Located in downtown Miami, Olympia Theater at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts has served as a stage for cultural performances since 1926. Designed in the Spanish style with an old world charm, the building maintains a certain air of sophistication. The center once housed the Miami Philharmonic Orchestra. After undergoing a two-year renovation project in the 1970s, the historic structure became one of the city's main performing arts venues. Today, the center continues to feature an exciting array of theater, music and dance.
The Tower Theater in Little Havana is one of the oldest cultural landmarks in the city. It was built in 1926, and was regarded as one of the greatest movie theaters in the South. When an influx of Cuban immigrants came to Miami in the 1960s, the Tower Theater began showing films with Spanish subtitles and eventually Spanish language films. The theater was closed in 1984, but reopened in 2002 under the management of Miami Dade College. It now mainly serves as a community gathering place for cultural exhibitions and free lectures by college faculty.