Lyric Building

The Lyric Building in 1930

The Lyric Building under construction in 1912

The Lyric Building is a 6-story office building constructed in 1914. The Lyric Theatre occupied a major portion of the building, and it's lobby takes up the ground-floor corner entrance at 1800 3rd Avenue North on the corner of 18th Street.

The project was financed by real-estate developer Louis V. Clark, who purchased three adjoining lots and hired the Hendon Hetrack Construction Company to erect the concrete-framed structure.

The office building continued to operate after the theater closed in 1958. It was sold Birmingham Landmarks, saviors of the Alabama Theatre, for $10 in 1993. Early efforts to restore the theater, in tandem with redevelopment of the office building as an arts center, were not realized.

An extensive project to preserve and renovate the theater was completed in 2016. Some of the ground floor spaces were incorporated into the redesign to accommodate accessible restrooms and reception areas. Notably the longstanding Lyric Hot Dogs restaurant lost its lease in December 2013.

Tenants

Ground floor

• 3rd Avenue North
  • 1800: Lyric Theatre lobby entrance
  • 1802: former location of Lyric Barber Shop & Lyric Billiard Parlor (1929)
  • 1804: former location of Lyric Confectionery home-made candies (1925-1931), The Karmelkorn Shop (1941-1946), First City Mortgage, Birmingham Art Association
  • 1806: former location of National Loan & Jewelry (1929-1964), House of Hats (1964), Birmingham Art Association gallery (1998), Place Design Studio, Create Birmingham (2013)
    • 1806½: former location of Lollar's Cameras (1929-1941), Lyric Hot Dogs (1957-2013)
  • Health Spot shoe store (1956)
  • House of $8.50 Eyeglasses (1960s)
  • Bardon's Seven & Nine (1961)
  • Foot So Port Shoes (1961)
  • Birmingham Beauty Supply (1981-1991)

Rooms

• 2nd floor
  • 201-202: A. H. Kessler chiropractor, neurocalometer and x-ray service (1925)
    • 201: Elizabeth Holt dressmaker (1941)
  • 206: J. R. Roberts & Co. loans / Thomas & Gearhart Realty Co. (1925), Benjamin Kirchner furs (1941)
  • 207: Gerhard Mols tailor (1941)
  • 208-210: McGlawn, Denton & Co. / American National Insurance Co. (1925)
    • 208-209: Lyric Beauty Salon (1941)
    • 210: Acme Button & Embroidery Co. (1941)
  • 211-212: Anthony McDevitt insurance agency (1925-1941), Federal Casualty Co. (1925), Federal Life & Casualty Co. (1941-1956), Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Co. (1941-1956)
  • 213-214: Lyric Loan Co. (1941-1952)
    • 213: Eborn Realty Co. (1925)
• 3rd floor
  • 300-302: Bruno Kieswetter massage (1941)
    • 300: G. M. Owen (1925)
    • 301: Disabled American Veterans of World War, Birmingham Chapter No. 4 (1925)
  • 303-304: Kentucky Home Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1941)
  • 306: George Biloe (1925), Empire Loan & Finance Co. (1941-1956)
  • 307-308: Finance Money Co. (1925)
    • 308: John M. Cooper chiropodist (1941)
  • 309-312: Roberts Academy of Speech (1941-1956)
  • 310-311: Orrion P. Brooks optometrist (1941-1967)
    • 311: Phil Joiner attorney (1925)
  • 312: E. H. Crawley manufacturer's agent (1925)
  • 313: Roberts Academy of Speech / Stacy Arline Roberts (1925), Local Loan Co. (1941)
  • 314: E. L. Walker / F. W. Marchand real estate (1925), Lillie Wood dressmaker (1941)
  • 315-316: C. B. Powell / Ida Maxwell (1925), Birmingham Dental Laboratory (1941-1961)
• 4th floor
  • 400-418: Lollar's Kodak Parlor (1910-1926)
    • 400-411: Lollar's kodak finishing (1941)
    • 412: Ferrell & Vines Loan Co. (1941)
    • 413-415: The Praetorians insurance (1941)
    • 416-417: Southern National Insurance Co. (1941)
• 5th floor
  • 501: Birmingham Stenographic Bureau (1925)
  • 502: Monroe Calculating Machine Co. (1925), Structural Iron Workers Local No. 92 (1941)
  • 503: Bevie Paper Products Co. (1925), All States Life Insurance Co. (1941)
  • 504-505: G. M. Howie real estate (1925), The Weekly Call newspaper (1941)
  • 506: Employees Loan Society (1925), David Snead chiropractor (1941)
  • 507-508: National Realty Co. (1925)
    • 507: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge No. 590 (1941-1967)
  • 508-509: North American Accident Insurance Co. (1941)
  • 509-510: H. E. McNamara / T. L. Fossick advertising novelties (1925)
  • 510-513: Walter Allbritton dentist (1941), Walter Allbritton Jr dentist (1941-1956), Dick Allbritton dentist (1952)
    • 511: J. W. Schick building contractor (1925)
    • 512: J. M. Keever / National Realty Co. (1925)
    • 513: Alabama Retail Food Dealers Association / B. C. Apperson / Birmingham Retail Grocers & Butchers Association / The Grocers Journal (1925)
  • 514-516: A. J. Hope chiropractor (1923)
    • 514-515: Alabama State Federation of Labor (1941-1956)
      • 514: Morrow Brokerage Co. (1925)
      • 515-516: W. H. Wells chiropractor (1925)
  • 516-519: Alabama Association of Credit Men (1941)
    • 517-519: Co-Operative National Detective Agency (1925)
• 6th floor
  • 600-602: J. C. Glover chiropractor (1923), Glover & Albert chiropractors (1925)
    • 600: Cox Agency advertising (1941)
    • 602: International Products Co. luggage (1941)
  • 603-605: Alabama Independent Merchants Association / Merchants Journal magazine / Grocers & Merchants Association of Jefferson County / Consumers & Taxpayers Association of Alabama / Birmingham Retail Merchants Association (1941)
    • 603: General Multigraphic Co. (1925)
  • 606: Alabama Child Welfare Department (1925), Commercial Employment Bureau (1941)
  • 607: Sims Realty & Investment Co. / Sims Investment Co. (1925), Brown & Hill Corp. investments & loans (1941-1956)
  • 608: Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Railway Employees (1925), Horace Weaver architect (1941)
  • 609-618: Colby Decorating Co. (1925)
    • 609-610: Clifton Moore chiropractor (1941)
    • 611-613: William Albert chiropractor (1941)
    • 615: William Huckabee chiropodist (1941)
    • 616: Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Railway Employees of America Local No. 725 (1941) / Amalgamated Transit Union (1967-1971)
    • 618: Clarence Klenk music teacher (1941)

