The community center at Esther Mae Armbrister Park in West Coconut Grove will be torn down at the end of September. The city of Miami announced the timeline for a $10 million rebuild on the 4.4-acre park at 4000 Grand Ave.
Demolition crews are set to move in once Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department finishes water hookups for temporary trailers that will house Parks and Recreation staff during construction, Coconut Grove Magazine reported Sept. 15. The city expects the teardown to take about a month, wrapping up by the end of October. Excavation for the new building is scheduled to begin in early November.
New Center to Reflect Caribbean, Bahamian Design
The replacement will be a two-story, roughly 10,000-square-foot facility with Caribbean and Bahamian architectural influences, which the city describes as a nod to West Coconut Grove's cultural heritage. Miami-based MCHarry Associates designed the center. It will include three classrooms, an art workroom, a multipurpose room, a food prep kitchen, an IT room with laptop charging stations and an outdoor pavilion. The building will also serve as a hurricane outreach center.
Youth Programs Will Continue Through Construction
Construction won't halt youth programs. The park's after-school program will keep running at existing Armbrister Park facilities during the build.
Former Commissioner Reflects on Years of Planning
Former District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell, who first proposed the project in 2020, said the years of planning paid off. "The hard part is done. The political will was there to create the plan, listen to the community, and gather the stakeholders," Russell told Coconut Grove Magazine.
The project went through multiple rounds of community input and design revisions before the city approved funding in September 2024 as part of the 2024-25 fiscal budget. The most recent design plans were presented at a community meeting on March 26. Current District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo, a lifelong Coconut Grove resident elected in November 2023, is now carrying the project forward alongside the city's Department of Parks and Recreation and Office of Capital Improvements.
Residents Hope Longtime Supervisor's Legacy Endures
Inside the current building hangs a plaque honoring Carolyn Evans Payne, the park's first recreation supervisor. Some community members have said they hope her legacy will be preserved after the old structure comes down.
Park's Namesake Championed Bahamian Heritage Sites
The park itself is named for Esther Mae Potts Armbrister, a Bahamian-descended activist who led campaigns at Miami City Hall to renovate a local park and win historic designation for parts of West Grove. She also created historic markers for cemeteries where Bahamian and African American settlers of Coconut Grove were buried. Armbrister died in 1997 at age 81.
No Completion Date Set; Feedback Welcome
The city has not announced a completion date. Officials caution the demolition timeline could shift due to weather or other conditions. Residents can send feedback to the Office of Capital Improvements at [email protected].
Upcoming community events:
- Friday, Sept. 18: Key Biscayne buses teens to Xtreme Action Park for a go-kart outing.
- Sunday, Sept. 20: Coconut Grove hosts a neighborhood-wide brunch event.
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