 |
| The Lyric Theater (1957) |
 |
| Virginia General Assembly building (2015) |
Site Name: The WRVA
(Lyric) Theater
Date of
Construction:
1913
Reason for
Construction:
The Lyric
Theater was built in 1913 on the southeast corner of 9th and Broad
Street in Richmond, Virginia. Joseph Bryan, publisher of the Richmond Times Dispatch and Richmond News Leader financed the construction
of the three-story, 1,200 seat-capacity theater and also funded that of the
neighboring office building. When it officially opened in 1914, the Lyric was a
unique Richmond theater, specifically constructed for vaudeville performances and
other traveling comedy acts. In the 1910’s and 20’s, the slapstick and often
acrobatic comedy and dance known as Vaudeville, was a popular source of
entertainment among the American people. For this reason, investing in the
theaters designed specifically for vaudeville shows proved an appealing
prospect for many financiers, and theaters similar to the Lyric popped up all
over the country. In addition to live performances, the Lyric also featured
several silent films.
Site History:
In the early
20th century while the Lyric Theater still served as house of
vaudeville entertainment and film, it also played a role in communicating
political information to the Richmond public. On June 3, 1917 political
speakers were scheduled to talk at the Lyric Theater every day and night for
three days starting the following day. The speakers would attempt to persuade
the people of Richmond to purchase Liberty bonds from the government in order
to help the United States fund the war effort and support the Allied Powers
during World War I. During this era, it was not uncommon for theaters to become
designated by the government or to volunteer their stages to host persuasive
political activists such as those above.
During the
1930’s, the Richmond Theater Guild met at the Lyric and the theater continued
to host shows traveling through Richmond. The theater’s popularity spiked in
the 1940’s and 50’s with the introduction of the “Old Dominion Barn Dance,” a
WRVA radio show that broadcast local country music artists. The “Barn Dance”
aired twice every Saturday night via WRVA-AM radio providing music and comedy
to 38 states and parts of Canada. On many occasions, the radio station recorded
the show and delivered the tape to the Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts,
where it then would to be transported to Africa and re-broadcast for the troops
via the Armed Forces Radio Service network. With WRVA’s expanded broadcasting
abilities, the “Barn Dance” brought country music to the world stage. As a
consequence of its success, the Lyric Theater became the WRVA Theater in 1948.
The participating entertainers included Earl Scruggs, The Carter Sisters, Chet
Atkins, Grandpa Jones and many other famous and lesser known musicians who
revolutionized country, bluegrass, folk, and blues music. When the “Old
Dominion Barn Dance” took place at the Lyric, the theater overflowed with fans
of all ages. Many people waited in lines wrapped around the city blocks in downtown
Richmond to try and claim a seat to see the show. Even William Munford, the
Governor of Virginia at the time, made sure to reserve a seat in the theater
for when he attended the “Barn Dance.”
The “Old
Dominion Barn Dance” not only introduced country music to the world, but also
introduced radio’s first female emcee—Sunshine Sue. Sunshine Sue, also known
Mary Higdon Workman or “Queen of the Hillbillies,” was a powerful female whose
lively personality and business savvy made the show a great success by helping
it appeal to a wide audience—listeners spanned from urban city-dwellers to
folks from Appalachia. In 1957, the producers moved the “Barn Dance” from the
Lyric to the Bellevue Theater where they renamed it the “New Dominion Barn
Dance.” There the booking agent, Carlton
Haney, replaced Sunshine Sue’s role as emcee. In the end, “New Dominion Barn
Dance” ran until 1964, but was not nearly as popular as the “Old Dominion Barn
Dance,” and the show in its entirety ultimately faded away.
After WRVA
changed locations, the Lyric still provided its stage for community music and
entertainment. The building’s owner, the Life Insurance Company of Virginia,
demolished the theater in 1963 and constructed an office building in its place.
Today, the site of the Lyric Theater is home to the Virginia General Assembly
Building.
Area History:
Capitol
Square has been the center of Richmond city’s activity since the state
legislature voted to move State Capitol from Williamsburg to Richmond in
1785. Its new location upon Shockoe Hill
provided the capitol with a panoramic view of the James River. Planning for the
square itself started in the 1780’s.
