Sometime before we moved away from Miami, perhaps in 1991, the Sunset was sold to a developer who wanted to use it for retail. My recollection is that locals brought pressure on the developer to maintain the original theatre facade as a gesture toward South Miami town historicity.
As a native Miamian I went to the Olympia many times in the forties and fifties. My dad would take us there to see the “stage shows.” He told us it was the last theatre south of Atlanta that was booking vaudeville acts. Not long after its renovation as the Gusman my wife and I went to see Don McLean perform. It was precisely as I remembered it. They preserved the wonderful ambience of the Olympia.
Tonight I found a very nice website with much information and many photographs of the Olympia. Check it out: http://www.sftos.org/olympia01.htm
Sometime before we moved away from Miami, perhaps in 1991, the Sunset was sold to a developer who wanted to use it for retail. My recollection is that locals brought pressure on the developer to maintain the original theatre facade as a gesture toward South Miami town historicity.
As a native Miamian I went to the Olympia many times in the forties and fifties. My dad would take us there to see the “stage shows.” He told us it was the last theatre south of Atlanta that was booking vaudeville acts. Not long after its renovation as the Gusman my wife and I went to see Don McLean perform. It was precisely as I remembered it. They preserved the wonderful ambience of the Olympia.