Commission to vote on whether to give Olympia Theater to charter school
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The Olympia Theater in April. Photo: Ivan Apfel/Getty Images
The Miami City Commission is expected to vote Thursday on whether to transfer the historic Olympia Theater to a charter school that would spend tens of millions to restore the downtown landmark.
Why it matters: Critics question why the city would give away a property valued at over $5.47 million and listed on the National Register of Historic Places without a competitive bidding process, but city officials say it is too expensive for the government to renovate.
Catch up quick: The plan — sponsored by Mayor Francis Suarez — calls for transferring ownership of the theater and its adjoining 80-unit building to SLAM Academy, the charter school system co-founded by rapper Pitbull.
- If approved, SLAM will fund interior and exterior repairs to bring the building up to code within five years, which the city estimates will cost about $50 million, according to the resolution outlining the proposal. (The Miami Herald reported that the city's estimate is actually about $77 million in total.)
- The theater would also be activated for public use for at least 180 events a year, per the resolution.
- The proposal also requires that SLAM partner with Miami Dade College to activate the property with academic and cultural programs.
As part of the deal, the city can take back the theater if it is not restored or if it is no longer used for educational or civic purposes.
Flashback: The property, located at 174 E Flagler St., opened in 1926 and was gifted to the city in 1975 by the philanthropist Maurice Gusman.
- The city hopes the proposal can help settle a pair of lawsuits filed by the Gusman family, accusing the city of violating the terms of the donation and failing to maintain the property.
Commissioners were initially scheduled to vote on the Olympia deal in June, but the resolution was deferred in order to host community meetings with residents.
- The commission considered the item in July but did not approve it pending an updated estimate on the repair costs and specifics about the level of public access SLAM will offer, the Herald reported.