By NADEGE GREEN • FEB 7, 2014

The historic Lyric Theater, Miami’s oldest entertainment venue, symbolizes a time when Overtown was a bustling cultural hub: Jazz icon Duke Ellington thrilled audiences on its stage; poet Langston Hughes recited there; soul songstress Aretha Franklin charmed concert-goers with her gospel tunes.

Over the decades the theater, built in 1913 by black tycoon Geder Walker, was either treasured or neglected.

Thursday evening, the renovations and expansion to the aging icon were unveiled to about 100 guests. Community leaders and organizers say the historic theater will once again bring the arts — and job opportunities — to Overtown.

Read the full story at MiamiHerald.com.