The Lyric Theater
819 N.W. Second Ave
The Lyric Theater is the oldest theater building that still remains in Miami. Built in 1915 by Geder Walker, an African American entrepreneur from Georgia, it was decribed by The Miami News as "the most beautiful and costly playhouse owned by Colored people in all the Southland." It was the heart of what was known as "Little Broadway" until the 1950s. Built originally as a cinema house, it hosted silent movies, vaudevilles, and major starts such as Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne These stars would play at the Lyric after performing in the Miami Beach hotels where they could not stay after hours given the segregation laws in South Florida. It closed in the early 1960s due to the decimation of Overtown caused by the construction of the I-95 and 395 freeways. The Black Archives, History and Research Foundation bought it in 1989. The theater's renovation and new building were completed in 2002.
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