Alabama Theatre

Last updated
Alabama Theatre
Alabama Theatre Nov 2011 01.jpg
Alabama Theatre
Address1817 Third Avenue North
Birmingham, Alabama
United States
OwnerBirmingham Landmarks, Inc.
Type movie palace
Capacity 2,176
Current usePerforming arts center
OpenedDecember 26, 1927 (1927-12-26)
Website
alabamatheatre.com
Alabama Theatre
Coordinates 33°30′53.69″N86°48′33.04″W / 33.5149139°N 86.8091778°W / 33.5149139; -86.8091778
Area0.4 acres (0.16 ha)
ArchitectGraven & Mayger
Architectural styleMission/spanish Revival
NRHP reference No. 79000386 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 13, 1979
Designated ARLHFebruary 15, 1977 [2]

The Alabama Theatre is a movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built in 1927 by Paramount's Publix Theatres chain as its flagship theater for the southeastern region of the United States. [3] Seating 2,500 people at the time, it was the largest in the Birmingham theater district. The district was once home to many large theaters and movie palaces that featured vaudeville, performing arts, nickelodeons and Hollywood films. Built to show silent films, the Alabama still features its original Wurlitzer theater organ. The Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre are the district's only remaining theaters, and as of 2024, both are in operation. [3]

Contents

The Alabama and its historic organ were added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on February 15, 1977 and to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1979. [1] [2] The theater has been surveyed by the Historic American Buildings Survey on several occasions, most recently in 1996. [3] It was designated as the state's historic theater in 1993. [4]

History

Construction plans for the Alabama Theatre were announced in 1926, but groundbreaking was delayed until April 1, 1927. The grand opening was held as originally scheduled on December 26, 1927. Construction of the concrete-and-steel building cost approximately $1.5 million. [5]

The Grand Lobby, between the Hall of Mirrors and Main Auditorium, in 1996, prior to restoration. Alabama Theatre Lobby.jpg
The Grand Lobby, between the Hall of Mirrors and Main Auditorium, in 1996, prior to restoration.

In 1934, the adjacent Loveman's of Alabama department store was destroyed by fire. However, a thick firewall protected the theater and limited the impact to some smoke damage around air vents in the auditorium. The smoke stains would remain until the 1998 theater restoration. [5]

In its early days, the Alabama Theatre hosted weekly Saturday meetings of the local chapter of Mickey Mouse Club, which was formed in 1933. By 1935, the club had more than 7,000 members, making it the world's largest Mickey Mouse Club. Membership eventually peaked at more than 18,000 before the club closed nearly ten years after it had been formed. [5]

The Alabama Theatre hosted the Miss Birmingham pageant from 1935 to 1948 and the Miss Alabama pageant from 1949 until 1966. [5]

One of the organ screens in 1996 Alabama Theatre Organ Screen.jpg
One of the organ screens in 1996

The decline of downtown Birmingham through the 1960s and 1970s saw the closing of most of the downtown's movie theatres. In 1981, Plitt Theatres closed the Alabama and sold it to Cobb Theaters of Birmingham. Cobb unsuccessfully attempted to reopen the Alabama several times and eventually sold it to Costa and Head, developers working to revitalize the downtown area. Costa and Head initiated a series of classic films at the Alabama with some success, but ultimately filed for bankruptcy in 1986. [5]

The Alabama chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) began maintaining the Alabama's organ in the 1970s. The group sought permission to remove the organ from the Alabama in order to save it, but Costa and Head's creditors deemed it the most valuable item in the building and forbade its removal. In response, the group began a fundraising effort to buy the theater, and it was purchased in 1987 by Birmingham Landmarks, Inc., a nonprofit organization originally started with the sole purpose of saving the theater. With the purchase, the theater was renamed the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts. [5] In 1993, the Alabama was designated the official state historic theater of the state of Alabama. [6]

In 1998, the Alabama Theatre underwent a complete restoration in which gold leaf and paint were cleaned or replaced, seats were replaced or recovered and some carpeting and drapes were replaced. The renovation coincided with the conversion of the 1935 Loveman's building into the McWane Science Center. [5]