• • Acme Dental Laboratory (1967-1971)
  • Air Way Branches (1952)
  • Alabama Fire Insurance Service (1952-1967)
  • Alabama Labor Council (1967)
  • Alabama News Magazine Inc. (1952)
  • Allison Jewelry wholesaler (1967)
  • Auto Insurance Agency (1961)
  • Avalon Beauty Supply (1971)
  • Barnes Realty Co. (1961-1971)
  • Communications Workers of America (1956-1967)
  • Company Employers Group (1961-1967)
  • Consolidated Toy Distributors (1971-1976)
  • Cotton States Life Insurance (1967-1971)
  • Edith Davis, podiatrist (1952-1971)
  • Dixie Insurance Agency (1961)
  • Ebony Personnel Service (1967-1971)
  • Charles Edwards chiropractor (1952-1956)
  • Encyclopedia Americana (1952)
  • Ferguson Alterations / Lorene Ferguson (1961-1967)
  • Galloway Insurance Co. (1952)
  • Greyvan Lines Inc. (1952)
  • Home Reader Service Inc. (1961)
  • International Association of Machinists (1961)
  • Kennesaw Life & Accident Insurance (1961)
  • Kime Carbon Co. (1952-1956)
  • King Optical Company (1952-1956)
  • Mitchell Inc. realty (1952)
  • Mitchell Larimer Agency insurance (1961)
  • Alonzo Lawley, chiropractor (1952-1971)
  • Lincoln Income Life Insurance (1956-1961)
  • Mutual Savings Life Insurance Co. (1952-1956)
  • National Bankers Life Insurance Co. (1952)
  • Wilbur Newberry optometrist (1956)
  • Oneida Total Integrated Enterprises (1952-1967)
  • Provident Indemnity Life Insurance Co. (1952)
  • Southern Hearing Aid (1967)
  • Southland National Insurance Co. (1952-1961)
  • The Spectator newspaper (1920)
  • Tucker Realty Co. (1956)
  • Union Bankers Insurance Co. (1956)
  • United Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers District Council No. 5 (1961-1971)
  • United Transportation Union (1971)
  • Vines Loan Co. (1952-1956)
  • Joseph Waldner chiropractor (1952-1956)
  • Yester Ceramic Laboratory Inc. (1961)