He doesn't go looking for cultural projects to tackle: They always come looking for him, says I. Stanley Levine
After working as a lawyer for five decades, Stanley Levine may have harbored thoughts of retiring. But while he remained as chairman emeritus at his nationally recognized Brickell Avenue law practice now run by his sons, he is concentrating on another lifelong devotion — serving the community through what he describes as cultural experiences. Mr. Levine was responsible for keeping Miami Beach's Lincoln Road a traffic-free pedestrian precinct and its revitalization into an artistic and entertainment center at the heart of the Art Deco District. He was founding chairman of the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council. In addition, he has been a board member and most recently secretary of the Performing Arts Center Trust, which brought the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts to downtown Miami and oversees its operations. Following the success of the Lincoln Road project, he went on to replicate that revitalization in the historic district of Homestead in South Miami-Dade County. That venture involved assembling a three-acre campus on Krome Avenue between Second and Fourth Streets that includes a 6,500-square-foot, 350-seat former Baptist church and classroom buildings, all renamed ArtSouth.
Currently, Mr. Levine is engaged in yet another revitalization project, this one in Alice Town in the Bahamian island of Bimini. There, he is producing Heritage Village, which as its name implies is intended to preserve the local history. He is continuing to be active in helping to improve the lives of at-risk children through education and involvement in the arts.
Mr. Levine spoke of his projects in an interview at his Brickell Avenue law office with Miami Today international editor Michael Hayes.
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