Birmingham Landmarks continues to own the theater, as well as the Lyric Theatre, a 1914 vaudeville theater located across the street from the Alabama, which reopened in 2016 after an $11.5 million restoration. [5] The Alabama hosts approximately 250 events each year, attracting more than 400,000 people to a variety of performances including Broadway-type theatre, ballet, opera, concerts and film. [6]

Organ

The Wurlitzer theatre organ Alabama Theatre Wurlitzer Organ.jpg
The Wurlitzer theatre organ

When the Alabama Theatre was built in 1927, films were silent and required musical accompaniment, typically provided by an orchestra or theater pipe organ. The Alabama's organ is a Crawford Special-Publix One Mighty Wurlitzer. Only 17 products of this model were built, and the Alabama's organ, nicknamed Big Bertha, is one of only three still installed at their original sites. [5]

The Alabama's organ is a four-manual keyboard organ. It was originally installed with 20 ranks (sets of pipes) but has been expanded to 32. It also features numerous percussion instruments and sound effects to accompany silent films. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Tennessee Theatre is a movie palace in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. The theater was built in 1928 in the 1908 Burwell Building, considered Knoxville's first skyscraper. The theater and Burwell Building were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and the theater was extensively restored in the early 2000s. The Tennessee Theatre currently focuses on hosting performing arts events and classic films, and is home to the Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. The theater is managed by AC Entertainment.

The Blue Mouse Theatre title was used for several historic vaudeville and movie venues opened by John Hamrick in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The name may have been inspired by a lounge in Paris. Hamrick is said to have used the colored rodential title for his first theatre in each city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shea's Performing Arts Center</span> Theater in Buffalo, New York, United States

Shea's Performing Arts Center is a theater for touring Broadway musicals and special events in Buffalo, New York. Originally called Shea's Buffalo, it was opened in 1926 to show silent movies. It took one year to build the entire theatre. Shea's boasts one of the few theater organs in the US that is still in operation in the theater for which it was designed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Theatre (Suffern)</span>

The Lafayette Theatre is a nationally acclaimed movie palace located in downtown Suffern, New York, built in 1923. Its primary function is first-run movies, but it also houses special events like its popular weekly Big Screen Classics film shows. It is also notable for housing a Wurlitzer theatre organ, which is played before Big Screen Classics shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Theatre (Seattle)</span> Performance hall in Seattle, Washington

The Paramount Theatre is a 2,807-seat performing arts venue located at 9th Avenue and Pine Street in the downtown core of Seattle, Washington, United States. The theater originally opened on March 1, 1928, as the Seattle Theatre, with 3,000 seats. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1974, and has also been designated a City of Seattle landmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Theatre (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Paramount Theatre is a 1,693-seat theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 2015 it was included as a contributing property in the Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pacific Building (Salem, Oregon)</span> United States historic place

The Capitol Theater was located at 542 State Street in Salem, Oregon, United States. Part of the Bligh Building, it was built in the 1920s for vaudeville. During its heyday, it housed a Wurlitzer pipe organ, which is now in private ownership in Washington. The theater was demolished in 2000, but the retail portion of the building, now known as the Pacific Building, still stands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saenger Theatre (New Orleans)</span> Theatre

Saenger Theatre is an atmospheric theatre in downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Once the flagship of Julian and Abe Saenger's theatre empire, today it is one of only a handful of Saenger movie palaces that remain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith-Albee Theatre</span> United States historic place

Keith-Albee Theatre is a performing arts center located along Fourth Avenue in downtown Huntington, West Virginia, United States. The Keith-Albee was named after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation, one of the leading vaudeville performance chains of the early 20th century, to convince the directors of Keith-Albee-Orpheum to make the Keith-Albee a regular stop. At the time of its construction, the Keith Albee was believed to be the second largest theater in the U.S. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Downtown Huntington Historic District, it is being restored as a performing arts center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Theatre (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania)</span> Theater and movie theater in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

