Construction Underway for H&M in South Beach

Swedish retailer H&M (Stockholm, Sweden) is transforming South Beach’s Lincoln Theatre from a historical movie theater into a modern retail setting for its fast-fashion wares.

Designed in 1935 by renowned cinema architect Thomas Lamb in the classic Art Deco style that defines South Beach, the 35,000-square-foot mixed-use building is located on the pedestrian promenade known as the Lincoln Road Mall. It originally housed the movie theater, as well as medical offices and a pharmacy. It closed in the early 1980s and then was purchased in 1988 by the New World Symphony to serve as a performance hall, music academy and administrative office.

H&M plans to transform the space by early November into a 30,000-square-foot flagship store. Other smaller tenants, including Swatch, Sabon, 4D Gelato and 100 Montaditos, will also take up space in the former theater.

“Taking down the walls is like peeling back layers of an onion,” says owner and developer Cliff Stein, president and ceo of Miami Beach-based Savitar Realty Advisors. “You discover vestiges of the building’s past and then the historical preservation board tells you what needs to be saved and what needs to be restored. The process is full of surprises.”