MIAMI, Okla. — Nearly eight decades later, a dream of George Coleman Sr. to finish the upstairs of the Coleman Theatre in downtown Miami for use as a ballroom just might be realized.

The nonprofit organization Friends of the Coleman will launch a fund-raising effort next month to raise about $800,000 to complete the restoration, said Barbara Smith, theater director.

The organization already has a $500,000 state grant that has been matched by private donations, she said.

The 6,000 square feet of upstairs space will feature seating for 500 for receptions or convention meetings, or can be partitioned to allow three smaller groups at any one time to meet, Smith said. New restrooms and a kitchen also are included in the design.

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