South Florida Real Estate Enveloped in Sun and World Class Entertainment

By Alexandra Tarallo

South Florida may be known for its beautiful beaches, laid back lifestyle, and real estate boom, but one thing is sure, culture is not dormant in the area.

For more than a century, South Florida has not only known agriculture and retirement communities; it has forged an identity based upon the amount of venues its cities and towns have dedicated to culture. Throughout the years music, theater, ballet, sports, and museum and visual arts exhibits have been a community staple.

Since the late nineteenth century, housewives would organize neighborhood “musicales” and at least ten theatres in Miami featured silent movies and Vaudeville companies. Many South Florida homes where within walking distance to theaters, women’s and men’s clubs, and venues for amateur theatrical groups and dramatic recitals.

One of the notable historic buildings in Miami is the Olympia Theater. Inaugurated in 1926 as a silent film palace, it stunned the public with its Moorish architecture and accurate acoustics. The roof’s fresco of a night sky features twinkling stars and ethereal clouds. It was the first air-conditioned building in the South.

In 1975 the beautiful building was saved from demolition by Philanthropist Maurice Gusman who restored it with the help from acclaimed architect Morris Lapidus. The Olympia Theater and Gusman Center for the Performing Arts as it is now named, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Performances featured at the theater include Elvis Presley, Luciano Pavarotti. The celebrated theater now provides a home for the Florida Philharmonic, the Miami International Film Festival, and the Maximum Dance Company.

Another of Miami’s entertainment districts was “Little Broadway.” Anchored by the Lyric Theater that opened in 1913, “Little Broadway” was a gathering place for people of all races. It was located in Overtown, one of Miami’s oldest neighborhoods where culture was an integral part of the African-American community. Performances in “Little Broadway” include legendary Ella Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Aretha Franklin, Nat King Cole, and Billy Holiday.

Modern-day entertainment in South Florida includes a variety of options ranging from the above mentioned Olympia Theater and Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, to the Broward Center of the Performing Arts, the Florida Stage in Manalapan, and countless world-class museums and arenas.

We can safely say that South Florida real estate does not feature some of the hottest properties on the nation’s market only because of its sunny beaches and mild weather.