Birmingham’s Lyric Theatre reopened ten years ago this week
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This week marks a special moment for one of downtown Birmingham’s most remarkable restoration stories.
On January 14, 2016, the historic Lyric Theatre reopened its doors for the first time in decades following the “Light Up The Lyric” fundraising campaign and an extensive renovation.
Read on to learn more about The Lyric Theatre, its restoration and how you can help support its future through the Birmingham Landmarks Endowment.
A brief history of The Lyric Theatre
In the early 1900s, silent motion picture films started to become more accessible to audiences across the country. Birmingham’s first dedicated movie theater—The Theatorium—opened in 1905; in the following years, dozens of new cinemas opened in The Magic City, including:
- The Alabama Theatre
- The Carver Theatre
- The Famous Theater
- The Franklin Theatre
- The Galax Theater
- The Lyric Theatre
- The Princess Theater
- The Rialto Theatre
- The Ritz Theatre
- The Strand Theater
- The Trianon Theatre
Of the 24 theaters that once called downtown Birmingham home, only three remain today: the Alabama Theatre, the Carver Performing Arts Center and The Lyric Theatre.
Located at 1800 3rd Avenue North, The Lyric Theatre opened its doors on January 14, 1914 as a vaudeville house that featured dancers, musical acts, comedic acts, magicians, acrobats, jugglers and other forms of live entertainment.
In its heyday, The Lyric hosted major entertainers like Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers, Will Rogers, Gene Autry and more. Actor and comedian Milton Berle even described The Lyric as, “the finest vaudeville theatre in the nation.”
With the widespread adoption of personal televisions in the latter half of the 20th century, The Lyric and other venues struggled to draw a crowd. Despite efforts to compete with the times, the Lyric closed in October 1960.
The lobby was converted into a beauty supply company, and the auditorium reopened and closed several times under different names—the Grand Bijoux, the Roxy and the Foxy—before closing for good in the early 1980s.
Restoring The Lyric Theatre
Birmingham Landmarks, Inc.—the nonprofit founded in 1987 to preserve the Alabama Theatre and its Mighty Wurlitzer—purchased The Lyric Theatre in 1993, but they had their work cut out for them. Decades of neglect had left The Lyric in a sorry, decaying state—but the bones were still there.
According to Glenny Brock, who formerly served as the outreach coordinator for Birmingham Landmarks, Inc, several attempts to restore The Lyric occurred in the following decades.
“Depending on who you ask, the efforts started in 1993 (when Birmingham Landmarks Inc. bought the building for a whopping $10), in 1998 (when its renovation was part of the MAPS proposal), in 2010 (when Brant Beene became BLI executive director) or in 2012 (when Tom Cosby came on as fundraiser). The Women’s Committee of 100 gave it a go in 1964. In 1970, UAB officials took prospective theatre professor Bob Penny on a tour of the Lyric; part of their recruitment pitch was a promise that the old vaudeville house would open by the following school year and that UAB could stage productions there.”
Glenny Brock, former outreach coordinator for Birmingham Landmarks; now working for Bessemer’s Lincoln Theatre
The movement finally gained traction in the early 2010s, when advocates of The Lyric launched the “Light Up The Lyric” campaign to raise funds for a comprehensive renovation; the successful campaign raised a total of $11.8M. After a two-year-long restoration, the majestic Lyric Theatre reopened on January 14, 2016 with a Vaudeville-style variety show honoring its roots.
Today, the restored Lyric Theatre is a historic cultural icon for Birmingham, hosting concerts, symphonies, theatre productions and taking part in the annual Sidewalk Film Festival.
“This week marks 112 years since the grand opening and 10 years since the grand reopening.
To drive down Third Avenue and see the Lyric lit is to witness a thousand tiny triumphs and perhaps twice as many setbacks. It took forever and seemed impossible. After all these years, the continuity thrills me as much as any anniversary. It’s a commemoration every time we turn on the lights.”
Glenny Brock, former outreach coordinator for Birmingham Landmarks; now working for Bessemer’s Lincoln Theatre
The restoration of the historic performing arts venue has had a tremendous impact in Birmingham, serving as an anchor that helped spur a revival of downtown.
“As a guy who worked at the Chamber of Commerce for 35 years, I can tell you that most civic pride is, in my experience, built upon a ‘sense of place.’ But you just can’t create a sense of place with urban sprawl and ever more strip malls on a city’s periphery. I believe The Lyric has contributed immensely to Birmingham’s sense of place and represents the amazing things our city can do when we all pull together.”
Tom Cosby, Fundraising Coordinator, Birmingham Landmarks
How you can help support the future of The Lyric and Alabama Theatres
If you’ve ever experienced a live performance at the Alabama and Lyric Theatres—or just driven by at night to gaze as the sparkling marquees—you know that these historic performing arts venues are invaluable assets to The Magic City.
“There is a very good reason why so very few cities have even one historic theatre, much less two—they are incredibly expensive to maintain. That’s why we’ve finally established the Birmingham Landmarks Endowment fund which just recently surpassed the $3.25 million level.
Once the endowment goal of $5 million is achieved, we’ll be able to take out $200,000 annually forever. That will play a critical role in helping defer the expenses of keeping both these two priceless theatres not only open and operating but beautiful for always. If any [Bham Now] readers want these theatres to survive long term, this is a very worthy cause.”
Tom Cosby, Fundraising Coordinator, Birmingham Landmarks
You can also support Birmingham’s historic theatres by attending an event at the Alabama or Lyric.
