Lincoln Theatre/H&M

Lincoln Theatre/ H&M Flagship Store

Miami Beach, Florida | 2012

In 2007, the New World Symphony, the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County agreed upon a public/private partnership to develop a new state-of-the-art performance facility just behind the symphony’s quarters in the Lincoln Theatre on Lincoln Road. Designed by Frank Gehry, the new facility was a key element in the City Center Redevelopment Project, a joint venture to inject new vitality into Miami Beach’s 17th Street Corridor. New World Symphony Center opened in September 2011. An important financial and civic component of that project was the redevelopment of this storied theater for commercial use. Lincoln Theatre’s restoration and adaptive use was designed by S+A to provide state-of-the-art retail facilities and propagate the building’s history as a public space and as a theater, acknowledging its cultural position on Lincoln Road.

The restoration and adaptive use of a 1936 cinema/theater for retail use carefully balances commercial, public and historic identities. S+A designed the new project to be a visible landmark and gateway to Lincoln Road from the Convention Center district. Among the many theaters along Lincoln Road and on Miami Beach, the Lincoln Theatre project, completed in 2012, represents the only adaptive use of a theater space that has maintained its identity as a theater. An important element of S+A’s design is the transformation of the theater volume, which accommodates the retail use while retaining its theatricality. The theatre floor is newly connected with its tiered mezzanine, and the original scalloped ceiling has been restored. The theater volume is also now visible on the outside, where a blank concrete wall in the rear of the building was peeled away to unveil an enlivened glass facade that showcases the interior and its merchandise. This use of creative tectonics re-energized the formerly barren alley and presents a strong counterpoint to the Symphony complex.

Awards:

2013 AIA Florida Award /Built
2013 Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Award
2013 Dade Heritage Trust Award

Exterior photos by Emilio Collavino
Interior photo by Robin Hill

S+A: Design Architect