Filmmakers and community members gathered outside of the Tower Theater Tuesday morning to protest the city’s decision to take over operations.
They chanted, “save our art” and “save Tower Theater.”
"I really don’t trust what they’re promising and I don’t think the quality of the shows of what they’re going to… even compares in anyway to what this theater is now doing," said Margarita Batlle, a longtime patron of the theater who showed up to rally.
Another protester said, “Don’t kick out Miami-Dade to run something, when the City of Miami is infamous for not running things very well.”
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So what will the future of the historic Tower Theater Miami look like?
That's what many are asking after learning that the City of Miami has decided not to renew its lease with Miami Dade College. MDC has run the theater for the last 20 years.
"We offer something that nobody else does, or that very few other places do, which is just world-class programming," said Nicolas Calzada, Interim Executive Director of the Tower Theater Miami. "That would go away with this change."
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The Tower Theater opened in 1926, according to its website, and is one of Miami's oldest cultural landmarks.
It became a beloved hangout for Cuban refugees in the 60s. Since 2002, the Tower Theater has been operated by MDC, showing a wide range of films and participating in events like the Miami Film Festival and the GEMS Film Festival.
Calzada said the college tried in "good faith" for 20 months to renew the operating agreement with the city when it expired.
"We've never used a single dime of city funds," said Calzada. "The college has invested millions of dollars in operating and maintaining the building, and the programming and the operation of this has been absolutely impeccable."
He says the city never gave them a reason for the lease termination.
“The city should do what the city does,” said Suzanne Batlle, owner and founder of Azucar. “Curating films is not their job.”
Her popular ice cream shop sits across the street from the Tower Theater on Calle Ocho.
“It will impact business for sure if the city does not do a good job,” said Batlle.
The Miami City Manager says the lease agreement with the college will be terminated in January 2023. The city will then take control over managing and operating the Tower Theater "into the foreseeable future."
"The city administration has been of the belief, I agree with them, so does the mayor, that the use of the theater is nowhere near of its maximum use," said Miami City Commissioner Joe Carollo.
Carollo, whose district includes the theater, says the city has no intention of tearing it down.
He says they want it to also include a theater stage, rotating visual arts exhibits and become a welcome center to help show visitors what Miami has to offer.
In response to the city and commissioner’s news conference Monday, Miami Dade College sent a statement saying:
"We appreciate Commissioner Carollo's excellent ideas as a leader who knows this community so well. There is no need to change management; Miami Dade College can implement many of his excellent ideas in as little as 30 days — much sooner than a change in management. We would be eager to create a welcome center, continued year-round programming and community art exhibits in our 2nd-floor mezzanine. We would also like to invite Commissioner Carollo to be the founding chairman of a new Tower Theater community advisory board. With his leadership and our 20 years of experience building an iconic cultural institution in Little Havana, there is no question that the Tower Theater's brightest future can be realized with the ongoing administration support of Miami Dade College."
In Response to MDC’s statement, City Manager Art Noriega said, “The Tower Theatre is a City asset and as such we have decided to exercise our right to manage it ourselves. We appreciate the College’s stewardship but it is our intention to manage and program the facility differently. For that reason, having direct control of the operation is essential.”
