It seems that the older I get, the more interested I am in history. How we got where we are today. One piece of history that we recently toured in Birmingham is the historical Alabama theatre, a landmark in the downtown district. I’ve passed by this sign many times since we moved here and always wanted to go inside and see it and the recent Open House was the perfect excuse to take the tour and enjoy this magnificent bit of architecture that’s been preserved. I’ve been in the Fox Theatre in Atlanta many times and the Alabama reminds me so much of the Fox, but smaller. Both are from the same era and from the sign below, they call the design Spanish/Moorish. It is certainly something to behold, so come along with me for the tour.
You can see from the historical sign outside, that the theatre opened in 1927. Can you imagine this place in its heyday?!
Someone had parked an old car out front, so it seemed fitting to take a pic of it, even though this car is from the 50’s.
National Register of Historic Places. Since 1987, the theatre has been owned by Birmingham Landmarks, Inc., a non-profit organization. They now use the theatre for a wide variety of events and receptions, both public and private, weddings, classic films, national touring shows, film festivals, opera and symphony events. It is busy each year with over 250 events. We plan to return at least one weekend to take in a classic movie that is offered each summer (and they were very generous and handed out complimentary tickets to everyone who came to the Open House). Gone With The Wind is just one classic movie being featured in the summer series this year. In fact, it is showing this weekend and we are going! It’s been years since I’ve seen it.
Box office in the lobby.
I was totally fascinated by all the beautiful light fixtures, as you will see from my many pics of them. This is the one in the soaring lobby.
One fixture on a wall going up the stairs.
Another view of the mirrors and fixtures in the lobby.
One of the ceilings.
A quick pic in a chair in one of the hallways. It was pretty dim in there, so pics were hard to get.
Going up one level. See how magnificent this old place is?
I’m SO happy that these old theatres have survived. I know the Fox in Atlanta was almost torn down at one time and that would be a crying shame for any of these old girls to come down. Thankfully, the Alabama has survived and looks as gracious as ever.
A row of seats.
Looking into one of the ladies rooms.
Part of the ladies room too.
Wall of windows
Looking to the stage. I loved the curve of the top of the stage, there was so much beauty to take in.
The domed ceiling.
More architectural details.
Another pretty light.
From the very top of the projection room, we had to climb some stairs to get this birds-eye view of the stage.
Statue around the theatre
Another bust against the mirror.
Loved the old signs.
Recognize this lady? Yep, that’s Mz. Scarlett herself.
Stage, again.
Tophat backstage.
The theatre is known for the old Wurlitzer organ that still plays a mighty strong tune. These guys were great with it.
Left box overlooking the stage.
Right box
Looking UP from the floor to all the levels of seating.
Above the stage.
One corridor on a floor.
More magnificent lighting.
Again, the lights. I just thought they were all stunning.
Ceiling detail.
End of a row
More lights.
The signs, I loved them.
Those lights, could they be any prettier?
So, we left the Alabama and went just across the street to the old Lyric Theater, which opened in 1916. Sadly, this old theatre has not survived intact and is in dire need of repair. The same owners own both theatres and it is said to cost $20 million to get this old place back up to the original state. That’s a LOT of money and I sure hope that some way, some how, they are able to restore this one too.
It’s peeling and falling apart and it’s such a shame, because this one is truly beautiful too.
You can get a glimpse of what it once looked like here.
That’s the sad part of these stories, it costs so much money to repair and revitalize these old buildings, but it sure would be a shame to tear them all down. We need to preserve our history for future generations.
I hope you enjoyed going with me to tour The Alabama. If you live here in Alabama and haven’t been inside this beautiful place, I would urge you to go and see it for yourself.
Do you have a special theatre like this in your hometown?
Hi Rhoda,
I really enjoyed this post. The Alabama Theatre is a treasure indeed.
We do have a theatre that is very special to us…check out http://www.msurileycenter.com if you have a chance and read about the rennovation of our Grand Opera House that was reopened in 2006. I spend lots of time there…volunteering in the box office, and serving as an usher for shows.
🙂 Diane
What a stunning theatre….you did a great job of capturing its essence. I really enjoyed your post.
Very nice post… beautiful photos! A similar old theater in the city just to the south of us recently reopened after years of back and forth between city fathers and developers I haven't had the opportunity to visit it yet, but hear from others (and see in the paper) that it's quite something. I'm so glad there seems to be a resurgence of interest in bringing these old beauties back to life.
Hello Rhoda; Thank you so much for taking us with you. What a gorgeous old lady… I am so glad that they redid her how beautiful it all is, such detail in everything… I hope they get the money to save the other one… I so agree that we need to preserve our History and old buildings, if at all possible… I really enjoyed the tour..
Hugs;
Alaura
We have the Playhouse district with many old theaters here in Cleveland, Ohio. We are suppose to be second to Broadway. They are absolutely beautiful! Nancy from OHIO
How absolutely magnificent! We don't have anything at all like this in my small town, which makes me appreciate your beautiful photos all the more! Thanks for sharing! Patti
Rhoda it has been a long time since I've been there. My sister took my niece and nephew this past weekend to watch a movie. With your pictures I felt like I was with you on the tour. Thanks!
Thank you,Rhoda, for showing this beautiful, restored theatre. I live in a VERY small community, with 800 in my town. Three yrs ago, eleven of us volunteers raised funds to restore our movie theatre that was built in 1928. It was an extensive project but we successed and it is beautiful. Even the neon marquee on the front still shines brightly and continues to drawn people in. We are very proud of our achievement and of our community for their contributions. And it still has first-run movies along with a stage area for local performances!
I'm so glad y'all enjoyed this tour! It truly is worth showing off this beauty of a theater.
Bambi, that is an excellent story, so glad you saved yours too. Way to go!
The seats on the front row of the balcony are the best seats in the house. I almost got married at the Alabama. They charge an arm and a leg though.
We visit to see White Christmas every year.
I have not had enough time in Brimingham to see places like this and I would love to. I read a lot these days about the revitilization there and I truly hope all of its historically relevent structures will be saved a la Charleston and Savannah…
I love old theaters. Thanks for sharing yours. They don't make them like they used to. I too hope that the 2nd theater you showed gets revamped. It is such a shame to see it that way.
I love the Alabama and have many fond memories. In 3rd grade, my mom took a station wagon full of kids to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang there for my birthday. In high school, we had our senior class picture taken on the main staircase. My oldest daughter had a dance recital there in 5th grade and more recently my husband and I saw Hall & Oates perform. Have also seen Jackson Browne there. Oh, how could I forget – I went to see Hal Holbrook perform his Mark Twain Tonight. Such a beautiful building! Thanks for sharing the photos.