The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater is a performing-arts venue in Overtown, Miami, with roots in the neighborhood’s entertainment history. You can learn about its past, check current event listings and plan a visit to the cultural arts complex at 819 NW 2nd Avenue.
- Location: 819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136.
- From the hotel: About a 6-minute drive from AC Hotel Miami Wynwood.
- Business hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends by appointment only.
The theater’s place in Overtown
The Lyric Theater is part of Overtown’s history as a center for Black entertainment and community life in Miami.
Built in 1913, the theater became an entertainment venue in Overtown’s “Little Broadway” district during the neighborhood’s heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. It served as a movie theater, performance hall and community auditorium before closing in the 1960s.
The Black Archives acquired the theater in 1988. It reopened in February 2014 after renovation phases, and today it forms part of a cultural arts complex that includes the Black Archives, meeting spaces, exhibition space and a studio theater. For another look at Miami’s past, the HistoryMiami Museum visitor guide covers a different local history venue.
How do you check performances and event dates?
Theater programming includes music, dance, comedy and other performing arts, and the lineup varies.
Look for an event listing from the event organizer before you plan your visit. The venue’s weekday business hours are not identified as box-office hours, and its official page does not specify event entry times or ticket policies. For questions, The Black Archives provides the phone number 786-708-4610 and email address baf@bahlt.org.
The Black Archives says the theater is closed on federal holidays. Check The Black Archives’ official site before you go for current event details and practical updates.
How do you get to the venue?
The Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Metrorail station is at 100 NW 6th Street and is served by the Orange and Green lines. The station identifies itself as step-free, with elevators serving all platforms.
If you drive, the station has a 40-space park-and-ride lot, and parking fees apply. The station identifies the Lyric Theater and Historic Overtown Folklife Village as nearby sites, so you can include a walk through the surrounding area in your plans.
Overtown’s Folklife Village includes Purvis Young murals, Gibson Park, Frederick Douglas Elementary School and Culmer/Overtown Public Library. For another Miami venue, the guide to getting to loanDepot park covers arrival planning there. The theater’s address is 819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL 33136.
FAQs
What kinds of events take place at the Historic Lyric Theater?
The venue hosts music, dance, comedy and other performing-arts events. Its program varies, so event listings are the best way to confirm what’s on.
Is the Historic Lyric Theater open on weekends?
The Black Archives gives Saturday and Sunday business hours as by appointment only. Those hours are not identified as event entry times.
Does the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre station have elevators?
Yes. The station says elevators serve all platforms and identifies itself as step-free.