Lyric Theater (Miami) facts for kids
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 Lyric Theater
Location in Miami
Lyric Theater
Location in Florida
Lyric Theater
Location in the United States
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| Address | 819 NW Second Avenue |
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| Location | Miami, Florida |
| Coordinates | 25°46′54.8″N 80°11′52.8″W / 25.781889°N 80.198000°W |
| Public transit | Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre |
| Owner | The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South FL, Inc. |
| Capacity | 390 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Renovated | 1999, 2005, 2014 |
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Lyric Theater
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| Architectural style | Vernacular masonry |
| MPS | Downtown Miami MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002965 |
| Added to NRHP | January 4, 1989 |
The Lyric Theater is a historic building in Miami, Florida. It is located at 819 Northwest Second Avenue. This theater was a very important place for Miami's African American community. On January 4, 1989, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. This means it is recognized as a special place in American history.
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History of the Lyric Theater
The Lyric Theater first opened its doors in 1913. It quickly became a major entertainment spot for Black people in Miami. A Black man from Georgia named Geder Walker built, owned, and ran the theater. It had 400 seats. In 1915, a newspaper called The Miami News said it was "possibly the most beautiful and costly playhouse owned by Colored people in all the Southland."
The Lyric Theater was a symbol of Black people's economic power. It was also a social gathering place where people could be free from unfair treatment. It brought pride and culture to the Overtown neighborhood.
"Little Broadway" and Community Life
Geder Walker came to Miami before 1900. His theater was the main building in an area known as "Little Broadway." This area was full of hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs. Both Black and white visitors and locals enjoyed these places. For almost 50 years, the Lyric Theater showed movies and hosted live variety shows called vaudeville. It was a place of pride and culture in Overtown.
After Geder Walker passed away in 1919, his wife Henrietta continued to run the Lyric. It was also used as a community hall. School children and local groups performed on its stage. Special events like graduation ceremonies were held there. Famous visitors like Mary McLeod Bethune, Ethel Waters, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers gave talks and sang at the Lyric.
Changes and Closure
The Lyric continued to show movies until 1959. After that, it became a church. In the 1960s, the Overtown neighborhood started to decline. Because of this, the Lyric Theater closed its doors. It stayed closed for many decades.
Bringing the Theater Back to Life
In 1988, a group called The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. bought the Lyric Theater. By 1989, the theater was the only building left from the "Little Broadway" area. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This started the first step of bringing the old theater back to life. In 2000, after a lot of work, the restored Lyric Theater opened again to audiences.
In 2004, the second step of rebuilding was finished. This included a new lobby, a ticket office, a snack area, and offices for the theater. The third step, making the Lyric Theater even bigger, is still happening. This will add a smaller studio theater, more space on the stage, a kitchen, and offices for the archives. The theater officially reopened to the public in February 2014.
The theater is now called the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex. It is the oldest real theater in Miami. It is next to the main downtown business area of Miami. It is a key part of the Historic Overtown Folklife Village. The Lyric Theater is once again a symbol of Black economic power. It is also a social gathering place and a source of pride and culture for the community.
See also
In Spanish: Teatro Lyric (Miami) para niños
