The Historic Olympia Theatre

Miami, FL – January 18, 2023 – In 1924, Paramount Enterprises, Inc. commissioned a theater in South Florida. That theater, designed by John Eberson to resemble a Spanish garden, is the Olympia Theater — an institution that has stood the test of time despite hurdles since opening its doors to the public in 1926. The theater has seen a host of stars through the years, including the Marx Brothers, Gypsy Rose Lee, Elvis Presley, and Etta James, along with numerous plays and films. These days, the fate of this historic venue is unknown. With a deteriorating facade, various management changes, and periodic closures — the most recent of which took place during the pandemic in 2020 — Olympia’s management team has turned to the city for aid. Plans for renovation have been proposed by various entities, including Miami Dade College and local developers with hopes of restoring the theater to its former glory and converting the apartments above into residential units or a boutique hotel. However, time and again these plans can’t seem to come to fruition.