Alabama Theatre facts for kids
 |
|
| Address | 1817 Third Avenue North Birmingham, Alabama United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. |
| Type | movie palace |
| Capacity | 2,176 |
| Current use | Performing arts center |
| Opened | December 26, 1927 |
| Website | |
|
Alabama Theatre
|
|
| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Architect | Graven & Mayger |
| Architectural style | Mission/spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000386 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 13, 1979 |
The Alabama Theatre is a really cool old movie palace in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was built way back in 1927 by a company called Paramount's Publix Theatres. They wanted it to be their most important theater in the southeastern part of the United States. Back then, it could hold 2,500 people, making it the biggest theater in Birmingham's theater area.
This area used to have many large theaters. They showed all kinds of entertainment, like vaudeville (a mix of acts), live shows, early movies called nickelodeons, and Hollywood films. The Alabama Theatre was built to show silent films. It still has its original Wurlitzer theater organ, which is super special! The Alabama Theatre and the Lyric Theatre are the only two old theaters left in the area. Both are still open and used today.
The Alabama Theatre and its amazing organ were added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on February 15, 1977. They were also added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 13, 1979. In 1993, the theater was named the official historic theater of Alabama.
Contents
History of the Alabama Theatre
Building the Grand Theater
Plans to build the Alabama Theatre were announced in 1926. Construction started on April 1, 1927. The theater officially opened its doors on December 26, 1927. This big building, made of concrete and steel, cost about $1.5 million to build.
Surviving a Fire and Fun Clubs
In 1934, a department store next to the theater caught fire. Luckily, a thick wall protected the Alabama Theatre. Only some smoke damage around the air vents affected the auditorium. These smoke stains stayed until the theater was restored in 1998.
In its early days, the Alabama Theatre hosted weekly Saturday meetings. These were for the local Mickey Mouse Club, which started in 1933. By 1935, the club had over 7,000 members! This made it the biggest Mickey Mouse Club in the world. Membership grew to more than 18,000 before the club closed about ten years later.
The Alabama Theatre also hosted beauty pageants. It held the Miss Birmingham pageant from 1935 to 1948. Then, it hosted the Miss Alabama pageant from 1949 until 1966.
Saving the Theater
During the 1960s and 1970s, many downtown Birmingham movie theaters closed. In 1981, a company called Plitt Theatres closed the Alabama. They sold it to Cobb Theaters. Cobb tried to reopen it but wasn't successful. They eventually sold it to Costa and Head, who were trying to make downtown better.
Costa and Head started showing classic films at the Alabama. This worked well for a while. However, they faced financial problems in 1986.
The Alabama chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) had been taking care of the theater's organ since the 1970s. They wanted to remove the organ to save it. But the people who owned Costa and Head's debts said the organ was the most valuable thing in the building. They wouldn't let it be moved.
So, the ATOS group started raising money to buy the theater. In 1987, Birmingham Landmarks, Inc. bought it. This nonprofit group was created just to save the theater. After the purchase, the theater was renamed the Alabama Theatre for the Performing Arts. In 1993, it became the official state historic theater of Alabama.
Modern Restoration and Use
In 1998, the Alabama Theatre had a full restoration. Workers cleaned or replaced the gold leaf and paint. Seats were replaced or recovered. Some carpets and drapes were also changed. This renovation happened at the same time the old Loveman's building next door became the McWane Science Center.
Birmingham Landmarks still owns the Alabama Theatre today. They also own the Lyric Theatre. The Lyric is a 1914 vaudeville theater right across the street. It reopened in 2016 after a big $11.5 million restoration. The Alabama Theatre now hosts about 250 events each year. Over 400,000 people come to see different shows. These include Broadway-style plays, ballet, opera, concerts, and movies.
The Amazing Organ
When the Alabama Theatre was built in 1927, movies were silent. They needed music to go along with them. This music usually came from an orchestra or a theater pipe organ. The Alabama's organ is a special one called a Crawford Special-Publix One Mighty Wurlitzer.
Only 17 organs of this model were ever built. The Alabama's organ, nicknamed Big Bertha, is one of only three that are still in their original theaters!
The Alabama's organ has four keyboards. It originally had 20 ranks (which are sets of pipes). But it has been made even bigger and now has 32 ranks. It also has many percussion instruments and sound effects. These are used to create all sorts of sounds for silent films.
