The Historic Lyric Theater

Opened in 1913, the Lyric Theater quickly became a major entertainment center for blacks in Miami. The 400-seat theater was built, owned and operated by Geder Walker, a black man from Georgia. In 1915 the Miami Metropolis newspaper described the Lyric Theater as, "possibly the most beautiful and costly playhouse owned by Colored people in all the Southland." The Lyric Theater served as a symbol of black economic influence, as well as a social gathering place-free of discrimination- and a source of pride and culture within Overtown.

The theater anchored the district know as "Little Broadway," an area alive with hotels, restaurants and nightclubs frequented by the black and white tourists and residents. Clyde Killens, a local resident and entertainment promoter, was primarily responsible for bringing black entertainers -- who could perform in the clubs on Miami Beach but not stay in the hotels -- to Overtown, the Lyric Theater and "Little Broadway." The Lyric Theater's roster of stars was spectacular as the theater itself -- featuring over 150 performers including Count Basie, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, the Ink Spots, B.B. King, Patti LaBelle, Ella Fitzgerald, Redd Foxx and Mary Wells. When Overtown began to deteriorate in the 1960's the Lyric Theater closed and would remain shuttered for four decades.

In 1988, the Lyric Theater was acquired by The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida, Inc. By 1989 the Theater, the lone surviving building in the Overtown district known as "Little Broadway", was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and restoration of the former showplace had begun. In 2000, after extensive rehabilitation, the newly restored Lyric Theater opened once again to audiences.

The Lyric Theater is now the oldest legitimate theater in Miami and now serves as a community theater. Just as in Overtown's glory days during the early part of the 20th century, the Lyric Theater is poised to once again become, in the 21st century, a symbol of black economic influence, as well as a social gathering place-free of discrimination-and a source of pride and culture within Overtown.

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