With few details, Miami is in an unnecessary rush to give away historic theater | Opinion

When we say the city of Miami is suddenly in a hurry to turn over the historic Olympia Theater in downtown, we’re sure officials will push back and say they have been in negotiations with a charter-school operator for some time.

But the news that commissioners could be approving a resolution as early as Thursday to proceed with the “transfer” of the Flagler Street building was thrown at Miami residents with one day’s notice. The 1926 building features an elaborate theater in classic 1920s style, with a soaring ceiling replicating a night sky with twinkling stars and passing clouds. It started as a silent movie theater and later hosted stars such as Elvis Presley.

It’s one of a kind.

We’re not the only ones flabbergasted by the proposed deal, which would allow the city to wash its hand of an asset that’s expensive to maintain but is also an irreplaceable gem that represents our history. Historic preservationists are also asking the commission to spend more time evaluating the plan, which has not been publicly vetted or discussed, the Herald reported. No formal details about the agreement or an appraisal of the building have been released.

And yet, despite all of those uncertainties, the Miami City Commission is set to vote on a resolution on Thursday’s agenda that would allow the city manager to “negotiate and execute” a purchase and sale agreement for the theater with Sports Leadership, Arts and Management Inc., or SLAM Academy, the charter-school system founded by Miami-born rapper Pitbull.

SLAM is a nonprofit but it is managed by Academica, a for-profit charter-school operator with deep political ties to Florida politicians, having employed some of them in the past. It’s impossible not to wonder whether politics played a role in the negotiations with the city and the unseemly rush to hand over the theater.

The theater would be be used for educational programs for the downtown public charter school Miami Tech at Mater Innovation Academy, which would be renamed the “Miami Innovation & Arts Academy.” The resolution also states that the negotiating parties “anticipate” it would be used for cultural programming by Miami-Dade College, such as the Miami Film Festival and Miami Book Fair. The college is a partner in the charter school.

The new owners would be required to make “all necessary interior and exterior repairs to the Property in order to bring it into” code compliance and historic preservation standards within five years.

Miami has a long history of undervaluing assets and mismanaging them, and the Olympia Theater is no exception.

The venue has been mostly closed for the past five years, with some exceptions, WLRN reported. In 2018, the property was issued a demolition notice by the city’s own building department. The following year, the heirs of late philanthropist Maurice Gusman, who gave the theater to the Miami Parking Authority in 1975, sued Miami to take back control of the venue. The family told the Herald back then it wanted to restore and maintain the theater, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Repairing the facility could cost as much as $40 million by some estimates, the Herald reported.

The city hopes the new agreement with SLAM will prompt the Gusman family to drop the lawsuit: Problem solved — for the city government. But is using facility for “public education purposes,” as specified in the resolution, the best idea for Miami residents and downtown businesses who would benefit from a revitalized theater?

Is this another case of Miami letting its public assets deteriorate to such a level that we’re forced to sell it off?

It’s hard to answer these questions in a matter of hours before the City Commission meets on Thursday. The commission must defer the resolution to a later date, which Commissioner Damian Pardo told the Herald Editorial Board on Wednesday he expects to happen.

The Dade Heritage Trust has also requested the deferral of the agenda item.

“This is not a decision that should be rushed and voted on without a timeline and proper requirements in place,” Christine Rupp, executive director of the Trust, wrote in a statement. She said the theater is “primarily a cultural facility” rather than an educational one, which is what the city and SLAM envision, and said commissioners should defer the decision to give everyone more time to understand the impacts.

“The deferral is requested to allow for public input and professional opinions...”

We agree.

The worst thing the commission could do is rush to vote on the resolution without a lot of details and worry about what goes into the negotiated contract with SLAM later. At that point, they would be under increased pressure to approve the agreement before the school year starts.

At the very least, there needs to be an assurance from SLAM that the Olympia will remain a public space, open regularly for performances and other cultural events — and not just a couple of times a year. Miami wants to be seen as a mature, world-class city; one way to do that is to offer cultural facilities steeped in history.

The mismanagement of public assets doesn’t have to be the norm. Miami should find a way to preserve the Olympia Theater for the entire community.

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