Olympia Theater first opened in February 1926 as a silent movie palace and amazed the public with its stunning Moorish architecture, perfect acoustics and simulated night sky - complete with rolling clouds and twinkling stars.
The theater achieved notoriety as the first air-conditioned building in the South. The Olympia Theater at Gusman Center for the Performing Arts owes its distinctive character to architect John Eberson, the master of “atmospheric” theater design and it is one of the few Eberson buildings still standing.
Philanthropist Maurice Gusman saved the theater from demolition and donated it to the City of Miami in 1975. After extensive renovation, overseen in part by famed architect Morris Lapidus, the Olympia Theater at Gusman Center for the Performing Arts is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cultural icons such as Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughan and Luciano Pavarotti have provided memorable evenings under the Gusman stars. Today, Maximum Dance Company, Florida Philharmonic and the Miami International Film Festival
call the theater their home. |
