By: Nancy Esteves
@nancyesteves.editor

In the heart of Coral Gables, the Sanctuary of the Arts at the First Church of Christ Scientist has quickly emerged as one of South Florida’s most dynamic cultural spaces. Housed within beautifully restored historic church buildings originally designed by renowned Coral Gables architect Phineas Paist, the nonprofit institution has transformed these architectural landmarks into vibrant venues for music, dance, theater, and educational programs.

Since opening its doors a few years ago, the Sanctuary has become a gathering place for artists, students, and audiences alike—hosting over 75 performances each year and fostering a creative environment that celebrates collaboration and accessibility in the arts. The venue has also hosted important civic and cultural gatherings, including Coral Gables Community Foundation events and State of the Arts Foundation dinners, which bring together leaders and advocates of the local arts community.

In recent years, the Sanctuary of the Arts has gained remarkable recognition within Miami‑Dade’s cultural landscape. Local arts leaders have begun to regard it as one of the county’s most significant cultural venues, often mentioned alongside major institutions such as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater. In fact, we are called weekly by arts organizations across the country and in South America, asking what we are about and how we do what they do for the arts.

Behind this vision are Mike Eidson, a Coral Gables attorney, preservationist, and longtime leader in the arts, and his wife, Dr. Margaret Eidson, who are passionate about the performing arts. With decades of involvement in Miami’s cultural institutions, including leadership roles with the Miami City Ballet, the Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami Chamber Music Society, and others, Eidson set out to create a more intimate, community‑centered venue where artists could thrive, and audiences could experience performances up close. Together with principal managing director Rafi Maldonado‑Lopez, Eidson has helped shape the Sanctuary of the Arts into a unique cultural hub that continues to expand its reach through performances, education, and community engagement.

Q: Mike, tell us how the Sanctuary of the Arts began. What inspired you to create it?
Mike Eidson: I’ve been involved in performing arts in Miami-Dade for many years. I served as president and chairman of the board of the Miami City Ballet for 9 years and as chairman of the Trust Board of Directors of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for 5 years. Through those experiences, I realized that while we had large cultural institutions, there was still a need for more intimate, accessible spaces where artists could receive education, perform, and collaborate with other institutions. In addition, these spaces could be used for community events, many of which supported the arts. Rafi and I felt that the arts organizations in Coral Gables would benefit from working together more efficiently for the artists and the people of the city. We were not surprised that our theaters and other spaces would quickly become a home for dozens of performing arts institutions throughout Miami-Dade County and that we would find an international dance school and perform in Mexico and throughout South America.

Around 2018 I discovered the historic First Church of Christ, Scientist building in Coral Gables located at 410 Andalucia Avenue across the street from the City Hall. It had been designed by architect Phineas Paist, who also designed Venetian Pool, the Douglas Entrance, Coral Gables City Hall and many more of the original buildings in the city one hundred years ago. I spoke with experts about converting the church property into two theaters and rehearsal spaces; they told me it could be done, but it would take hard work and significant investment. Margaret and I believed there was a real need for preservation and performance spaces, so we decided to move forward and we worked out a deal with the Church to convert and operate the buildings for the performing arts.
Q: The Sanctuary now includes several historic spaces. How did the project evolve?
Mike Eidson: What began as a single restoration grew into something larger. We now work with three historic church buildings in Coral Gables that serve as spaces for performances, rehearsals, and education. One building became a 320-seat theater, another is used for rehearsals and concerts, and the third supports educational and community programs.

We had bought and restored St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church, a historic Black church founded in 1924 that once had more than 1,500 members and played an important role during the civil rights era. When it fell into difficult times, we stepped in to preserve it and transform it into another Sanctuary space for cultural and educational programming.
Q: The Sanctuary has grown rapidly in just a few years. What kinds of programs take place there today?
Mike Eidson: The Sanctuary presents a wide range of performances including dance, theater, concerts, jazz, and literary events. We collaborate with organizations like Books & Books and have hosted renowned speakers such as Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Ada Ferrer and premiered famed documentary producer Ken Burns’s new film about the holocaust for example. We have presented some of the most famous performers in the world such as violinist Joshua Bell, Nestor Torres, Aymee Nuviola, many other Grammy winners, The Cleveland Orchestra chamber music and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra from London. We also work with organizations such as Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony and help many local charities such as Nicklaus Hospital and Make-A-Wish. We regularly work with non-profits to help present their programs on our campus.

