The Big Thaw

[airtommy]

Now that we solved this one' date=' does it put us any closer to the Fountain Of Youth Nursing Home? In light of this discovery, I direct y'all to look at the area of US-1 and 27th Avenue. There is a Metrorail station there. It has a large parking lot as well as an empty lot nearby. US-1 cuts at an angle relative to the station's parking lot, which is on the regular city grid. There are some tall apartment buildings south of the station. Since the Metrorail station is newer than some of the surrounding properties, something must have been cleared to make way for it. A possibility?If not, I have one more idea that needs to be looked at before I post it. In the meantime, check out the above suggested area.[/quote']I looked around the US-1 area, but I don't see the tall building anywhere. I also looked around the Lindsley spot. I thought perhaps the curved part of SW 21st Terrace was a candidate, but I don't think so. I don't know if we're any closer to finding this.

[Richie Rich]

OK - my head is spinning. You guys are intense!So ... is the "Fountain of Youth" building"Found" ...or"Not Found" ???

[Richie Rich]

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=n8w2cm89gj7d&scene=35300935&lvl=2&sty=b

Thanks for the address Dan. I couldn't find a "streetview" in Bing, so I have to say I prefer Google Maps , now that streetview is in their maps. Here is the infamous spot where Crockett stood when he placed the order, over to the far left of the shop.Around the corner to the right is the location in the shop with the small tables, which I believe are now gone, and a wall has replaced the open area where the camera was placed. The pastel blue tile was even visible under the chipped paint on this column. The paint covering it was that ugly brown maroon (maeve?) color. Not fans of pastel like us, I suppose. It was a fun moment to stand in that exact spot last year, I just forgot to get a picture, darn it.

[CarolineUK]

Richie,I, too, wished I had got a head-on picture. I got one from the corner showing the outside ... I was enjoying the cafe cubanos to remember to get it.

[miamijimf]

Richie- to answer your question- the location of the "Fountain of Youth" bldg has not been found. I learned a long time ago that locating "impossible to find" Vice filming spots just takes a little longer. Here is a head on shot with you in the top left corner.

[Richie Rich]

Here is a head on shot with you in the top left corner.

LOL.That pic makes me laugh every time - my disembodied chin, lips, and nose are just so goofy looking.I believe I am in the same spot as the 2 cute girls in the Tubbs picture, with that tiled column directly behind me. See what you guys are doing? You are making me interested in locations, despite my effort not to be drawn in.

[miamijimf]

A long time Miami resident just told me the Cryo lab looks like an old school he remembers seeing in Little Havana. He said it was torn down long ago. This may or may not be helpful. Maybe the 12 story high rise is still there but I don't see it. The driving scene on 27th Ave could have been filmed on the way to or from the Grove shoot.

[miamijimf]

The letters over the door of the Cryo Lab look authentic but if you zoom in and look carefully there are problems. If the Y and the letter O had been there for years you should be able to see the outline where they had kept the surface from fading. You can see the outline of a smaller letter E and maybe other indistinct letters which are not part of the name. I think the name was placed over the door by the Vice Production Crew.

[airtommy]

That's an interesting theory, but to me the "E" outline looks the correct size. The shadow below the "M" makes it look bigger than it is.On the other hand, it is a remarkable coincidence that they used an old folks nursing home in an ep which centered on extending one's life through cryogenics. Perhaps too much of a coincidence, more of an inside joke, so perhaps this was indeed a fake sign.

[miamijimf]

That's an interesting theory' date=' but to me the "E" outline looks the correct size. The shadow below the "M" makes it look bigger than it is.On the other hand, it is a remarkable coincidence that they used an old folks nursing home in an ep which centered on extending one's life through cryogenics. Perhaps too much of a coincidence, more of an inside joke, so perhaps this was indeed a fake sign.[/quote']After another look I think you are right about the E but why not the O or the Y? Also the name is almost too much of a coincidence, as you said. There is apparently no record of such a place in Dade County. I'm trying Broward and Palm Beach.

[ViceFanMan]

A long time Miami resident just told me the Cryo lab looks like an old school he remembers seeing in Little Havana. He said it was torn down long ago. This may or may not be helpful. Maybe the 12 story high rise is still there but I don't see it. The driving scene on 27th Ave could have been filmed on the way to or from the Grove shoot.

