Olympia Theatre at Gusman Center

174 E. Flagler Street,
Miami, FL 33131

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David_Schneider
David_Schneider on September 4, 2022 at 3:25 pm

In 2020, due to the pandemic shutdown and unsustainable operational costs, management and operation of the Olympia Theatre was returned to the City of Miami as announced on their website (that also includes interesting historic photos):

https://www.olympiaarts.miami/olympia-theater.html

Van Gough: The Immersive Experience has been occupying the Olympia for a while now. I hope it is keeping the theater going.

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on January 7, 2020 at 3:16 pm

I hope the future of the Olympia is well.

Miami Herald article from December 28, 2019 about the family of Maurice Gusman trying to get control of the Olympia back from the City of Miami:

“He Donated Olympia Theater to Miami Decades Ago. Now His Family Wants It Back”

And another from the December 10th Miami Today newspaper with links to related articles on the right hand of the page:

“Cliffhanger at the Gusman Meets New and Frightening Peril”

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on December 21, 2019 at 10:13 pm

David, the original HOBO TYPE on the OLYMPIA marquee was the ABC Florida State Theatres' trademark. Just look at the ads from the sixties and seventies.

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on December 21, 2019 at 4:34 pm

Came across this photo of a Miami Transit Company bus in front of the Olympia marquee in I’m assuming 1961 since the original “The Parent Trap” is being shown. The marquee looks larger and more traditional than today’s electronic one:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/autobuses/8331559650/in/album-72157677675938345/

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on October 24, 2017 at 2:27 pm

The Main Library in downtown Miami has a videocassette (VHS) copy of a collection of short documentary films made locally in the mid-1980’s called “A Few Things I Know About Miami” (which I just noticed was first mentioned here by Al Alvarez in his comment dated May 24, 2005).

The first, about 6 minutes long, is called “On Flagler Street” featuring a former manager of the Olympia named Jimmy Barnett describing the heyday of the movie going experience along Flagler street which he feels lasted from the 1930’s to about 1955.

The film includes archival Movietone newsreel footage of the grand opening of the Miami Theater across the street and actor Jimmy Stewart arriving at the premier of “The Glenn Miller Story” at what might be the Miracle Theater in Coral Gables (it simultaneously premiered at the Miami and Carib), as well as historic still photo shots of various theaters in downtown Miami when they were open.

The film ends with Mr. Barnett inviting you to follow him on to the stage of the Olympia where he explains he had worked for 18 years, at one point as “captain of the balcony”, and becoming manager in December of 1950, while we see shots of the auditorium. He says the Olympia also hosted many shows and famous people during his tenure.

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on May 16, 2016 at 2:22 pm

An article in the January 27, 1975 issue of Box Office, “Nickel Shows, Live Music, Tents: Miami’s Early Film Days Recalled”, says that someone named Robert K. Andre was “building an ornate self-scale replica of the [Olympia] in a two-story building off Bird Road”.

I wonder what became of this. Has anyone seen it? What was it like? Are there photos?

David_Schneider
David_Schneider on May 15, 2016 at 1:48 pm

Olympia official website is now: http://www.olympiatheater.org/

Olympia Facebook page.

Olympia Twitter page.

The Olympia celebrated its 90th Anniversary on February 27th, 2016 with a showing of “Dick Tracy”.

Video and article: “Miami’s Most Beautiful Venue Is Getting Its Second Wind“.

Monthly free jazz concerts are held in the lobby.

In 2015 I took a tour of the Olympia. One interesting thing is there’s a collection of signatures of mostly famous performers and politicians who have appeared there on some doors just offstage on the left (from the audience’s point of view) of the stage.

On June 14th, 2015 I toured the Tampa Theater. I mentioned to the tour guide that parts of the interior, like the second floor lobby, looked something like the Olympia. After the tour, before the film began (“Key Largo”, as part of their Summer Classic Film Series), she found me in my seat to tell me she had found out the two theaters have the same architect, then left saying “Now I have to visit Miami”.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 11, 2012 at 12:21 pm

The closing never actually took place. It just ran stage shows for a while.

guarina
guarina on July 3, 2012 at 7:10 pm

Ellegant, with its star-studded sky-ceiling, when it was a movie theater, the Olympia was the Miami counterpart of the Washington Heights RKO Coliseum. I now see the Olympia was originally a Paramount theater. I saw “Dr. No” there with Sean Connery and Urusula Andress and “How to Murder Your Wife” with Jack Lemmon and Virna Lisi. It has lost much of its grandeur.

CSWalczak
CSWalczak on October 10, 2010 at 2:38 am

This site has a number of photos of the theater as the Olympia as well as details of Elvis Presley’s appearance there in 1956: http://www.scottymoore.net/olympia.html

sporridge
sporridge on June 29, 2010 at 11:32 pm

Endangered again. Yet another unfortunate outcome of Maurice Gusman entrusting the venue to the Miami Parking Authority.

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Jorge
Jorge on February 9, 2010 at 10:24 am

Here is a music video which was filmed in this majestic theater (note: song in spanish by international artist Chayanne):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJJbrBEZqy8

Here is a short ‘making of’…you can really appreciate the theater in this vid since its in glorious color.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arhgPlsevzg

Enjoy!

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on December 19, 2009 at 7:47 pm

The Olympia with a name it apparently never carried.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 29, 2009 at 11:53 am

How the boxoffice used to face:

View photo

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 29, 2009 at 11:43 am

Vintage shot of the Olympia marquee circa 1928 (BEAU BROADWAY):

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on May 29, 2009 at 11:35 am

The mezzanine of the Olympia:

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on April 24, 2009 at 8:58 pm

The name here should be changed to Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.

http://gusmancenter.org/

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on January 23, 2009 at 10:46 pm

The city of Miami did not rename the Olympia. Maurice Gusman saved it from the wrecking ball, refurbished it into a concert hall and named it after himself. He then left it to the city when he passed away.

Louis of Pompano
Louis of Pompano on August 27, 2008 at 8:19 pm

LM, as ALWAYS! That is a beautiful pic! Nice. I still don’t understand why Miami has a tendency to rename established institutions. I would have never used Gusman Hall to rename this popular theatre. If it started as the Olympia it should remain that way forever.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on April 17, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Sparks' Theatre News, 1932-33.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on April 7, 2008 at 1:53 pm

Great shot, LM. Elvis himself did once perform live at the Olympia.

chomposaurus
chomposaurus on March 3, 2008 at 1:33 pm

Just visited this theater for the first time, yesterday, for a restored print of ‘Once Upon a Time in the West,’ presented by the Miami International Film Festival. Architecturally, it seems an exact replica of the Tampa Theatre, which is to say, it’s awesome. The presentation, however, is lacking. The screen does not appear to have proper movable masking, aperture shadow was present through some of the film, and the screen is not quite wide enough to fully convey 2.35:1. Worst of all, however, the acoustics are very bad. A large wooden stage extends from the screen, and there’s not enough carpeting in this cavernous space to absorb the sonic stuff, rendering all audio tinny and echoey. I couldn’t make out about 15% of the dialogue in the I was watching. Management seemed overworked and preoccupied.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on August 1, 2007 at 10:16 pm

I finally found the Publix-Sparks connection.

According to MARQUEE Edward Sparks was General Manager for Paramount-Publix in Florida. He apparently named, what eventually became Florida State Theatres, after himself in the 30’s.