Downtown
Richmond has not only served the city as a center of politics but also as a
center of culture and arts. In the 1920’s, downtown Richmond’s entertainment
scene flourished with the construction of several performing arts venues
including the Landmark Theater, The Byrd Theater, and the Carpenter Theater.
Unlike the Lyric, many of these theaters still stand and function as arts
centers today. In addition to the theaters, WRVA, Richmond’s first radio
station, began broadcasting in 1925 and the first television station in
Richmond, WTVR-TV (CBS 6), made its debut.
Richmond
also experienced a huge surge in development known as the “downtown boom”
between 1963 and 1965. The city erected over 700 buildings during this time,
many of which make up the downtown Richmond we know today. During the 1980’s,
the city closed the roads off to plant the Colgate W. Darden Jr. Memorial
Garden, which provided a path between the Virginia General Assembly building
and the Capitol.
What about the
site has changed?
Today the
Virginia General Assembly office building stands on the site of the old Lyric
Theater. The complex consists of four structures built over half a century. In
the early 1970’s, the building was remodeled to provide offices for the
legislatures, staff, and assistants of the General Assembly. Recently, there
have been complaints from legislatures about the unsatisfactory condition of
the old building and questions over its ability to provide a comfortable work
environment. Many have issued requests to replace the structure with a 450,000
square foot high rise to better accommodate the 140 legislatures and their
staff who occupy the space each winter. Where the politicians, frustrated with
the mold, leaks and bad reception, would prefer nothing more than to tear the
building down and start from scratch, there exists a population of people who
claim the office building overlooking Capitol Square is one Richmond’s finest
displays of 20th century architecture. Furthermore, they urge that
the destruction of such a uniquely beautiful and historic edifice would be
unnecessary. Remodeling and restoring the inside of the building to better suit
the occupants while preserving the unique exterior would help to maintain the
integrity of the building and address its interior issues.
What about the
surrounding area has changed?
In the 2000’s,
state and federal historic tax credits and the Real Estate Tax Abatement
program funded downtown Richmond’s growth and rejuvenation. Downtown has become
a popular location for creative businesses such as advertising companies,
recording studios, and technology companies to establish themselves. In
addition to a budding sector of innovative businesses, the Virginia Commonwealth
University is rapidly expanding throughout Richmond and helping to clean the up
run down areas of the city. MCV, the Commonwealth’s medical center, is located
on the outskirts of Capitol Square. Today, much of Richmond’s nightlife and
entertainment takes place along Broad Street and in the Shockoe Bottom area of
downtown.
Reflection:
During
this project, I felt like a detective trying to uncover the past. When I first
learned about the existence of the Lyric Theater and how it was home to the
original Old Dominion Barn Dance. I wanted to learn more. Out of the other
sites that I had been considering for further exploration, information about
the Lyric seemed the least accessible. This difficulty in finding information
peaked my curiosity all the more, so I accepted the challenge and began to
investigate. I ultimately had to piece the history of the site together with
fragments of information I found from various sources. Upon finally completing
the puzzle, I was excited (though a little disappointed) to learn that the
Virginia General Assembly building stands today where the Lyric once stood
decades ago. Had I not gone through the trouble to solve the mystery of the
Lyric, I would never have known that the world’s introduction to Americana
music was broadcast just minutes down the road.
Author: Alex Norman
Sources:
Accordino, John. “Richmond, Virginia: A
Downtown Profile.” Last modified 2013. PDF. http://www.vcu.edu/cppweb/urban/Richmond_VA.pdf
“Capitol Grounds Through Time.” Virginia
Capitol, Commonwealth of Virginia. Last modified
2012. Accessed March 19, 2015. http://virginiacapitoltours.gov/virtualtours/virtualgrounds.html.
“Will Detail Speakers to Local Theater.”
Richmond Times Dispatch (Richmond,
VA).“Will Detail
Speakers to Local Theater.” June 3, 1917, 5. Accessed February 14, 2015. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
Slipek, Edwin. “Stately Improvement.” Style Weekly. Last modified June 3,
2013. Accessed March
19, 2015. http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/stately-improvements
Tutwiler, Edward. “At the Old Dominion
Barn Dance.” Americana Rhythm,
December 2013, 4-5. Accessed
March 19, 2015. http://issuu.com/djgregt/docs/issue48forweb
No comments:
Post a Comment