Vice headquarters is supposedly upstairs in the Gold Coast Shipping building

[Matt5]

So Gold Coast was on the building before the show was created? Or does anyone know for sure?

 

Im not sure about that - quite possibly however .  The NW8th Street is quite a way west from the site used in MV. 

[pahonu]

Something to add:

 

For years I've thought it funny that Castillo's office has the huge wall of glass block with the curved section, yet the Gold Coast Shipping building has very little glass block on the exterior, just two little vertical strips.  Knowing that they filmed the interiors at a studio, I just chalked it up to creative set design using the Art Deco style, or rationalizing maybe the office was in the back of the building.  I think the explanation is now a little more clear based on the exterior of the North River Drive building.  It has huge expanses of glass block, including curved sections, as in Castillo's office.  If the North River Drive building was used in the pilot for the interiors, it would make sense that these real interiors may have inspired the sets built later.  It's fun putting the pieces together.

Edited August 26, 2014 by pahonu

[Matt5]

Something to add:

 

For years I've thought it funny that Castillo's office has the huge wall of glass block with the curved section, yet the Gold Coast Shipping building has very little glass block on the exterior, just two little vertical strips.  Knowing that they filmed the interiors at a studio, I just chalked it up to creative set design using the Art Deco style, or rationalizing maybe the office was in the back of the building.  I think the explanation is now a little more clear based on the exterior of the North River Drive building.  It has huge expanses of glass block, including curved sections, as in Castillo's office.  If the North River Drive building was used in the pilot for the interiors, it would make sense that these real interiors may have inspired the sets built later.  It's fun putting the pieces together.

 

 

Good points .  

[Guest MetroVice]

 Post Retracted

Edited October 17, 2015 by MetroVice

[Susanna Girl]

Love all the information guys...I had no idea.  

Edited August 27, 2014 by Susanna Girl

[Matt5]

Another point of issue (for me anyway) was parking. We would always see the front exterior shot of OCB as the Gold Coast Shipping facility and you would routinely see Crockett's faux Ferrari parked out front rather than the covered garage that we see in an episode or two. However, of all the shots we see of the front the building we only ever see Crockett's black convertible parked out front but, and I could be wrong about this, I don't remember seeing Tubbs' Cadillac or Castillo's Dodge Diplomat/Plymouth Fury, or anybody elses vehicles parked out front, and please correct me if I'm wrong here. As with other logistic issues already mentioned, perhaps they felt nobody would think that far into it to be so concerned with such mundane stuff but here it is thirty-plus years later and WE WANNA KNOW!!   

 

Sadly many of the milestone buildings shown in Vice are no longer here in Miami and some of this is left up to our own interpretation but clearly much of it does maintain good, solid continuity in terms of what we see on the show. As with so many other aspects of Vice, they seem to have thought things out quite well to remain so consistent. One personal wish I've always had is that they would have preserved the OCB office but we have to remember that Vice, as great a show as it was, was just another television show and they likely had to ready the studio for another project when the series ended.

 

Who would have ever guessed Vice would have such a cult status after THREE solid decades? (actually PMT knew, as he stated in an interview back when the show first aired that he felt it "would be around twenty years later" because it was "that good". He then asks the interviewer, "Have you seen it? There's nothing else like it!"). Obviously PMT was right on the money 

 

Those were the days . . .

 

 

Yes youre right - we saw the Daytona and the Testarossa parked or pull into the Ocb exterior on 2nd Avenue - but never Castillo's or Tubbs car . We did see Castillo's car parked outside what was meant to be a police headquarters in "Shadow in the Dark" but this was in Miami Beach. 

Shame they demolished the Ocb - Gold Coast Shipping building in 2004/5

Edited August 27, 2014 by Matt5

[miamijimf]

In Season One you get a rare view of the OCB at sidewalk level as the principal characters walk thru the parking lot and along SW 2d Ave here: ‘Golden Triangle, Pt II.

[Bilders]

It is too bad that we cannot find any more aerial or close-by photos from the 80's or 90's of this area. I love it.

If you go to Historic Aerials you can get an aerial view of it. But I have a tough time determining where the building is. Maybe you guys can take a look?

[Bilders]

Here is a shot of the OCB from above as close as I can get for 1961.

Miami river is trailing just below. Any experienced browsers of this area will know what to look for

Edited September 12, 2014 by Bilders

[Bilders]

This is 1986. Exact same area.

Edited September 12, 2014 by Bilders

[Crockettt]

OCB building is here :

 

 

Edited September 12, 2014 by Crockettt

[C Glide]

If you look thru location trivia you will see photos inside the original OCB from when DanJ and I talked our way into a guided tour by the owner many years ago. I remember posting at least one of Rodriguez's office and the bathroom where Gina tried to evade Sonny. Of course there is always my location site.

[Matt5]

If you look thru location trivia you will see photos inside the original OCB from when DanJ and I talked our way into a guided tour by the owner many years ago. I remember posting at least one of Rodriguez's office and the bathroom where Gina tried to evade Sonny. Of course there is always my location site.

 

Nice to see you back Jeremy 

[Matt5]

I looked on your great site Jeremy and the office / bathroom interior shot at 3033 NW N River Drive is not on the Pilot locations - be great to see them .