The Tower Theater has been a mainstay of Little Havana for nearly a century. This historic theater shows arthouse films and holds a special place in the hearts of many Miamians of Cuban origin, who remember learning about American culture from its film screenings.
For more than 20 years, Miami Dade College managed the movie theater. But during its meeting on Thursday, the Miami Commission voted for District 3, where the theater is located, to take over operations of the venue.
District 3 Commissioner Joe Carollo expressed his hope that with the new administration the theater will expand its programming and improve its reach.
The resolution also approved the district to use the nearly $800,000 in funding the city budgeted for the theater. The resolution stated that the city hopes to enhance the theater by adding a theatrical stage, visual arts exhibits and a counter that promotes tourism in Little Havana and throughout Miami.
It will be a “pilot program,” City Manager Art Noriega said during the meeting. The Commission will revert to the matter in one year and assess whether District 3 should continue to run the theater.
Not all commissioners at the meeting agreed with District 3 taking over theater operations. Commissioner Manolo Reyes spoke out against the resolution. The resolution goes “against my principles,” he said before the vote. Reyes to Commissioner Sabina Covo to vote against.
“None of us should have absolute control of a municipal asset,” Reyes said, addressing Carollo during the meeting. “That’s the job of the city manager, and if the manager has to appoint me to manage any of the city’s assets… I think we need to get a new manager.”
Miami Dade College managed the theater from 2002 until earlier this year, when the city took it over. Last September, Miami announced that it would not renew the lease with the MDC. The city planned to take over at the end of MDC’s lease in January.
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Carollo claimed that “very few people” went to the movies at the Tower Theater under MDC management. He added that the theater seats, which he says are about 20 years old, “look like new because no one was using them.”
“It was not serving the vision that I think the city had when they gave it to Miami Dade. [College]Carollo said.
The city’s decision to terminate MDC’s lease sparked outrage from some local filmmakers, Little Havana residents and others who approved of the university’s management of the theater. Protesters gathered at the theater last fall to protest the city’s takeover, and a petition posted on change.org calling for the MDC to continue operating the theater garnered more than 8,500 signatures.
At one point, Carollo lobbied to turn the theater over to veterans of the Bay of Pigs veterans organization, in part to create a museum. He Miami New Times reported that the group of veterans did not want to take over the theater.
Under the direction of District 3, Carollo said the theater will introduce new programming, including live theater performances. The theater will continue to screen movies, Carollo said. She added that while the city will have to charge for admission, she hopes the theater can provide an affordable way for residents to enjoy “world-class entertainment.”
“We want this to take off, to work now,” Carollo said. “Hopefully the city administration can see what we’re doing…and if they could just take it and run it, I’d be the happiest man in the place.”
2023-07-15 01:32:54
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