Lyric Theatre
103 S. Main Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74103
103 S. Main Street,
Tulsa,
OK
74103
No one has favorited this theater yet
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On a sporadic basis, the Lyric Theatre would present live burlesque shows. These are the type of routines that were staged.
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The Lynch Brothers built their store in the late 1800s. It changed hands a time or two and then Bob Stephens bought the building, auctioned off the groceries and put in the Lyric Theatre, one of the first nickelodeon types. The fire if 1897 destroyed the adjoining Bank but not the Lynch store. The Lynch brothers sister and brother-in-law ran the ice cream store.
FYI the 1885 photo of Jack Marris'Famous Variety Show is not in Tulsa, OK.
Here are c1893 photos showing the Lyric Theatre when it was still an upstairs Wild West Opera House. After the show patrons could enjoy a cool treat down in the basement Ice Cream Parlor.
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and
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This is stricly a guess, but it probably wasn’t until after the disastrous fire that the theatre expanded to occupy the entire building interior.
Only the stagehouse remains in this 1970s photo showing demolition of the old Lyric Theatre,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/G0170.jpg
In 1897 the Lyric Theatre burned, and was later rebuilt,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A3557.jpg
Urban legend says that the Lyric Theatre had one of the very first atmospheric auditoriums. Small but lavish. Due to the fact that the Lyric was converted from opera house to cinema, the projection booth was located on ground floor level, off center. View this rare auditorium shot by typing in word “lyric”,
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This c1960 side view provides an idea of the Lyric layout. Note the newer stage house, added sometime after 1900, that doesn’t match the original design.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/E1382.jpg
Presented here is a late 1800s drawing of a business that sat a few doors South of the Lyric. Several early 1900s photos show a theatre sign atop this structure, but I have not yet been able to trace what theatre this building was converted to.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/C0206.jpg
1921 look at the old Lyric.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A2447.jpg
Courtesy of Tulsa Library come these 1899 images of the Lyric…
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/D8103.jpg ~ http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/E0606.jpg
Below is a (c1960) facade view of the former Lyric Theatre, steel marquee frame was still visible …
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/E0069.jpg
While the Lyric was Tulsa’s first purpose built theatre, it was certianly not the very first theatre. As this 1885 photo depicts, on the corner of Commerce and Soledad sat Jack Marris' Famous Variety Show that presented live acts in a chamber behind Sim Hart’s Cigar Store. If the stage entertainment turned out not to be too hot, one could retreat upstairs to the 101 Gambling Rooms.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A0404.jpg
I’m certain CR meant to write “Nineteenth Century opera houses” –
As Tulsa’s first “grand” building the Lyric’s rough exterior basically staying the same, but seemed to constantly evolve in subtle ways. Here is an 1896 image (photo right) that illustrats an early look.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/D8203.jpg
I do suspect that the Lyric was like most other Eighteenth Century opera houses, occupying only upper floors. In later years a new stagehouse was built when the theatre expanded to utilize the entire interior.
Photo left of this c1907 Main Street shot can be seen the Lyric and Roof Garden Theatre. Photo right is seen the arched entry way of the Strand Nickelodeon, just beyond Palace Clothiers.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/D8162.jpg
From Tulsa Library comes this image of the long neglected Lyric Theatre. Buildings across the street had already come down, and this shot would have been snapped a short time before the wrecking crew would move in to take down the 1895 Lyric Building.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/E0058.jpg
Another angle of the old Lyric stage house can be seen here, after it had been converted into a beer joint. Looks like a 1960’s shot of the former stage loading dock-
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/E0095.jpg
From the Beryl Ford Collection come these 1895 photos. Lyric Theatre is seen far right side of the Lynch Building. The auditorium was fancy atmospheric, though the sky job resulted from a later remodel.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A0038.jpg
And here is a portrait of Robert Lynch, the gentleman who built the Lyric Theatre.
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A0216.jpg
In this c1905 view the Lyric Theatre can be seen photo left. Lyric roof garden can also be visible,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A0769.jpg
and a c1920 scene, Lyric is at photo right,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/JPG/A1586.jpg
The Lyric could have used a Reproduco to accompany the silent pictures. Reproducos were self-contained piano-pipe organ units (3 ranks of pipes) that either could be hand played or automatically via a paper roll.
The Lyric Theatre can be seen ‘photo right’, not left. A black automobile coupe with a white convertible canvas top is parked in front of the Lyric entrance.
Caption says the Gayety Theatre is in view, but it really isn’t. Gayety would have been just beyond that “ALVA” wall sign on distant left.
Under the heading “Main Street, Circa 1929” can be seen (photo left) the Lyric Theatre. This photo is fuzzy so even though the marquee and upright sign are visible, they are not legible,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/BFC/index.htm
Also in this image is the Gayety Theatre.
…And this 1907 image has an even closer view of the old Lyric Theatre and Roof Garden,
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This 1910 photo shows, just beyond the Tulsa Arch (left), the old Lyric Theatre. The high flag-pole marks the domed gazebo atop the Lyric Bldg, this was the Roof Garden Theatre which operated during warm Spring/Summer months when it became too hot for the indoor auditorium to remain open, in those pre-HVAC days.
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Click on below link, go to image labled “Main Street, 1905”, and look just beyond that building on left marked 13 13 to see Lyric Theatre and Roof Garden. BFC index is arranged in alphabetical order for easy navigation,
http://www.tulsalibrary.org/BFC/index.htm
Hope fanatic members don’t send nasty replies about my mistake.
Try instead-
http://digital.lib.umn.edu/scenery/index.html