During World War II  American troops came to Aruba to protect the island during the time that the Netherlands were occupied by the Germans. To house these troops, a number of buildings on the waterfront of Oranjestad were constructed. They included Officers’ Quarters, barracks, a mess hall and a movie room.

After the war the buildings for the American troops got a new destination. The Officers’ Quarters became lodging for transient personnel and later Government Offices.  In 1947, the De Veer Cinema company acquired the movie room and transformed them into the De Veer Theater, the flagship of the company. The company also got the former mess hall and opened a restaurant and cocktail lounge there, initially called The Flamingo Room, later Trocadero.

The grand new theater was a landmark on Aruba. It had the most advanced technology. The 750-seat auditorium, suitable for both movies and live entertainment, excelled in comfort and was decorated in Art Deco style.

It was considered to be among the best and most advanced in Central and South America.

The theater, combined with the Flamingo Room/Trocadero restaurant next door, became the first opportunity for Arubans to go on a special night out. That’s where they learned what great entertainment looked like.

Through the decades, the building went through a series of transformations. The De Veer Theater became the Boulevard Theater, later the Crystal Theater and Crystal Casino. The rest of the building, including the Trocadero, turned into the Boulevard Center with its many shops and much later into the Renaissance Mall.