Olympia Theater and Office Building
| The Jewel of South Florida | |
Exterior of venue (2016)
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| Former names | Miami Theatre & Office Building (planning/construction) Olympia Theater & Office Building (1926-72) Gusman Cultural Center (1972-94) Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (1994-2003) Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts (2002-13) |
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| Address | 174 E Flagler St Miami, FL 33131-1130 |
| Location | Downtown Miami |
| Owner | City of Miami |
| Operator | Olympia Center, Inc. |
| Capacity | 1,567 (2012-present) 1,710 (1977-2012) 2,170 (1926-77) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 27, 1925 |
| Opened | February 18, 1926 |
| Renovated | 1972, 1975-77, 1989-96, 2000-02, 2009-12 |
| Closed | 1970-72, 1989-96 |
| Construction cost | 1.5 million ($21 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect | John Eberson |
| General contractor | George A. Fuller Company |
| Tenants | |
| Greater Miami Philharmonic Orchestra (1972-82) | |
| Website | |
| Venue Website | |
| Building details | |
| General information | |
| Renovated | 2009-12 |
| Renovation cost | $12.2 million ($13.6 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | RJ Heisenbottle Architects |
| Structural engineer | Maurice Gray & Associates |
| Services engineer | Gartek Engineering |
| Civil engineer | Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. |
| Main contractor | Trigram GC |
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Olympia Theater and Office Building
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| Location | Miami, FL |
| Coordinates | 25°46′27.12″N 80°11′25.8606″W / 25.7742000°N 80.190516833°WCoordinates: 25°46′27.12″N 80°11′25.8606″W / 25.7742000°N 80.190516833°W |
| Built | 1925-26 |
| Architect | John Eberson |
| Architectural style | Mediterranean Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 84000839 |
| Added to NRHP | March 8, 1984 |
The Olympia Theater is a theater located in Miami, Florida. Designed by John Eberson in his famed atmospheric style, the theater opened in 1926. Throughout its history, the venue has served as a movie theater, concert venue and performing arts center. In 1984, it received historical designation by the NHRP. The Olympia Theater and its sister venue, the Tampa Theatre are the only remaining atmospheric theaters in Florida.
In 1924, Paramount Enterprises, Inc. commissioned a theater in the South Florida area. Cities chosen for consideration were: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa and Sarasota. Architect John Eberson was hired to design the theater, after the success of his work with the Majestic Theatre in Dallas, Texas. Blueprints were completed in December 1924. Miami was chosen as the city and the theater was built on the site of the former "Airdome", an open-air movie theater.
Construction began in May 1925 for the "Miami Theatre and Office Building". Eberson designed the theater to replicate a Spanish garden. The venue was completed in January 1926. The venue was renamed the "Olympia Theater and Office Building" by the wife of the land owner, Mrs. A.E. Rickmers. The name was changed to match its Mediterranean design style. The theater opened on February 18, 1926 as a silent movie theater.
As the movie entertainment changed, so did the purpose of the theater. By 1929, talking pictures and vaudeville grew in popularity. The theater began to host many acts including the Marx Brothers and Gypsy Rose Lee. By the 1950s, the theater hosted numerous concerts. The theater gained notoriety after 15 sold-out performances by Elvis Presley in August 1956. The 50s and 60s saw performances from Etta James, Della Reese and B.B. King.
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