Raise the Hammer

The above poster couldn't possibly be more wrong about the Lyric. It was actually closed as a result of the Jackson Square cinema being built. The Tivoli received the same fate for the same reason, and it was certainly not in bad condition at the time (1989). Much of Lyric's interior beauty was raped and hidden in the 1940's renovations to a cinema house. A much smaller auditorium was installed within the older, large one and the giant backstage was completely hidden from public view. The building actually featured 2-3 floors of offices, changing rooms, rehearsal rooms, a large projector room. It could have all been restored back to it's former glory even before 2000. The only major problem at the time of it's purchase in 2000 was the roof. Everything that has happened since has been accelerated by the roof's collapse, which happened at some point after 2000, definitely before 2006. I went into the building for the first time in roughly 2006 or 2005 and the roof had already collapsed then. As the years progressed I also witnessed the subsequent floors directly under the roof also collapse due to exposure to moisture and extreme weather. The design was completely of wooden beams, so it all rotted right out in the course of 10 years until the second floor eventually ended up inside the lobby (some time in the past 2 years).

The Lyric isn't just old. It has an incredibly storied history as a vaudeville playhouse, one that might be argued as even more important than any other playhouse in the city. Some incredibly famous acts, including the Marx Bros, played within its walls. I can't disagree with your choices of other nice theatres, but I can disagree with the fact that you're writing off the Lyric as old and useless. I've been behind those fake walls. There is a LOT of beauty to be found.

[Comment edited by MattM on 2010-01-09 23:50:32]