MIAMI (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — One of the plans under consideration for a revamp of the Miami Beach Convention Center would see the Miami Fillmore, formerly the Jackie Gleason Theatre demolished to make room for a new hotel.
According to the Miami Herald, the consultant-proposed plan, if adopted, would spell the end of the recently-renovated theatre taken over by Live Nation three years ago. The plan has already reportedly garnered the support of city mayor Matti Bower, City Manager Jorge Gonzalez and from several Miami-Dade business and tourism lobbying groups.
Not everyone is in favor of the plan however, and the Herald is reporting that a community group has sprung up around a Facebook page dedicated to saving the Fillmore and thus far, more than 1,800 people have signed up.
The Fillmore originally opened in 1950 as the Miami Beach Auditorium and served as a home to Jackie Gleason's television company when he moved it to Florida in 1964 and started to tape his show at the venue. After Gleason's death in 1987, the theatre adopted the name Jackie Gleason Theatre until Live Nation took it over in 2007 after a $3.5 million refurb of the facility. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers