POWERGRAMS

29 Jazz Singer" in 1973. The theatre closed again in the early 1980s after a short stint as an adult theatre known as the Foxy and later the Roxy. In 1993, the Waters family sold the building for $10 to Birmingham Landmarks, a nonprofit organization. At the time, Birmingham Landmarks was restoring the Alabama Theatre, located across the street from the Lyric. As Birmingham Landmarks focused its efforts on restoring the Alabama Theatre, the organization waited for the right time to pick up the Lyric revitalization project. "We are really seeing now a resurgence of business, recreation, food and all kinds of things in the downtown area," said Beene. "When the Birmingham Landmarks was in the process of restoring the Alabama, things were still moving away from downtown. Luckily, we kind of caught the wave, with Railroad Park, Regions Field and other projects and we are feeling the movement coming back downtown." After the Westlake Reed, Leskosky architecture firm provided a master plan for restoration in the early 2000s. The "Light Up the Lyric" restoration fundraising campaign headed by Tom Cosby began in 2009. Stewart Perry Construction began renovations in 2009 and the famous Lyric marquee was restored, attracting 3,000 people to see the lighting of the sign. "The Lyric was in terrible shape. The floors were rotten, the plaster had been washed away. The stage had holes in it and it was dangerous. But you could see that the bones were here for an amazing place," said Beene. By 2014, $8.1 million had been raised by corporations, foundations, city, state and federal governments as well as individual contributions. Additionally, historic tax credits contributed to the restoration efforts. "One of the best things is the way that people came together," said Beene. "We had $1 million from the city of Birmingham, as well as Regions and Alabama Power making significant contributions. So many people in the corporate world, foundations, individuals, the government, even the EPA even came in to help us determine what hazards were in here and what it would cost to remove, and they provided at no cost to us for that service." Careful detail was given to ensuring the Lyric was restored to reflect the history of the theatre as well as its original design. Evergreene, a New York company, restored the theatre wall seating boxes and employees worked to update the ornate décor inside the theater. Local contractors worked on the project with support from Birmingham Landmarks. The theatre now has a wider stage and the audience is closer than before — better suited for performing arts such as the symphony, ballet, opera and theatre. Even the bar at the front of the building is 100 years old, made of wood, marble and pulleys that were located in the original theatre. After two and a half years of construction, the Lyric reopened on Jan. 14, 2016, 102 years to the day after the Repairs and renovations began in 2009. Worker uses hole in roof during renovation.

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