I have sort of a strange hobby (and have had it since I was a child) and that's exploring (if safe enough) and photographing old abandoned buildings--my favorite being old schools. I've been in and seen a ton of old abandoned schools over the years' date=' and [u']I've always thought the architecture of the abandoned so-called "nursing home" in the episode "The Big Thaw" looked exactly like an old school. When I read that the long time Miami resident said he thought it looked like one he remembered, it basically confirms my suspicions--that production found the old abandoned school and got permission to film in it...but they purposely changed it to the old nursing home and added the name. This was basically an intended pun towards the subject of the episode.Also, the coloring of the supposed falling-off letters of the name looks like the "MV" teal--just faded out slightly. Back when that old school would have been built (or even if it really was an old nursing home that had been named that--which I don't believe), they would not have used pastel colors. "MV" basically created the pastel feel or color scheme for Miami...so this stands out as another production design...and not original to the building.Okay...I'm watching this episode as I'm typing all this. There are old blackboards and bookcases built into the old walls in the cryolab that Izzy and the "quack" doctors are using--which would NOT have been put in nursing home rooms! The design of the room the supposed cryolab is in is literally a design of an old classroom. From the evidence I'm watching of the ouside and inside of the old building...I'm confirming for myself that this was an old school at one time. In the episode that old school looks like it had been abandoned for a very long time...possibly 20-25 years or so?? "The Big Thaw" was in 1987, so possibly the school closed in the mid to late 60's. As the old Blue Waters Hotel did in "The Maze," this poor old relic looked like it was ready for the wrecker then...let alone now! I seriously doubt that it is still standing today!! As with most big cities, areas undergo changes and redevelopment all the time. I would bet that the location of that old school has been totally changed/redone or redeveloped and looks completely different now. The only way that it might still be standing after another 23 years is if someone or some company bought it and completely restored it for apartments or a business of some kind. But I doubt that happened...sadly it looked too far gone to fix up. The only way to possibly find the old location of it might still be this tall highrise everyone keeps mentioning?? Maybe someone could ask someone who was involved with production of the show...or if they have ways, ask DJ or PMT themselves! One of them might remember??Awesome scene location info and pics--I love history and finding out info about the places even more!

[C Glide]

I looked for this school for a couple hours and I got nothing mang. It is a school with the built in clock/loud speaker combo and blackboards. They find the body in room 22. Outside I can only add that it looks like they are slightly higher than the 12-14 story building in the bg. Being S. Florida where the land is normally perfectly flat it looks like the road has a slight down grade to it as if they are possibly on or very near a causeway where the land was built up for a bridge. The lights along the road are unique but I cannot place them. If you look at this and think there is a "hill" effect than we need to concentrate along water.

[ViceFanMan]

I looked for this school for a couple hours and I got nothing mang. It is a school with the built in clock/loud speaker combo and blackboards. They find the body in room 22. Outside I can only add that it looks like they are slightly higher than the 12-14 story building in the bg. Being S. Florida where the land is normally perfectly flat it looks like the road has a slight down grade to it as if they are possibly on or very near a causeway where the land was built up for a bridge. The lights along the road are unique but I cannot place them. If you look at this and think there is a "hill" effect than we need to concentrate along water.

It definitely is an old school...as there were old blackboards and bookcases in the rooms. As for where it's at...I seriously doubt it's still there. I'm sure it was probably torn down years ago. The whole area where it was could have totally been re-developed and changed so we can hardly recognize where it was. This may be one of those few locations that we can't really pin down after this many years.

[C Glide]

It definitely is an old school...as there were old blackboards and bookcases in the rooms. As for where it's at...I seriously doubt it's still there. I'm sure it was probably torn down years ago. The whole area where it was could have totally been re-developed and changed so we can hardly recognize where it was. This may be one of those few locations that we can't really pin down after this many years.

Never give up, Never surrender!

[miamijimf]

I went to several sources looking for the Lab, the Miami-Dade Library Reference Librarians, the SF Historical Society, and even the UM Architectural Librarian with no luck. If anyone has any ideas, let me know. I agree- Never Surrender.

[DanJ]

Agreed - don't give up. Sooner or later something will turn up to reveal this elusive location.

[Matt5]

I agree with SoflaJeremy - this elusive location will have something turn up sooner or later. Imo I would say North Miami and the highrise in the b/g is really the only clue we have and the fact its off a main road which could be Biscayne Bvld . At one stage I thought the highrise was the same highrise we saw in the b/g from Florida Villas from "Lombard " but no on further inspection.I have little confidence that this building still stands considering how many structures looking much better than the "Fountain of Youth " building have been demolished all over the place in Miami.A book I purchased recently from amazon "Miami - Mimo A comprehensive, illustrated overview of the colorful postwar architecture of Miami " shows how many absolutely beautiful buildings have been demolished since 1945 and more so since the end of MV in 1989. Its dishearting now when you see Downtown Miami and what an eyesaw it has become - it looked perfect from 1984-89 .I would recommend the book as it covers landmark structures such as The Casablanca and The Carillion among others and also mentions MV and its relevance, as we know , to making Miami what it became and what it is Today as well as mentioning, albeit briefly, the filming link with The Carillion and MV in 1984 and 1985.The Book - http://www.chroniclebooks.com/images/items/0811842/0811842045/0811842045_large.jpg

[ViceFanMan]

By all means don't give up...I didn't mean that! It's just going to be much more difficult than some of the other filming locations. The problem (in my opinion) is mainly the fact that abandoned buildings 25-30 years ago that were used in episodes of TV shows are most likely not standing anymore--and in big cities areas like that are re-developed all the time. Therefore, it makes it that much harder to sometimes find the locations of those past buildings.But, if we could just pin-point where the old school stood...then we could research past records of when the school building was built, when it was closed, and possibly when it was torn down. Someone out there probably would recognize it if they saw the episode...it just takes that one person to finally provide that missing link.There are several abandoned buildings that were used in episodes of "MV" that I'd love to find out more about the history of. The Blue Waters Hotel in "The Maze" and "French Twist," the old Floridian Hotel used in the beginning meeting scene in "Smuggler's Blues," and this old school (under the guise as an old nursing home) in "The Big Thaw." The first two I mentioned I know for a fact are no longer there...and were torn down for new businesses and/or redevelopement. But, this old school used in "Big Thaw" has become somewhat of a mystery. I would guess it's no longer there either...but you never know?? Keep trying and never give up looking!

