Lyric Theatre
111 Washington Street,
Huntsville,
AL
35801
111 Washington Street,
Huntsville,
AL
35801
3 people
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The Lyric Theatre was a nickelodeon owned by Walter Humphrey and opened on November 15, 1911 and was operated by Charles A Crute and Acklin Ragland. It was located on Washington Street and its address on Washington changed numerous times being at 113, 114 and 116, but wound up as 111 Washington Street.
The first movie with sound was shown in Hunstville in 1929 at the Lyric. The Lyric theatre was destroyed on December 25, 1930 by a fire that swept through part of Washington Street.
The theatre was rebuilt after the fire and reopened on December 7, 1931. The article from the Huntsville Times stated that this was the fourth theatre built on the site by the Lyric Amusement Company within the last 21 years. The theatre seated 902 people and the entire building was indirectly lighted. It had a Western Electric sound system and the marquee sign was operated by improved flashers operated by mercury tubes, which did not interfere with local radio reception like the previous ones. By 1941 the Lyric Amusement Co. had become a subsidiary of the Nashville, TN based Crescent Amusement Co.
In 1943, Fritz H. Thomas was the manager of the Lyric Amusement Co, and the company operated the Lyric Theatre, Grand Theatre, and Elks Theatre in Huntsville. By 1953, Charles A. Crute was the president and Mrs. Martha Fleming was the vice president, and the company operated the Lyric Theatre, Elks Theatre, and the Whitesburg Drive-In.
The Lyric Theatre’s last day of business was December 21, 1978. The building was destroyed by fire on January 8, 1982 and nothing has been built on the site since.
Contributed by
Charles Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
A 1986 view of the boarded up remains of Lyric Theatre in Huntsville.
Photo added credit Cindy Taylor Burger.
Lyric Theater, 1955, Huntsville, Al. During Huntsville’s Sesquicentennial.
The final film was Disney’s the small one
Charles A. Crute and Ackland Ragland opened the Lyric on Nov 15, 1911 with movies after an opening failed two nights prior. It was competing against The Picto.