The Lyric Theatre

Built in 1913 in Miami’s historic Overtown neighborhood, the Lyric became the entertainment anchor of “Little Boradway.” It was owned and operated by Geder Waller until 1919 and then by his wife, Henrietta, until 1959. It has hosted such entertainment luminaries as Count Bassie, Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle. It was added to the National Register of Historc Places in 1989 and reopened in early 2014.

The 400 seat Lyric originally hosted sient movies, vaudville shows, and numerous African-American entertainers who were permitted to perform in Miami, but were not permitted to stay in the city’s hotels.  After it shut its doors in the early 1960s, the theater fell into disrepair and became an unofficial shelter for Miami’s homeless population.  It was then purchased by the Black Archives and money was raised to renovate the venerable old theater, which reopened in 2000.

It went through another series of renovations in 2004 which added a new lobby, box office, concessions area and administrative offices.  However, financial issues forced it to close, once again, in 2010.  It re-reopened in February of 2014 as the Black Archives Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex and reclaimed its spot as Miami’s olderst theater.

It now serves a movie theater, performance hall, community auditorium and social gathering place for visitors and the residents of Overtown.  Currently, on the first Friday of every month, the Lyric hosts Lyric Live, an amateur night modeled on the famous Apollo Theater’s version