Sanford Ziff Wants to Remove His Dead Wife's Name From Performance Hall

By Kyle Munzenrieder Mon., Sep. 19 2011 at 11:36 AM

The Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House

For 15 years, Sanford and Dolores Ziff were perhaps Miami's top philanthropic power couple. Their name is prominently enshrined on the Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, but Dolores died at the age of 85 this past January. Now Sanford wants to change the name of the hall by removing her name and replacing it with the name of his newer, younger, blonder wife.

Ziff married 68-year-old Baroness Beatrice Clancy in July, barely six months after Dolores's death. The multimillionaire Sunglass Hut founder wants to change the name of the hall to reflect the marriage to something like the Sanford and Beatrice Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center.

"I'm considering name changes, especially at the Arsht Center," Ziff tells Jose Lambiet. "I haven't quite decided yet. I still have to confer with the board."

Dolores and Sanford married later in life, but Dolores had become a patron of the arts long before meeting Sanford and is widely credited with getting her husband involved in philanthropic efforts. Unsurprisingly, her son from an earlier marriage isn't too pleased.

Barr Keator tells Lambiet in the Miami Herald that he's "shocked and offended [Ziff would] even consider this. My mother moved him to supporting the Arsht project. She had the society connections."

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Tags:

Arsht Center, Baroness Beatrice Clancy, Dolores Ziff, Sanford Ziff

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The_Inventor

Funny, how Googling turns up information. I went to Ziff in 1958 for my first contact lenses and always wondered what happened to him. He sure has come a long way from his little optometry shop in Allapattah. While it seems it was at his late wife's urging that he named the venue, it was HIS money that paid for it. I think he should compromise and just call it the Ziff Opera House and satisfy everyone.

Draxta

Beatrice, have some class and tell your clod of a husband that you don't want your name on that building. Show us all that at least 1 of you has any class!