Lyric Theatre

I did a lot of research on movie theatres in Binghamton back in the ‘70s, mostly looking through old business directories. I recall that the history of the Lyric was the most mysterious of almost any of them. As you say, it was active for many years, but there were quite a few gaps in the record; it would be listed in business directories for several years, and then not for a few years, then again for several years. I don’t recall the actual span of time but I remember it started very early on. Moreover, the street address listed in the business directories changed a few times (above and beyond the renumbering that took place at some point), which was weird.

The Lyric is a bit mysterious, as Adam Marsland said. However, a couple of sources about Binghamton architect Sanford O. Lacey mention the Lyric as being of his design. I’m not sure when it was built, but I don’t find it listed in any of Julius Cahn’s Guides from the late 19th or early 20th century.

There are dozens of references to boxing matches being held at the Lyric around 1916-1917, and one reference to a bout held there as early as 1909. My guess would be that the Lyric was opened sometime between 1905, when the 1906 Cahn Guide (the most recent edition available to me) probably went to press, and March 26, 1909, when Battling Jim Johnson in his first fight defeated Battling Brooks by a TKO.