Today we present up to 75 shows and events per year and welcome roughly 25,000 patrons annually. The Sanctuary has become a lively creative center where artists and audiences connect regularly. Hardly a day goes by when something is not happening in one or more of our theaters and rehearsal studios.
Mr. Maldonado created the Inter-American Choreographic Institute at the Sanctuary which presents Men Who Dance, the largest all male dance program in the world, each year in Fort Lauderdale at the Broward Performing Arts Center. Last year MWD presented 16 performances by over 45 dancers from 14 countries, many such as Miami City Ballet and Dimensions that are located in South Florida. In the past five years, we have had 30 dancers come through our school, perform on our stages, and go into professional programs across the world, as far away as Berlin, Hamburg, and the Americas. The Institute’s mission is to create, expand and support artistic ventures that reflect cultural paradigms and consciousness of the Americas. Our Choreographic Ensemble Training Program prepares students from across the Americas to audition into professional dance companies in all forms of dance and choreography. The Ensemble regularly performs concerts at the Sanctuary as part of their training process.
Mr. Maldonado also created and produced Carnival of the Animals, a full-length ballet, which has been presented at the Sanctuary and at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Last year Mr. Maldonado presented Carnival of the Animals twenty-three times to sold out audiences in Mexico City.

Q: Dance appears to be a central part of the Sanctuary’s mission.
Mike Eidson: Absolutely. When we opened, there really wasn’t much dance happening in Coral Gables. Now we host professional performances, educational programs, and training for young dancers. Our faculty includes world-class instructors, and we currently support dancers from different countries who come to train and perform here. We present more dance companies and performances than anywhere else in Miami, more than 25 dance performances a year. Of course, with dance professionals like legendary Brazilian teacher and choreographer Alice Arja, and the brilliant dance teacher and choreographer Rafi Maldonado-Lopez and others, we have an internationally acclaimed dance program.

Q: Education seems to be a major priority for the Sanctuary.
Mike Eidson: Education is essential to what we do. We partner with schools and universities including FIU, the University of Miami, Carver Elementary School, Tucker Elementary School, Armour Dance Theater, Miami City Ballet and many others. We dedicate weeks to dance education and performances, and our International Dance Program is active throughout the year.

Our goal is not only to present performances but also to inspire the next generation of artists and creative thinkers in all forms of the performing arts
Q: What makes the Sanctuary experience different from larger venues?
Mike Eidson: The biggest differences are the intimacy of our theater and educational spaces and our close collaboration with arts institutions throughout Miami. Our theater is designed so that audiences feel completely immersed in the performance. For example, the back row is only thirty feet or so from the front of the stage, so you’re always close to the stage, and the audience becomes practically one with the artists performing.

The acoustics are exceptional, and the experience feels personal. People often say they feel like they are part of the performance rather than simply watching it.
We are affordable, and parking is inexpensive and close to the theater. We have several dozen resident companies that would not be able to perform in larger theaters and provide outstanding, challenging concerts for our community.
Another thing about our theaters is that they are 100 years old, incredibly beautiful, and have been an important part of Coral Gables since it was founded by the great George Merrick. Margaret and I are very proud to have helped preserve the properties and repurpose them for the performing arts.
Q: You also have a special upcoming performance featuring the Miami City Ballet Orchestra.
Mike Eidson: Yes, we’re very excited about it. The Miami City Ballet Orchestra traditionally plays in the orchestra pit, but we invited them to perform on stage at the Sanctuary. This is the first time the great orchestra will ever perform on stage where the orchestra is featured rather than the dance company. The program will feature beautiful classical ballet music, including selections from the great composers Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Barber, Borodin and Prokofiev, covering a musical period of 100 years We will also present two outstanding ballets choreographed by Mr. Maldonado and Alice Arja and Pontus Lidberg, as part of the program.

We’ll present three performances over one weekend and invite hundreds of dance students to attend rehearsals so they can experience this wonderful dance and musical program.
Q: What is your long-term vision for the Sanctuary of the Arts?
Mike Eidson: Our goal is to create a collaborative environment where artists can thrive, a true sanctuary for artists to learn, create and perform and where audiences will be entertained and feel welcome. We have built a creative ecosystem that supports performers, educators, and cultural organizations while preserving the architectural heritage of Coral Gables.

At its heart, the Sanctuary is about community. It’s about bringing people together through the arts.

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En el corazón de Coral Gables, Sanctuary of the Arts ha emergido como uno de los escenarios culturales más distinguidos del sur de la Florida. Ubicado en emblemáticos edificios históricos restaurados, este espacio sin fines de lucro ha sabido unir preservación, belleza arquitectónica y una programación artística de alto nivel, convirtiéndose en un punto de encuentro para la música, la danza, el teatro y la educación.
Impulsado por la visión de Mike Eidson, la Dra. Margaret Eidson y Rafi Maldonado-Lopez, el Sanctuary nació con el propósito de crear un espacio más íntimo, cercano y accesible para artistas, estudiantes y público. Hoy, su impacto en la vida cultural de Miami-Dade es notable, no solo por la diversidad de sus presentaciones, sino también por su compromiso con la formación, la colaboración y el fortalecimiento de la comunidad artística.
Entre sus próximos momentos más esperados destaca un evento especial en mayo, cuando la Miami City Ballet Orchestra se presentará en el escenario del Sanctuary en un formato protagónico y excepcional, acompañada de un exquisito programa de música de ballet y destacadas coreografías. Más que un recinto cultural, Sanctuary of the Arts representa una visión viva del arte como experiencia, legado y punto de conexión para toda la comunidad.