition. If the demolition cannot be avoided, we recommend that Miami -
Dade County and DEP consult with our office and the City of Miami to develop an appropriate
mitigation strategy for the Playhouse's demolition.
We note that several aspects of the proposed project address a potential mitigation strategy for the
project. Including, retaining and restoring the primary fagade to the 1927 design, retaining and
reusing some interior historic elements, and displaying and interpreting the Playhouse's history
within the new building. However, we recommend a final mitigation strategy include additional
measures based on further consultation between Miami -Dade County, the City of Miami, DEP, and
our office.
If you have any questions, please contact me by email at Jason.Aldridgendos.myflorida.com, or by
telephone at 850-245-6344.
Sincerely,
Jason Aldridge
Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
for Compliance and Review