Question: What was innovative about the Olympia Theatre when it opened in Miami in 1926?
Answer: It was one of the first air-conditioned theaters in the South and featured an “atmospheric” interior that simulated a night sky.
Built in 1926 by Publix Theaters Corporation and designed by John Eberson, the Olympia Theatre was the first of many atmospheric-style theaters and was the first air-conditioned building in the South. It was equipped with a Wurlitzer 3-manual, 15-rank theater pipe organ. The Olympia Theatre was opened on February 18, 1926, with Adolph Menjou in “The Grand Duchess and the Waiter” on the screen, accompanied by the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and the ‘mighty’ Wurlitzer concert pipe organ. Paul Whiteman and his Greater Concert Orchestra also appeared on the opening program.
