Watch history: The 2018 countdown and lighting of the new Alabama Theatre sign (video)

Birmingham AL, Alabama Theatre
Photo via Kristina O’Quinn for Bham Now.

Last night, Bham Now and several hundred New Year’s Eve party-goers braved the bone-chilling cold weather to capture the historic lighting of the new Alabama Theatre sign on 18th Street in Birmingham’s Theater District.

Missing since 1957, a new ALABAMA sign on 18th Street was restored to it original location after a local and national fundraising campaign that included a $125,000 grant from the National Trust’s Partners in Preservation Main Street program.

Alabama Theatre
Birmingham City Council members Darrell O’Quinn and Valerie Abbott

Several leading  individuals, civic organizations and businesses also donated funds to replace the original sign. They included:

Junior Board of Birmingham Landmarks, Alabama Power and Regions Bank, Altec, Bradley Arant, CAWACO, Gray Construction, Cindy and Ken Rhoden, ServisFirst Bank, Southpace, Wells Fargo and Wiggins Child Pantazis.

Alabama Theatre
Photo of the new ALABAMA sign at the Alabama Theatre on January 1, 2018

Despite, wind chill temperatures in the single digits, Birmingham welcomed  2018 and celebrated the Alabama Theatre’s 90th birthday with great enthusiasm.

Now onto a new year, which is a little bit brighter in downtown Birmingham, thanks to the new 60 foot ALABAMA  sign.

Pat Byington
Pat Byington

Longtime conservationist. Former Executive Director at the Alabama Environmental Council and Wild South. Publisher of the Bama Environmental News for more than 18 years. Career highlights include playing an active role in the creation of Alabama's Forever Wild program, Little River Canyon National Preserve, Dugger Mountain Wilderness, preservation of special places throughout the East through the Wilderness Society and the strengthening (making more stringent) the state of Alabama's cancer risk and mercury standards.

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