The Colonial Theatre is located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, at 227 Bridge Street. Built in 1903, the "Colonial Opera House" became a preeminent venue for movies, traveling shows and live entertainment throughout the 20th century. The three-screen venue consists of the original 658-seat ‘vaudeville house’ and two newer additional theatres in the adjacent National Bank of Phoenixville building (c.1925).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orpheum Theatre (Memphis)</span> Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee

The Orpheum Theatre, a 2,308-seat venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, on the southwest corner of the intersection of South Main and Beale streets. The Orpheum, along with the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, compose the Orpheum Theatre Group, a community-supported nonprofit corporation that operates and maintains the venues and presents education programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paramount Theatre (Denver)</span> United States historic place

The Paramount Theatre is a concert venue in Denver, Colorado, located on Glenarm Place, near Denver's famous 16th Street Mall. The venue has a seating capacity of 1,870 but is a popular destination for large acts looking for a smaller concert setting. With spelling as Paramount Theater, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Theatre (El Paso)</span>

The Plaza Theatre is a historic building in El Paso, Texas built in 1930. The theater stands as one of the city's most well-known landmarks, and remains operational today. The theatre is a National Historic Building of Significance featuring the 2,050-seat Kendall Kidd Performance Hall, and the smaller 200-seat Philanthropy Theatre. It hosts Broadway productions, musical concerts, individual performers and the annual Plaza Classic Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saenger Theatre (Mobile, Alabama)</span> Theater in Mobile, Alabama, United States

The Saenger Theatre is a historic theater and contributing building to the Lower Dauphin Street Historic District in Mobile, Alabama. It was dedicated in January 1927. The Saenger Theatre is a Mobile landmark, known for its architecture and ties to local cultural history. The theater has been completely renovated in recent years with an upgraded electrical system, VIP facilities, new stage rigging and sound system. It is the official home of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra and also serves as the venue for movie festivals, concerts, lectures and special events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loveman's of Alabama</span>

Loveman's of Alabama was a Birmingham, Alabama-based chain of department stores with locations across Alabama. It adopted this name to distinguish it from Loveman's department stores operating in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Theatre (Champaign)</span> Movie theater in Champaign, Illinois, United States

The Virginia Theatre is a live performance and movie theatre in downtown Champaign, Illinois. It has been providing theatrical and cinematic entertainment to the Champaign-Urbana community since its doors opened in 1921. Each year, the Virginia Theatre is host to movies from film reels, plays from various acting troupes, concerts, and Ebertfest, presented by the UIUC College of Media. It is currently owned by the Champaign Park District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bama Theatre</span> Historic movie theater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

The Bama Theatre is a historic theatre in Tuscaloosa, Alabama that currently serves as the city's performing arts center. Its modern redevelopment is the result of cooperation between the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa and the Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority. The three-story brick and limestone building is located at the corner of Gary Fitts Street and Greensboro Avenue in downtown Tuscaloosa. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 30, 1984. It is also a contributing building in the Downtown Tuscaloosa Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kahl Building</span> Historic place in Iowa, United States

The Kahl Building is a historic building located in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. The building also includes the Capitol Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteside Theatre</span> United States historic place

The Whiteside Theatre is a historic theater building in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Constructed in 1922 and closed as a commercial theater in 2002, the 800-seat venue was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyric Theatre (Anniston, Alabama)</span> Historic theatre building in Alabama, US

Lyric Theatre, formerly the Ritz Theatre, is a historic theatre building built in 1918 in Anniston, Alabama, U.S. It is an example of early-20th century entertainment facilities in smaller Alabama cities. It is no longer in operations as a theatre.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage". Alabama Historical Commission. www.preserveala.org. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Alabama Theatre, 1811 Third Avenue North, Birmingham, Jefferson, AL". Historic American Buildings Survey. Library of Congress.
  4. "Alabama Historic Theatre", Alabama Official Emblems, Symbols, and Honors, Alabama Department of Archives and History, February 6, 2014, archived from the original on 2008-04-15, retrieved 2019-05-08
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Colurso, Mary (2016-01-13). "How was historic Lyric Theatre saved in Birmingham?". al. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. 1 2 "Alabama Historic Theatre". Discover the Magic of the Alabama Brochure. Alabama Department of Archives and History. January 26, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2021.