Lyric Building
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: Benjamin Kirchner furs (1941)
- 207: Gerhard Mols tailor (1941)
- 208-209: Lyric Beauty Salon (1941)
- 210: Acme Button & Embroidery Co. (1941)
- 211-212: A. McDevitt insurance agency (1941), Federal Life & Casualty Co. (1941-1956), Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Co. (1941-1956)
- 213-214: Lyric Loan Co. (1941-1952)
- 201-202: A. H. Kessler chiropractor, neurocalometer and x-ray service (1925)
- 3rd floor
- 300-302: Bruno Kieswetter massage (1941)
- 303-304: Kentucky Home Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1941)
- 306: Empire Loan & Finance Co. (1941-1956)
- 308: John M. Cooper chiropodist (1941)
- 309-312: Roberts Academy of Speech / Stacy Arline Roberts (1925-1956)
- 310-311: Orrion P. Brooks optometrist (1941-1967)
- 313: Local Loan Co. (1941)
- 314: Lillie Wood dressmaker (1941)
- 315-316: 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)
- 400-418: Lollar's Kodak Parlor (1910-1926)
- 5th floor
- 502: Structural Iron Workers Local No. 92 (1941)
- 503: All States Life Insurance Co. (1941)
- 504-505: The Weekly Call newspaper (1941)
- 506: David Snead chiropractor (1941)
- 507: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge No. 590 (1941-1967)
- 508-509: North American Accident Insurance Co. (1941)
- 510-513: Walter Allbritton dentist (1941), Walter Allbritton Jr dentist (1941-1956), Dick Allbritton dentist (1952)
- 514-516: A. J. Hope chiropractor (1923)
- 514-515: Alabama State Federation of Labor (1941-1956)
- 516-519: Alabama Association of Credit Men (1941)
- 6th floor
- 600-602: J. C. Glover chiropractor (1923)
- 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)
- 606: Commercial Employment Bureau (1941)
- 607: Brown & Hill Corp. investments & loans (1941-1956)
- 608: Horace Weaver architect (1941)
- 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)
- 600-602: J. C. Glover chiropractor (1923)
- 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)