[C Glide]

Airtommy wrote "The drug lab just doesn't have any clues. We get a pretty good look at the buildings down the street. If we knew the general area of this site, we could find it, but as it is it's just a needle in a haystack. There is no reason to think they chose this spot for convenience (near another site of the same ep) because they can't just blow up any old house. I think the biggest clue is that it is on the water. Not the ocean but the bay because in the far distance you can see a couple of high-rises and a radio tower with the typical red warning lights. It is either the last house on the street before the street dead ends at the water or the street runs along the water and it is the last house before the land narrows to much for a house. This would mean the other houses we see down the line away from the camera were on the water. the last building looks like it has an awning typical of a business not a residence.

[miamijimf]

We found it!A retired Miami Beach policeman identified the background high rise in the following screen cap as the Miami Beach Housing Authority Building. It matches this recent Google Maps shot.In the screen cap as the Caddy leaves the "Lab" it is headed out to Alton Road when it was two lane. The building was South Beach Elementary and the space is now occupied by South Pointe Elementary (address 1050 4th Street, Miami Beach). I spoke to a teacher who has been at South Pointe Elementary for years. She said in the 80s the neighborhood went to hell, crack etc and there were not enough kids to keep the original elementary open. The building was named South Beach Elementary because of its geographic location. In the old days there were three Beach elementaries, North, Central, and South. According to the teacher, "The new elementary sits on the foundation of the old building." That area used to be called South Shore and only the beach itself below the fishing pier was called South Beach. It's interesting to note that Charlie_Glide was right when he surmised that it was close to the water and that it was a bay. Also DanJ's estimate of the location was only a few miles off.This makes the point- "Never give up."

[C Glide]

We found it!A retired Miami Beach policeman identified the background high rise in the following screen cap as the Miami Beach Housing Authority Building. It matches this recent Google Maps shot.In the screen cap as the Caddy leaves the "Lab" it is headed out to Alton Road when it was two lane. The building was South Beach Elementary and the space is now occupied by South Pointe Elementary (address 1050 4th Street' date=' Miami Beach). I spoke to a teacher who has been at South Pointe Elementary for years. She said in the 80s the neighborhood went to hell, crack etc and there were not enough kids to keep the original elementary open. The building was named South Beach Elementary because of its geographic location. In the old days there were three Beach elementaries, North, Central, and South. According to the teacher, "The new elementary sits on the foundation of the old building." That area used to be called South Shore and only the beach itself below the fishing pier was called South Beach. It's interesting to note that Charlie_Glide was right when he surmised that it was close to the water and that it was a bay. Also DanJ's estimate of the location was only a few miles off.This makes the point- "Never give up."[/quote'] Never give up, never surrender.. Totally AWESOME, GREAT JOB. Another great mystery solved.:clap::clap:

[Matt5]

We found it!A retired Miami Beach policeman identified the background high rise in the following screen cap as the Miami Beach Housing Authority Building. It matches this recent Google Maps shot.In the screen cap as the Caddy leaves the "Lab" it is headed out to Alton Road when it was two lane. The building was South Beach Elementary and the space is now occupied by South Pointe Elementary (address 1050 4th Street' date=' Miami Beach). I spoke to a teacher who has been at South Pointe Elementary for years. She said in the 80s the neighborhood went to hell, crack etc and there were not enough kids to keep the original elementary open. The building was named South Beach Elementary because of its geographic location. In the old days there were three Beach elementaries, North, Central, and South. According to the teacher, "The new elementary sits on the foundation of the old building." That area used to be called South Shore and only the beach itself below the fishing pier was called South Beach. It's interesting to note that Charlie_Glide was right when he surmised that it was close to the water and that it was a bay. Also DanJ's estimate of the location was only a few miles off.This makes the point- "Never give up."[/quote'] Oh , fantastic work Jim.

[Tom]

great job, I believe we will finally find all locations with this location super sleuth club!

[CarolineUK]

Well done for finding it! I've googled the name and have found a group on facebook called South Beach (not South Pointe) Elementary. There's only one picture on there. Its not THE door they left from but its something:[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48283244201#!/photo.php?fbid=1102300803174&set=t.48283244201]

[miamijimf]

great job' date=' I believe we will finally find all locations with this location super sleuth club![/quote']Thanks guys, nice pic Sue. Can we find all locations? A tall order, not impossible, but tough. I can think of a few really tough ones. Anyone have a mystery location we can work on?