Dorothy Wallace got her birthday wish last week – a little late but right on time. Wallace, whose family owns the historic Ace Theater on Grand Avenue, turned 97 on April 6.
On Thursday, she asked the Miami City Commission to approve a $200,000 grant to help her family revive the former “colored only” movie house that stands as a sentinel of Coconut Grove’s segregated past.
“We can’t change what has been, but we certainly can continue with what we have now, and make it speak for the past,” Wallace said. “Indeed, this is a birthday present to me.”
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The commission voted unanimously to approve the grant, which will pay for new plumbing and an elevator inside the landmark theater, which dates to the 1930s.
In other action, the City Commission:
- Allocated $13 million for park improvements and affordable housing in District 2, including Coconut Grove. Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo had asked for $15 million, but agreed to trim his request so that more money could be allocated to other commission districts. Read more…
- Postponed a decision on how and when to ask voters to change the city’s election calendar, so that elections are held in even-numbered years. The issue is scheduled to come back on May 14. In 2025, the commission tried to change the city’s election calendar without voter approval. The move backfired in court, costing the city an estimated $300,000 in legal fees. Read more…
- Approved a waiver to allow The Hangar at Dinner Key to host more than 10 events in 2026. The privately-operated event venue has become a flashpoint over noise, traffic and the private use of public waterfront land. Read more…
- Approved a zoning change that Mayor Eileen Higgins says will make it easier to build on smaller, irregular infill lots by eliminating an extra buffer between taller buildings and neighboring single-family homes. Read more…
Deferred a decision on whether to seek voter approval for $450 million in new bond funding. The money would allow the city to build a new police and fire-rescue headquarters building at Freedom Park. Read more…
