Heirs sue Miami to get back theater grandfather donated

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

MIAMI (AP) — The heirs of a philanthropist who donated a historic theater to the city of Miami want it back.

A dissolved nonprofit controlled by the heirs of Maurice Gusman sued the city last month in an effort to take control of the Olympia Theater on Flagler Street and restore it to its former glory. They claim city officials have squandered the theater built in 1926 and violated the terms of an agreement with their grandfather.

Gusman donated the theater to the city in 1975. It is one of the oldest theaters in Miami and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Gusman’s agreement with the city required the Miami Parking Authority to manage the property. When the parking authority gave up management of the theater, the city violated the deed and gave up its right to maintain ownership, according to the lawsuit by the nonprofit.

Read more: https://apnews.com/58dfe2e7b286e31a99a452201c9946f3

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Can the government be held to its fiduciary responsibility?

There was an article on Yahoo! Finance several years ago, that interviewed a trust manager for one of the biggest companies that administer trusts. I think it was Northern in Chicago, but I could be mistaken. There is little enforcement of trusts. Say you leave millions to your heirs to take care of your real estate, your family home. Your heir says it needs a roof, and presents a request to the trust for money to pay the roofer. Trust manager cuts a check. End of enforcement. Heir could repair the roof with 10% of the money and take a trip around the world with the rest. No one will question him on it, or perhaps another heir.

Land trusts the same thing. Ony as good as the money they have to pursue legal action if the trust is violated, and the fiduciary responsibility of those serving the trust.

I think you really should live well and enjoy while you can. You can't determine the future, and any assets you do have are just Medicaid countable once you need a nursing home. Support yourself, your loved ones, your charitable whims and ideas, and like the bumper sticker, Die Broke! because estate taxes are a bitch and the state will use your sacrifices for its own whims.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. Smart advice!

[FM123]

2. Wow, Gusman Hall in it's heyday was really something else.

Back in the early eighties when I lived in Miami, I saw every kind of show imaginable there - from the Nutcracker ballet and the Chopin competition to comedian Gallagher and boogie blues band George Thorogood & the Destroyers there. Such a sad shame what has happened to it, and what a shock it must have been to the family to see an order posted on the theater by city code enforcement to repair/demolish the building.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. If the heirs want to restore it to its former glory why not let them?

[iluvtennis]

4. + agree. we need to keep more of our historic buildings here in America - traditionalist in me. nt

[silverweb]

7. They might want to move it first.

It would be a shame to restore it amidst sunny day flooding, then have it drown with the rest of Miami.

[BlueIdaho]

5. "And violated the terms of an agreement with their grandfather."

If true, this could be game set and match for the city.

[maxsolomon]

8. The "Miami Parking Authority"?

What is God's name is that, and why did they get a historic theatre to administer?

[flvegan]

9. Technically, he deeded the property to the City of Miami

with a restriction on the deed stating "Provided that the facility on the property shall be administered by the Members of the Off-Street Parking Board of the City of Miami or their successors" in fee simple.

[maxsolomon]

10. sounds like it was a hot potato no other city dept was prepared to handle

no wonder it got neglected.

here's the ideal combo of theater and parking!