Lyric Theatre
907 High Street,
Portsmouth,
VA
23704
907 High Street,
Portsmouth,
VA
23704
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The Lyric Theatre was open by 1945 with seating listed at 520. The theatre was operated by Lichtman Theatres and was an African-American theatre. Closed in the mid to late-1950’s, it has fallen into disrepair.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
According to this web page, the Lyric Theatre had two successive locations: 401 Chestnut Street and 907 High Street. It says the Chestnut Street location opened in 1939, but also quotes a December, 1939, newspaper item saying that the Lyric Theatre was participating in a PTA Christmas program for the second year in a row, so maybe it was actually open by late 1938.
The first Lyric was destroyed by a fire, and the new High Street location was in operation by 1945. The facade of the second Lyric is still standing, but the page says that the roof of the building is gone. There are photos of both locations.
Portsmouth Virginia, by Cassandra L. Newby Alexander and Mae Breckenridge-Haywood (Google Books preview) says that the Lyric, along with two other houses in the neighborhood, the Bland and the Capitol, catered to African American audiences.
Was this the one that later housed Sutton furniture and you could walk into the store and still see the top of the old movie screen on the back wall….? I worked at the auto parts store in the 800 block and remember walking in there back in the 70s
Uploaded a picture from the Emmerson Collection of the Portsmouth Public Library.
This theater was a church in the 1980’s(Christdelphian?). The marquee remained intact although covered over by church signs.
Photo added of presumably the first Lyric, courtesy of Stephanie Boldman.
1954 photo added courtesy of Dave Huffman. Confirms the original building in Portsmouth.
Appears to be another theatre marquee in the background too.