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 / S. M. Theodos home-made candies (1925-1931), The Karmelkorn Shop (1941-1946), Tanner's Inc. confectionery (1953), House of Eight-Fifty Eye Glasses (1959), Merit Finance Co. (1970), First City Mortgage, Birmingham Art Association
  • 1806: former location of National Loan & Jewelry Co. (1925-1964), House of Hats (1964), Consolidated Toy Distributors (1971-1976), 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)
  • Bardon's Seven & Nine (1961)
  • Foot So Port Shoes (1961)
  • Birmingham Beauty Supply (1981-1991)

Rooms

• 2nd floor
  • 200-207: AirWay Branches Inc. vacuum cleaners (1952-1953)
    • 200: Barker's orthopedic appliances (1959)
    • 201-202: A. H. Kessler chiropractor, neurocalometer and x-ray service (1925)
      • 201: Elizabeth Holt dressmaker (1941), Auto Insurance Agency / Dixie Insurance Agency (1959-1961)
    • 206: J. R. Roberts & Co. loans / Thomas & Gearhart Realty Co. (1925), Benjamin Kirchner furs (1941)
    • 207: Gerhard Mols tailor (1941), Over Five Seven Shop women's clothes (1959)
  • 208-210: McGlawn, Denton & Co. / American National Insurance Co. (1925), Lincoln Income Life Insurance Co. (1956-1964)
    • 208-209: Lyric Beauty Salon (1941), Provident Indemnity Life Insurance Co. (1952-1953)
    • 209: Railway Mail Credit Union (1970)
    • 210: Acme Button & Embroidery Co. (1941)
    • 211-212: Anthony McDevitt insurance agency (1925-1953), Federal Casualty Co. (1925), Federal Life & Casualty Co. (1941-1956), Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Co. (1941-1956), Mitchell-Larimer Agency insurance (1959-1961)
  • 213-214: Lyric Loan Co. (1941-1953)
    • 213: Eborn Realty Co. (1925)
• 3rd floor
  • • 300: G. M. Owen (1925)
    • 301-302: Allison Jewelry Co. wholesale jewelers (1964-1967)
      • 301: Disabled American Veterans of World War, Birmingham Chapter No. 4 (1925), Bruno Kiesewetter massage (1941-1959)
  • 303-306: Bardon's Seven & Nine Shop women's clothier (1959)
    • 303-305: United Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers District Council No. 5 (1953)
      • 303-304: Kentucky Home Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1941)
        • 303: Willis Allison Inc. wholesale jeweler (1964)
  • 306-307: Galloway Insurance Agency (1952-1953)
    • 306: George Biloe (1925), Empire Loan & Finance Co. (1941)
  • 307-308: Finance Money Co. (1925)
    • 307: Charles E. Barker chiropodist (1959)
    • 308: John M. Cooper chiropodist (1941), Edith Davis podiatrist (1952-1971)
  • 309-312: Roberts Academy of Speech (1941)
    • 309: Roberts Academy of Speech (1953-1956), Yester Ceramic Laboratory (1959)
    • 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), Empire Loan & Finance Co. (1959)
  • 314-316: Birmingham Dental Laboratory (1941-1961), Acme Dental Laboratory (1964-1971)
    • 314: E. L. Walker / F. W. Marchand real estate (1925), Lillie Wood dressmaker (1941)
    • 315-316: C. B. Powell / Ida Maxwell (1925)
• 4th floor
  • 400-418: Lollar's Kodak Parlor (1910-1926)
    • 400-411: Lollar's kodak finishing (1941)
      • 400: Southern National Insurance Co. (1953), Communications Workers of America Local No. 3902 (1956-1967)
      • 404-407: Southland National Insurance Co. (1952-1964)
        • 405: Cotton States Life Insurance Co. (1967-1971)
      • 408: Commercial Employees Bureau (1953-1959)
      • 409-410: Mutual Savings Life Insurance Co. (1952-1956), Charles M. Edwards chiropodist (1959)
        • 410: Ebony Personnel Service Employment Agency (1967-1971)
    • 412: Ferrell & Vines Loan Co. (1941), Vines Loan Co. (1952-1959)
    • 413-415: The Praetorians insurance (1941), Alabama State Department of Labor field office (1953-1959)
      • 414: National Association of Letter Carriers (1970)
