Tower Theater

Enjoy a great foreign movie, independent film, exhibition, or cultural classic in one of Miami’s most unique and culturally rich neighborhoods.  The Tower Theatre in Little Havana, run by Miami Dade College, is one of Miami’s oldest cultural landmarks. When it opened in December of 1926, it was the finest state-of-the-art theater in the South.  Nelson Tower, the theater’s namesake, was appointed director.

On October 3, 1931 , the Tower Theater re-opened following extensive remodeling under the leadership of renowned architect Robert Law Weed. The exterior was developed in an Art Deco style with a prominent 40-foot steel tower that quickly became a neighborhood landmark. The Theater was now a member of Wolfson-Meyer Theatrical Enterprises of Miami.

In the early 1960s, large numbers of Cuban refugees fled to Miami. The area surrounding S.W. Eighth Street – “Calle Ocho” – became a place of new beginnings. For many Cuban families, films at the Tower Theatre were an introduction to American culture in addition to pure entertainment. Soon the Tower Theatre altered its programming to include English-language films with Spanish subtitles, and eventually Spanish-language films. However, after almost sixty years of operation, the Tower Theatre was closed to the public in 1984.

In 2002, the City of Miami authorized Miami Dade College to manage theater operations. Now proudly under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Department, the Tower Theatre continues to serve as a historic gathering place for cultural connections in Little Havana, where the community can enjoy alternative and culturally specific exhibitions and performances, free educational lectures given by MDC faculty and other scholars in our community, and both Spanish-language films and English-language films, subtitled in Spanish.