Elvis and Miami's Olympia Theater
The Olympia was built by Paramount Enterprises at a cost of $1.5 million and opened in 1926 as a silent Movie Palace.
Romanian architect John Eberson departed from the usual box like theater setting and created the first of many famed “atmospheric” theaters with the turrets and towers in a Spanish style to transport attendees to an exotic European courtyard or garden with numerous fountains and grottoes.
The Olympia featured perfect acoustics and the ceiling was a simulated night sky with rolling clouds and twinkling stars.
With ten stories of office space above the theater, it was considered one of the first air conditioned buildings in the south.
Their mighty Wurlitzer organ is the only originally installed pipe organ south of Atlanta housed in its original theater.
Here talkies and vaudeville thrived for almost forty years as the Olympia became the entertainment center of Miami.
Silent film stars and live performers graced the stage such as Sophie Tucker, Joe E Brown, Jackie Gleason, Rudy Vallee, B.B. King, Luciano Pavarotti and Etta James.
But it was in 1956 when a gyrating fireball with an unbelievable sexy sneer exploded on the scene with teenagers and young adults across America, that the Olympia Theater was not prepared for.
Elvis Presley had made a number of national television appearances that had boosted his popularity and records, while Colonel Tom Parker had become his manager.
Parker and Elvis met in Jacksonville with Florida State theaters to schedule a seven city Florida tour in August beginning in Miami.
The 21-year-old was the fastest rising talent in music and a legend in the making as he sold out seven shows at the 2,170-seat Olympia at $1.50 per ticket.
On Friday August 3rd at 4:00 p.m. Elvis strolled on stage wearing a lavender jacket, black pants and white shoes.
The crowd could not contain themselves as Elvis went into his patented dance moves.
Miami policeman on the scene said that they hadn’t witnessed a crowd reaction like this since Sinatra.
Despite police protection fans grabbed and tore his jacket and pants and backstage Elvis cut them up and went to the fire escape to throw clothing fragments down to the fans on 2nd Avenue.
His lavender Lincoln was only a couple weeks old and covered with love notes and phone numbers written in lipstick.
The next morning Elvis went to the Miami Lincoln Mercury dealership and traded his vandalized car for a new Lincoln Continental Mark II.
After entertaining 15,000 fans, Elvis headed to Tampa for another show.
David Garland FL Miami Jun 11, 2024 Architecture Music Theaters
Jun 11, 2024
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