    • 416-417: Southern National Insurance Co. (1941)
      • 416: Lyric Jewelry Co. costume jewelry (1959), Sherrill Alterations (1970)
• 5th floor
  • 500-502: Alabama State Federation of Labor (1953), Home Reader Service Inc. magazine club (1959-1961)
    • 501: Birmingham Stenographic Bureau (1925)
    • 502: Monroe Calculating Machine Co. (1925), Structural Iron Workers Local No. 92 (1941)
  • 503-504: King Optical Co. (1952-1956)
    • 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), United Cement, Lime & Gypsum Workers District Council No. 5 (1959-1971)
      • 505: Robert E. Maxwell optometrist (1953)
  • 506: Employees Loan Society (1925), David Snead chiropractor (1941), Wilbur Newberry optometrist (1953-1956)
  • 507-508: National Realty Co. (1925)
    • 507: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge No. 590 (1941-1967)
    • 508: Barnes Realty Co. (1970-1971)
  • 508-509: North American Accident Insurance Co. (1941), Robert H. Walker chiropractor (1953), Joseph Waldner chiropractor (1952-1956)
    • 509: United Transportation Union Local 590 (1970-1971)
  • 509-510: H. E. McNamara / T. L. Fossick advertising novelties (1925)
  • 510-513: Walter Allbritton dentist (1941), Walter Allbritton Jr dentist (1941-1964), Dick Allbritton dentist (1952-1953)
    • 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), Kime Carbon Co. paper (1959)
      • 515-516: W. H. Wells chiropractor (1925)
        • 515: Kime Carbon Co. paper & ribbon manufacturers (1952-1956)
  • 516-519: Alabama Association of Credit Men (1941)
    • 516: Walter Allbritton Jr dentist (1953), The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Birmingham (1959-1964)
    • 517-519: Co-Operative National Detective Agency (1925)
      • 517-518: Charles M. Edwards chiropodist (1952-1956), International Association of Machinists Lodge No. 271-372-359 (1959-1965)
• 6th floor
  • 600-602: J. C. Glover chiropractor (1923), Glover & Albert chiropractors (1925)
    • 600: Cox Agency advertising (1941), Empire Loan & Finance Co. (1952-1956)
    • 602: International Products Co. luggage (1941), Bahá'ís World Faith Center (1953)
  • 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)
    • 604-605: J. R. Ezell Co. manufacturers' agents (1953)
      • 604: Alabama Labor Council (1959-1967)
  • 606: Alabama Child Welfare Department (1925), Commercial Employment Bureau (1941), National Bankers Life Insurance Agency (1952-1953)
  • 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), Barnes Realty Co. (1959-1964), United Federation of Postal Clerks Local No. 303 (1970)
  • 609-618: Colby Decorating Co. (1925)
    • 609-610: Clifton Moore chiropractor (1941), Alabama Fire Insurance Service (1952-1967)
    • 611-613: William Albert chiropractor (1941)
      • 611-612: Yester Ceramic Laboratory Inc. (1961-1964)
        • 611: Alma Taylor chiropractor (1953)
    • 614-615: Alonzo Lawley chiropractor (1952-1971)
    • 615: William Huckabee chiropodist (1941)
    • 616: Amalgamated Association of Street & Electric Railway Employees of America Local No. 725 (1941-1959) / Amalgamated Bus Union Local No. 725 (1964), Amalgamated Transit Union Local No. 725 (1967-1971)
    • 618: Clarence Klenk music teacher (1941), Hanby-Nobinger & Mitchell Inc. real estate (1953)

• Alabama News Magazine Inc. (1952)
• Avalon Beauty Supply (1971)
• Company Employers Group (1961-1967)
• Encyclopedia Americana (1952)
• Ferguson Alterations / Lorene Ferguson (1961-1967)
• Greyvan Lines Inc. (1952)
• Kennesaw Life & Accident Insurance (1961)
• Mitchell Inc. realty (1952)
• Oneida Total Integrated Enterprises (1952-1967)
• Southern Hearing Aid (1967)
• The Spectator newspaper (1920)
• Tucker Realty Co. (1956)
• Union Bankers Insurance Co. (1956)